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 Canon EOS Digital Rebel
As low as 
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What’s the best digital SLR camera? If you’re looking for high quality and
the best feature set at a price that won’t force you to take out a mortgage,
many camera aficionados believe that the choice comes down to only great
cameras: The Canon EOS Digital Rebel and the Nikon D70. So which is the
best? Let me help you figure out what’s best for you.
When the Canon EOS Digital Rebel
was released (now available for as low as ), it was a revelation of sorts. At
the time, many people thought that when it came to photography, you had a
choice: The many benefits of affordable digital photography or the quality
of an SLR camera. The EOS Digital Rebel proved that you could have both.
Six months later, the Nikon D70
was released (now available for as low as ). The debate over which was superior
immediately started, and hasn’t abated since.
So which is better? Let’s start with the whole purpose of photography — the
quality of the photographs. Both cameras are 6-megapixel devices (Nikon at
6.1 megapixels; Canon at 6.3 megapixels) and so each will take exceptional
photos; it’s pretty clear that you can't go wrong with either. Any
comparison of picture quality is subjective, of course, but the bible of
cameras, Popular Photography, said that for color accuracy, the D70 was
superior to the EOS Digital Rebel, “and scored higher than any other 6MP
DSLR.” The Digital Photography Review site reports similar results. That
being said, some have found the Nikon D70 output slightly more susceptible
to moiré patterns than the EOS Digital Rebel, although you can remove those
patterns easily enough with software. And some people have reported that
Nikon D70 has slightly more digital noise than the EOS Digital Rebel.
For continuous shooting speed, the Nikon D70 appears to have a clear
advantage as well. The Digital Photography Review site compared how many
photos each camera could take with 20 seconds of continuous shooting, with
each camera set to manual focus, a shutter speed faster than 1/250 sec, and
6 megapixels JPEG fine image quality. The results? The Nikon D70 shot off 44
frames, and the EOS Digital Rebel only 23.
The Nikon D70 appears to hold an edge in startup speed as well, with some
users reporting that it takes up to three seconds for the EOS Digital Rebel
to be ready to take photos after it’s turned on, while the Nikon D70 is
available to shoot immediately. And some users have also reported that you
can scroll through photos you’ve taken more quickly on the Nikon D70 than
the EOS Digital Rebel. On the other hand, camera users also report that the
EOS Digital Rebel has a far better magnification ability during playback
than the Nikon D70.
As for size, design and feel, you won’t find a difference between the two
cameras. Both are solid, durable, well-put-together units. Basic specs for
each camera are close enough as to be almost identical. The LCD screen in
both is 1.8 inches. The Nikon D70 has ISO equivalencies of 1600, 200, 320,
400, and 800, while the EOS Digital Rebel has 100, 1600, 200, 400, and 800.
Both handle JPEG and RAW image formats.
So what’s the bottom line? Magazines and many users cite the Nikon D70 as
being superior in terms of image quality and speed. On the other hand, the
Canon EOS Digital Rebel costs around $300 less than the Nikon D70. And keep
in mind that both cameras offer extremely high-quality photographs.
My recommendation? If you’re willing to spend a little more, and the
absolutely highest image quality is important to you, you’ll be happier with
the Nikon D70. If you want to save some money, and the absolute highest
image quality isn’t as vital, go with the Canon EOS Digital Rebel.
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