Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm looking into upgrading my camera and am undecided between the Coolpix 8800 or the D70. I already own a Nikon 35mm SLR and have a few lenses, in which case the D70 seems attractive.

Anyone have any opinions on what I should go for? I would mainly be using it to take 'portraits' of snakes, as well as the usual family photos.

TIA for any advice
Regards, Ryan

I have a Nikon 5400 and have used a variety of Nikon auto and manual focus cameras in the past (N90, F3, n2020).

I like the digital point-and-shoot, but it can be very frustrating when I want critical focus on close-ups, especially with a moving subjects. Can't always get it focus on the eyes, for example. Manual focus is very crude (for me) on this camera. And sometimes it won't focus at all under low light conditions.

If you have autofocus lenses, I'd recommend the slr. You lose some wide-angle view (a 28mm lense becomes a 42), but you can manually focus, have superior autofocus, and get very good digital images.

Go to www.dpreview.com for reviews of digital cameras.

The D70 provides more creative flexibility than the 8800. If you are the sort that enjoys exploring the art of photography, you will be happier with the D70. If you just want nice “portraits” of people and herps, the 8800 is quite capable of doing this well for you. If you might find carrying an SLR and accessories inconvenient, you might be better suited for the 8800. In short, people that are willing to go through a little extra effort to achieve the best photographs possible are better suited to an SLR. People that value convenience and easily obtainable good pictures might do better with a point-and-shoot like the Coolpix.

My personal bias is towards the D70. The following photos would have been more difficult with a Coolpix. The first used flash bounced from above to achieve more even lighting, a capability lacking jn most point-and-shoot cameras. The second was taken using a large aperture setting (F5), allowing blurring of the background. A point and shoot camera would probably autonomously focus more sharply on the background and thereby lessen the visual impact of the fern.

I own a 35mm film SLR (Nikon 8008), point-and-shoot (Coolpix 800), and dSLR (D70). All 3 have advantages and disadvantages, but I’ve not used the 8008 and CP 800 since getting the D70, if that tells you anything.

Cheers,
WK
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