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Good Copy-Bad Copy Please help

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MVD

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I just got a deal from Ritz on a "leftover" D70s with the 18-70mm kits lens. (it was $650 for the kit if anyone is interested) I'm thinking about returning the camera, because I'm not so thrilled with the image quality of the 70s compared to my D50.

The lens however is another story. Seems really good, sharp, nice colors etc. Well due to forums like this and others, I fear an incipient case of good copy/bad copy lens neurosis. Meaning perhaps I have a very good copy of this lens, and if I return the kit and just buy the lens seperately from B H or somewhere my new version might disappoint. (The other option would be to keep the kit lens, sell the body to B H as used, which they told me would be worth $300. (Since the lens alone is $350, considering what I paid for the kit, it's about a wash either way).

Is variability from one copy to another a legitimate concern in the case of a lens like this, or am I suffering from OCCD. (Obsessive compulsive camera disorder) Your answer will be a help to me, and many other unfortunate souls who suffer from similar afflictions. Seriously though I am interested in this good copy/ bad copy issue in general.
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Michael
 
The good copy bad copy issue is real IMO, though maybe not as widespread as some seem to think. There is definitley something lacking with the QC of all the major camera companies and third party alike. My next purchase is going to be either the Nikon 18-70 or the Sigma 17-70 and I am concerned about getting a good copy as both are known to have a higher percentage of bad ones than some other lenses as far as I can tell from all the reading I have done. It's your call, but if you really have a "good copy" and want to keep the lens, sounds like it is worth considering taking a loss on the body which about equals the cost of the lens new. I am preparing myself next month for the possibility of having to go through a few copies to get a good lens, whichever one I choose, and I am not one of those that just buys things to try out and return creating a bunch of used items that get recycled as new to others. This whole thing puts a real damper on the excitement of getting a new lens. I don't allow myself to feel anything until I've tested thoroughly and decide a lens is a keeper, then I can "enjoy" my new purchase.
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LayneC
 
I went from a D50 to a D70s and thought the IQ wasnt as good, then after using it a while

it seemed better. I suppose i was getting used to it and maybe playing with the settings more.

Looking back on my photos, the later D70s ones look better now than the D50 shots.

Now I am having the same problem with my D80, I wonder if they will ever be as good as my D50?

I suppose there is more control and more to get wrong, but, it just goes to show what a fine camera the
D50 is!

Allan
 
Michael - the D70 should be better than the D50, but it requires more tweaking of the images afterwards. Kinda like the D200 in that respect :-)

As for the lens ... just try it for a few days, doing normal shooting. If you don't notice any problems, I'd keep it. After all, if you don't notice a minor defect in everyday shooting, will you notice it ever..?

--
My gallery of so-so nature photos:
http://martinch.zenfolio.com/
 
Take your time evaluating the the D70S. It is a great camera but you need to set it up different than the D50 to get the vibrant colors. As far as the lens goes. If you have a good copy keep it. I have had 2 copies of it about 2 years apart. The first one was not that good but the second one is like a razor.

Laslo
MVD said:
I just got a deal from Ritz on a "leftover" D70s with the 18-70mm
kits lens. (it was $650 for the kit if anyone is interested) I'm
thinking about returning the camera, because I'm not so thrilled
with the image quality of the 70s compared to my D50.

The lens however is another story. Seems really good, sharp, nice
colors etc. Well due to forums like this and others, I fear an
incipient case of good copy/bad copy lens neurosis. Meaning
perhaps I have a very good copy of this lens, and if I return the
kit and just buy the lens seperately from B H or somewhere my new
version might disappoint. (The other option would be to keep the
kit lens, sell the body to B H as used, which they told me would be
worth $300. (Since the lens alone is $350, considering what I paid
for the kit, it's about a wash either way).

Is variability from one copy to another a legitimate concern in the
case of a lens like this, or am I suffering from OCCD. (Obsessive
compulsive camera disorder) Your answer will be a help to me, and
many other unfortunate souls who suffer from similar afflictions.
Seriously though I am interested in this good copy/ bad copy issue
in general.
--
Michael
Click to expand...
--
lv1
http://www.digitalexpressionsphotography.com
 
I think it's true. I've been lucky with most lenses (certainly never had a poor Nikon lens) but I have the Sigma 30mm f1.4 which most people rave about but mine continues to disapoint.

The frustrating thing is, I feel helpless to do anything about it. I feel guilty selling it to anyone, because I'd hate it if anyone knowingly sold me a duff copy. I supose I should have done soething in the first week or so, but work is so busy that it was a couple of months before i go to do any real shooting with it.

--
Dave
 
Blackers said:
I think it's true. I've been lucky with most lenses (certainly
never had a poor Nikon lens) but I have the Sigma 30mm f1.4 which
most people rave about but mine continues to disapoint.

The frustrating thing is, I feel helpless to do anything about it.
I feel guilty selling it to anyone, because I'd hate it if anyone
knowingly sold me a duff copy. I supose I should have done
soething in the first week or so, but work is so busy that it was a
couple of months before i go to do any real shooting with it.

--
Dave
Click to expand...
Well, you can always pony up some money to have it calibrated, if it is not under warranty, and then sell it guilt free or keep it. I did that with one Nikon lens, it cost $75.

--
LayneC
 
The D50 is boosted to higher defaults for its sharpening and color saturation. You can set you D80 (and D70(s)) to match what the D50 does in regards to sharpening and saturation. Nikon set the D50 this way in the marketing assumption that most D50 users are originally from point-and-shoot "digicams", doing family/pet/travel snapshots, and will not want to do (or know how to do) post-processing in Photoshop.

However, the D50 does show lower noise at high ISO due to some enhanced image processing and the photosite density on the CCD sensor.

--
----
http://therion256.smugmug.com
 
martinch said:
Michael - the D70 should be better than the D50, but it requires
more tweaking of the images afterwards. Kinda like the D200 in
that respect :-)
Click to expand...
Thanks for the replies so far. To move off the lens into the other issue...
This has been my experience so far with the IQ of the 2 cameras.

It seems to me that images are somewhat sharper and more contrasty in a positive way from the D50 as compared to the 70s, where images seem subtly opaque, washed out in comparison, and not as sharp. I'm talking raw here, with the same lens, with neutral settings, and before processing.

Do these two cameras have identical sensors, and is the data handled the same? I'm wondering because I know the 70s is basically the 70 which came out what 1 1/2 years before the D50?

Michael
 
The camera companies continually improve their sensor technology with each successive iteration...the filters in front of the CCD sensor are revised from that of the D70 generation. I've heard from Thom Hogan's review of the D50 ( http://www.bythom.com/D50REVIEW.htm ) that the IR filtering may be more aggressive. Again, the in-camera sharpening and saturation settings are boosted to higher defaults in the D50, an dyou can set your D70(s) to match the D50 in that regard.

--
----
http://therion256.smugmug.com
 
Keep the lens and try these settings on the D70:

http://www.nikonians.org/dcforum/DCForumID86/15189.html

You can avoid the EV compensation by installing a custom curve.

If you have a fully blown copy of PS, you can jazz up pics from the D70 in very little time in LAB colour space using simple adjustments from Margulis book "The Canyon Conundrum".

Both lens and camera are good, the D50, also a fine camera, is tweaked to produce better pics directly out of the camera.
--
Phil_L
 
Have you tried making sure your figure/hand off the focus ring? The 30 1.4 is very short and finger/hand can easily touch the focus ring. Once you touch it, the autofocus is disable.

I hate my 30 1.4 but now it gives me consistent focus and sharp.
 
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