Nikon D70 SLR Digital Camera

Nikon D70

D70 SLR Digital Camera Review, by Paul Jasper November 2, 2004

Show More Show Less

0 Comments | 0 Topics | Print Only This Review

• Latest User Reviews 1 review
• Reviewed by: miyata

  Duration of ownership: 3 Years

  Strengths: Battery last 3 times longer than a friends Canon XT's. 1/500th flash sync. Durable. Color is alot better than some other cameras I've played with. With Firmware 2.0 buffer is seriously increased over the original firmware. In manual its real easy to adjust aperature and shutter while looking through the veiwfinder. Menu easy to navigate. Buttons well placed.

  Weaknesses: Lack of wired remote. Issue fixed on D70s. Lack of mirror lock up for astronomy. Nikon Capture full version should come FREE with any of their DSLR's for how much the body costs. Lack of vertical grip. Aftermarket ones are more of a joke.

  Overall: Bought it new in May 04. No problems with it. No BSOD problem. Had a tough choice between the Eos Rebel Digital (300D) and the D70. D70 fit me more than the 300D did. Plus why Canon makes silver DSLRs is a mystery to me. Really looks like a cheesy P&S in silver. Just a personal preference. Compared it to a 10D a guy I know has and the D70 smoked it in our little tests. Even with my Tamron lenses pics came out ALOT better than his 10D with Canon lenses. When I heard the D80 was coming out I was gonna get one to replace this one and make it my back up. But after seeing how Nikon dropped the ball by dropping shutter speed down (I do airshows and 1/8000 does ome in handy at times. better to have it and not need it) and switching to SD memory. Some of us have 16-20GB of CF memory cards (mainly 1GB nothing bigger than 2GB) and having to get all new cards no matter how cheap memory is right now is just plain retarded. Now if they did a dual memory slot (CF/SD), I could care less. Another issue that makes me think about switching back to Canon (used Canon film SLRs for 25yrs before I got the D70) is Nikons apparent LACK of keeping their products in production. If you want a F2.8 Nikkor lens, you will have to wait. Most places are 'out of stock' and the shops have no idea IF Nikon is gonna start getting them out. I want a 50mm 1.8D but no one has them and may have to buy one used. (I'd rather buy new and at a store. I like to inpsect the lens before I buy) One thing I get a laugh out of is how preoccupied people are about how many megapixels a camera has. I've made 24X30" posters just fine with the D70. Local pro does BILLBOARDS with his D70. You cant tell the difference between a 6MP and 10MP 8X10 done from a DSLR. The D2H(s) is a 4mp and makes 8X10's just fine. Not bad for a $3500 4MP camera.

• Reviewed by: iampest

  Strengths: Small, great pictures, many features for size of camera, good flash, 2" lcd screen, great movie mode.

  Weaknesses: Minimal manaul settings (normal for camera this small.

  Overall: This is the best camera that I have owned. I'm upgrading from a Canon a95 5.0 mp camera and this takes far better pictures hands down. The camera is small, but not too small. It has a nice solid feel to it because the majority of the body is metal. I absolutely love this camera! It is so compact yet it has a lot of features. 9 scene modes makes shooting portrait, indoors, beach, snow, foliage, etc. scenes so much easier. The SD500 also has a neat movie mode that can shoot up to 60 fps, but you may need a "high speed" sd memory card for that. If you're considering getting this camera, don't hesitate as you will not be disappointed!

• Reviewed by: maddogmerrick

  Strengths: Battery lasts forever; Fast focussing; Easy to use and well designed; Great for focussing in low light.

  Weaknesses: My lack of skill

  Overall: I previously owned the Sony 828 and was convinced that the crap photos I took was due to the camera. I read all the reviews and decided to trade it in for the D70 because all the reviews say how much better a DSLR is when compared to my Sony 828. The photographs taken by me using the D70 are still crap and do not come out any better than they did on my Sony 828. The lens on my Sony 828 was really flexible (28-200mm) and came in a nice tidy package. I think I have wasted my money switching from the Sony 828 to the Nikon D70. Don't get me wrong, I am sure the Nikon D70 is a fine camera in capable hands. However, for someone like me, there is no point getting a DSLR. I actually think I would have been better off sticking to my old Canon S50.

• Reviewed by: pk640

  Strengths: Incredible Start-up speed, Burst speed is blazing, Battery-Life is outstanding, Manual control offers many options, and looks like what it is - a real camera. For the price - exceptional camera.

