What is it about DSLR that makes you want one?

If you can find the 20D, there's nothing wrong with it. Get it and save
some money.

Have you considered the Nikon D50? It's a great camera with plenty of
features, and image quality is as good as the others. It costs a fair
bit less than the others mentioned too. The price difference could be
used to invest in better lenses.

They work slightly different, but they do the same thing. More important
are things like features and performance.

That depends on your needs, but generally I think for the price the D80
will be a fairly solid choice over the D70s.

But we have to see it on the store shelves first.

What do you do with the images?

Do you make large poster-sized prints?

Will you be buying 2-3 lenses, or just use one lense?

I'd keep one of them for social functions where you don't want to drag
around the DSLR. I have a small 3mp P&S that I keep for BBQs, parties
and so forth. If you're having a few drinks, you don't want anyone to
drop a $1000+ camera/lense combo! ACK!

I'm very happy with my D70 - the D80 will have more resolution IINM
which is great if you want to print bigger than A4 (~8.5"x11") or
absolutely must have the highest possible resolution at A4 size. The are
other reasons but for scenery or family photos I don't think you need
the extra resolution.

I had a Kodak DX6490 (4MP 10x zoom) for 12 months before upgrading to
the Nikon D70 for the reasons below.

The main advantages of a DSLR are:
- shallow depth of field is achievable so portraits are much more attractive
- shutter lag is non-existent.
- the lenses are sensors are bigger so you get less noise and sharper
pictures

May I ask why you are not satisfied with the Kodak P850?

Ben

 Is the 30D really that much more expensive than the 20D?  Most of
the comments I've seen indicated that it was only a slight upgrade
and even Canon fans seem to agree that unless they've been sorely
dissatisfied with the 20D's lack of a spot meter, upgrading the 20D
to a 30D probably isn't justified.  On the other hand, if the choice
was to be between a 20D and a 30D, the preference swings more toward
the 30D.  But this preference was far from unanimous, and depended
on whether the 30D's additional features were justified despite its
higher cost.  Don't automatically rule out the 20D.  There are
in-depth reviews of the 30D that compare it with the 20D, and one
good one is dpreview's.   Don't rely too heavily on newsgroup
opinions (mine included).  It's better to compare features and
prices and make your own decision.  Note that the link below points
to only the first of the review's 30 pages.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos30d/

 Not enough of a difference to worry about.  As for the D80, I've
only seen some previews, but they've been much more extensive than
most previews generally are.  The consensus is that the D80 offers
significant improvements in many areas and should be well worth
waiting for.  As with the 30D review, the preview offers some
comparisons of the D80 with its sibling, the D70.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/nikond80/

 I've never sold old cameras.  They either are used infrequently,
mostly gathering dust, or become gifts.  I tried to give an old
Canon Powershot to a niece only to discover that she just received a
camera as a Christmas gift.  Her mother became the happy owner of
the Powershot.  :)

 My choice would be to sell no more than one of the other cameras.
In addition to the smaller P&S cameras being more convenient to use
under some circumstances, they can be useful backups if something
unfortunate happens to the DSLR and you don't have enough time to
get it repaired or replaced, or if you need the use of more than one
camera for some reason.

Hi.

I use a D70, and it is an excellent Camera.  (I am not saying it is better
than a Canon).

I have been reading the reviews fot the D80 and it looks as if it will be
considerably better.  More Focus points, ISO 100, larger review screen and
In-camera editing as well as the 4 Mp extra resolution.  The only drawback
could be a delay before stocks arrive in sufficient quantities.

The D70 will probably be heavily discounted any time now, to clear stocks,
so it could prove to be quite a bargain.

You have the choice, wait for a better one or get a good one for a bargain
price.  The money you save could get you another lens.

Roy G

I'd count the 20D out anyway, but that's mainly because I'm a Nikon fan.
;-)

Well, that's up to you of course, but the D70s with the 18-70mm kit lens is
one terrific camera. No doubt the D80 is better yet. Which to get probably
depends on how you feel about the price difference. . . . Of course there
will always be something better coming along later.

I would *definitely* keep the 5600 as long as you're happy with it. I have a
D70s and also several Coolpix models, and would not sell any of 'em. The
smaller cameras are very, very handy when you don't feel like carrying the
much heavier and bulkier dSLR around -- which in my case is pretty often.
Also, the 5600 or any other Coolpix will use the same software that you get
with the D70s or D80, which simplifies things a bit.

Neil

What you're really asking is who has spend money buying two completely
different camera systems and which do the prefer?

Why not go to the camera store and get a feel of both cameras?

What exactly do you want to do? Do you want an extremely versatile
camera with interchangeable lenses but weighs a ton, is very bulky and
probably needs a camera bag too to get all the extra bits and pieces you
think you'll need?

Or do you want a 'near' DSLR with many of the options but few of the
hassles of a true DSLR? eg the Fuji S9500, Panasonic FZ50, Sony DHC-S5
etc?

Or do you want an unobtrusive camera that fits in your pocket and is
small enough to carry all the time? Probably not.

Are you going on trip where photography is the main point or is
hiking/driving/sightseeing/entertainment the main point and you'd like
to take a camera along?

I'm assuming 'we' means 'I'm dragging my wife/husband along too' How
about talking to the spouse and listening to what he/she wants?

The only thing you're going to hear here is 'I've got a xxx and I'm
really happy/totally disgusted with my camera.

Take a look at the comparison sites first - type <digital camera
comparisons> into google and see what you get.

If I were you, I'd just wait until September and pick up the
just-announced Digital Rebel XTi (400D).  It's basically an upgraded
350D with some of the features from the 20D (9-point autofocus) plus
some other perks (Dust removal and 10 megapixel sensor!).

Price is going to be $900 for the kit set, or $800 for the body only.
Lots of people have nothing bad bad things to say about the kit lens.
A good idea would be to buy the $800 body only, and a cheap prime lens
like the EF 50mm f1.4 (approx $300).   You won't have zoom, but the
image quality will on par with some of Canon's best zoom lenses that
cost over a thousand dollars.