S2 with a Nikon D70 as Back-up?

HGregoryPorter · #1 05-21-2004, 07:23 PM

I am asking for your opinion about a wedding kit consisting of two Fuji S2Pro bodies versus an S2 Pro and a Nikon D70 as back-up.

The positives are:

D70 syncs at 1/500 sec. So I have option for lower powered fill requirement outdoors.
D70 is $1000 less.
Both use same lenses and flash units.

The negatives are:

Have to be familiar with 2 different bodies, on demand.
Have to learn 2 different workflows.
May see a color difference in images shot with each camera
May increase post-production time significantly.

Please comment as to your experience or recommendation.

David_Buzzard · #2 05-22-2004, 02:51 AM

Stick to consistant equipment. The D70 looks similar in build to the S2, and the image quality of the D70 is top notch, so why not get two of them? You can put the extra money into some fancy flashes or lenses.

David Buzzard

Andrew_Funderburg · #3 05-22-2004, 04:43 AM

I just tested the D70 in the shop and the auto white balance is fantastic compared to the D100 and the colors are really nice.

If I were to shoot weddings with it, I would upload a custom curve that would raise the midtones a bit and would shoot in RAW and edit with Nikon Capture 4.1, which is actually MUCH faster than editing JPEGs. Regardless, I found that 75%-80% of the shots didn't need any editing.

As for the cameras, the D70 is quite similar to the S2, being that they are based on similar bodies. You could probably get enough out of your S2 to pay for one D70 and then get the other for cash.

Also, I think that Nikon will outpace Fuji soon and it will be much easier in the future to move UP nikon bodies, whereas I think Fuji is going to be stuck with the F80 body for some time, as we see the S3 is going to be based on.

As for the flash sync. The D70 only goes down to ISO 200 with 1/500 the flash sync. The S2 goes down to ISO 100, which is equal to 1/250 flash sync compared to the D70. I believe the S2 can do 1/125 like the F80, so you actually only gain one stop in flash sync at the lowest ISO, but a stop is a stop.

Good luck in your choice. I think the D70 and the S2 are equal cameras in many respects. The D70 seems to have a better user set, and is quite a bit cheaper. If you get it, I highly recommend the 18-70 kit lens.

Andrew