  Weaknesses: Steep learning curb on manual controls if new to DSLR - this is true of all DSLRs though. Possible problems with moire (but not usually noticeable, even printed)

  Overall: I have owned this camera now for 6 months. I use it internationally on mission efforts in places where there is practically no civilization. First off, this camera is fairly rugged - even though it is made of polycarbonate (most "pro" cameras are metallic). If you don't have a problem with dropping cameras all the time, this won't be a problem for you. The camera body is light enough to endure, without being so light that you can't hold it good and steady.The fact that it is a DSLR gives you (practically) unlimited lens options. I currently have 3 that I use, the packaged 18-70, a 70-300 telephoto, and a 50mm / 1.8 aperture. The ability to switch lenses of course multiplies the camera's usefulness as Nikon already has a long line of great lenses (even if a few of them aren't compatible with this camera).The RAW ability is nice to have, although it can be annoying if you don't already have Photoshop (you'll have to purchase NikonCapture in that case... should have been packaged with the product in my opinion). Nevertheless, the JPG quality is outstanding - better than any point-and-click you are going to find.I print many of these images out at 24"x36" - even at this size they look great.Basically, if you are serious about photography (amateur or career), don't have a ton of $$ to throw down ($2,000+), want great flexibility and a camera that will teach you how to take control of your photographs, you should consider this camera.The camera's only real weakness could possibly be the person who holds it.

• Reviewed by: lkaven

  Strengths: Overall functionality, speed, ease of use, image quality

  Weaknesses: Smallish viewfinder, No ISO reading in viewfinder, lossy RAW file format

  Overall: This camera is suitable in image quality for professional work. Do not use the automatic settings and don't shoot JPEGs, but learn how to get the most from RAW images. The Nikon will set exposure down a little bit to avoid blowing highlights, but this is with the assumption that you "develop" your images routinely with a "digital darkroom" and use capable capture software. The PC World reviewer really is wrong to downgrade the image quality rating. It produces stunning images, even at 1600 ISO. There is no way this camera rates behind all of those point and shoot models. This magazine obviously does not understand photography very well.

• Reviewed by: dhofmann

  Strengths: quick responds and fast, battery life is 1000+ photo, very good light meter, very good price/feature ratio, lens is extremely good quality, handling and controls are very well done, flash exposure!

  Weaknesses: backward compatibility with old Nikon gear is limited, change AF mode only in menu, only manual exposure with old lenses

  Overall: After having owned 3 professional Nikon cameras and at least 5 other digital cameras I was surprised how well the D70 performs and almost every aspect. There is never a lag or wait for the camera and 3 frames per second is fast enough for 98% of my photos. Haveing a 1/500 flash sync time is incredible and a big advantage to use fill flash in daylight. The image quality is better than I expected. I made really large prints and never had any issues with resolution or quality. I compared it to 8 mp cameras and the difference is really minimal. People who I showed prints from 8 and 6 mp coulnd't tell the difference. The preferences were mostly based on color/contrast and other factors. Exposure both ambient and flash are always very good resulting in beautiful skin tones. The camera has different "curve settings" for various situations and on top of that you can create your own profile curve and uploadit into the camera for a very personal look & feel of the photos. The jpg compression is done so well that even in normal mode it is hard to find any signs of artifacts if at all. This means you can get a lot of images on your card. The AF has three basic setups that all work extremely well. I take photos of my kids playing and running around and the AF does an excelent job keeping them in focus. I thought the kit lens would be a cheap add on to sell the camera. I did testshots to compare it to my other lenses and it turned out that the 18-70 is surpassing almost all my other lenses (all Nikon) in quality. I never expected that and made me rethink my other lenses. I bought two extra batteries just to be save and after almost one year I realized that it was a waste of money. The camera takes 1000 photos with one battery. Even with flash it won#t drop down too much. The menue system is simple and the most imprtant controlls I need to change often are all acessibel directly through buttons or the dail. Only changing the AF mode is hidden in the menu which bothers me sometimes. The viewfinder is a little small but I can see the whole screen even with my glasses on. There is very little negative I can say abouth thsi camera. I sometimes miss a protrait orientation shutter release or would like to have at least any kind of metering with my old Nikkor lenses. At 1600 ASA at very low light there is some visible noise. The LCD does not work an a monitor to be used instead the viewfinder. All dSLR have that limitation, though. Looking at photos is quick but the amount you can zoom in is limited. Those are all minor things but frankly I'm really very happy with the camera the way it is and it fits exactly my needs. Some samples can bee seen here: http://www.usefilm.com/photographer/76216.html