NIKON D70 Digital SLR Camera Kit ( Lens Included )
Index

Compras Nikon
Bluetooth
6.1-megapixel effective recording * AF-S DX 18-70mm Zoom-Nikkor f/3.5-4.5 lens (35mm equivalent focal length: 27-105mm) * compatible with AF, AF-S and DX Nikkor lenses * 1-13/16" color LCD * SLR viewfinder (with diopter adjustment) *
Delivering top-notch performance and high resolution at an affordable price, the Nikon D70 digital SLR offers easy-to-use yet powerful features to a wide range of users--from novices to serious and experienced photo enthusiasts. Its DX format 6.1-effective megapixel CCD sensor is optimized to deliver images with excellent sharpness and clarity, and it's compatible with Nikon's DX Nikkor lenses. This D70 digital camera body also includes a 18-70mm AF-S DX f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED zoom Nikkor lens.

Optics and Resolution
The D70 incorporates a next-generation 6.1-effective megapixel DX format CCD image sensor that produces 3008 x 2000-pixel images, and is optimized to deliver a wide dynamic range and superbly sharp details. It als has 2240 x 1488 and 1504 x 1000 resolution modes.

Nikon programmed the D70's advanced system LSI processor for improved performance to produce vivid colors and clarity, optimized auto white balance, auto tone and color control, and to run real-time processes that diminish digital noise in long exposure shots for cleaner overall results.

Nikkor Lens
The included 18-70mm Nikkor lens has a 3.8x zoom capability, easily covering portrait to wide view. It's constructed of three Nikon ED glass elements, plus an aspheric element for low distortion and minimized chromatic aberration

The Nikon SLR DX image sensor built into the D70 incorporates individual micro-optics on each of the sensors pixels. This micro-optic construction ensures that the image from the camera's lens will be precisely aligned with each pixel's sensor and that performance will be optimized.

More Features
The Nikon D70 has been designed to offer faster operation at nearly every level of performance, with the camera ready to shoot the instant it's turned on. Compressed NEF (RAW) files are processed and stored exponentially faster, making shooting in compressed NEF mode easier and more convenient than ever. It can shoot a rapid 3 frames per second for a continuous burst of 144 pictures (using the JPEG Normal/Large setting and a 256 MB CompactFlash card) due to improved buffer memory handling, faster image processing, increased memory card access speed, and greater system bus bandwidth.

Other features include:

Storage and Transfer
Images and video are stored on CompactFlash memory cards (Type I/II), and the Coolpix 8700 is compatible with MicroDrives (no memory card is included with this package). Files can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB 1.1 connectivity, which means it can be connected to any USB-based Windows 98/Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.

Power and Size
The camera is powered by a rechargeable lithium-Ion battery pack (EN-EL3, included) or three CR2 lithium batteries (with supplied MS-D70 battery holder). It measures 5.5 x 4.4 x 3.1 inches and weighs 21 ounces (camera body only without batteries).

What's in the Box
This package includes the Nikon D70 camera body, 18-70mm Nikkor lens, strap, body cap, eyepiece cap, LCD monitor cover, USB and A/V cables, rechargeable lithium-ion battery (EN-EL3), battery charger (MH-18), CR2 battery holder (MS-D70), and Picture Project CD-ROM. Optional accessories include: Rechargeable Li-ion Battery (EN-EL3), Multi Charger (MH-19), Quick Charger (MH-18), AC Adapter (EH-5), Speedlight SB-800/600, Nikon Capture 4 (ver.4.1) Software, Semi-Soft Case (CF-D7)0, Remote Controller (ML-L3).

1 D70 vs. Canon 20D
It took me a while to decide between the Nikon D70 and the Canon 20D. Let me tell you, I did my research thoroughly. Both cameras will take amazing pictures, but just remember that the best photos are created by the photographer, not the camera. Both have great features, but it finally came down to 2 things. 1) Price vs. Value and 2) Ease of use & functionality. The Canon is going to cost you another $500 at least and one feature that you will not find on the Canon is the ability to increase or decrease the shutter speed while on the 'Programmed Auto' mode. It's great because you can take a shot with the Auto shutter, then immediately turn the dial left or right and take another shot allowing more or less light in. This allows great flexibility while still being in Auto mode.

Overall, I love this camera. I just got back from a trip to Ireland and London and the camera made the experience that much better and allowed me to bring back some beautiful memories.

If you can wait another month or 2, I would wait for the D70s. It has a few added features and will probably be priced around the same.
2 Nikon hits a homer
I can't add much to what's already here. I bought the camera body and 18 to 70 kit and besides a 67mm UV filter was pretty much ready to go.
The store I went to was bundling a 1G card as part of a promotion so I'm all set.
I have been a photographer for 30 years and really resisted going digital until now. The cost benefit ratio just didn't make sense to me.
This is still not a cheap camera at nearly $1100.00 but it is a screaming steal compared to what you had to pay for this level of performance a few years ago.
The first pictures I took using Nikon's version of RAW files look like they were shot with a view camera. The detail is just staggering.
The bottom line for me goes like this. I bought the D70 to augment my existing Nikon cameras and it will end up putting my medium format gear into mothballs, yikes!
It's that good.
Holy smokes.
Too bad Amazon only allows five stars.
3 What you will need to get started with your D70
The D70 is the digital SLR to record daily life and life events. With a 6 megapixel resolution limits the size of prints you can make with it to about 11" by 17". If this is not a problem for you then this is your digital camera. If you want to be able to make larger prints with good resolution, then you need to spend a great deal more money for a higher resolution digital camera (about $5,000) or stick with film. I keep my old N90 for these purposes.

The D70 comes bundled with the excellent and compact 18-70 Nikkor Lens and one EN-EL3 battery. To get started with the camera I suggest the following in addition:
* One extra EN-EL3 Lithium-Ion Battery.
* Two 2GB 80X CompactFlash cards with write acceleration (WA) technology.
* One CF card reader for your computer. Firewire or USB connection depending upon your needs.

As time and money permit you may want to add the following:
* A telephoto lens for wildlife and sporting events. The 70-300mm F4-5.6G AF Nikkor is a great value and complements the bundled lens nicely. If money is not an object step up to the 70-300ED or the 70-200 F2.8 with vibration reduction.
* A good macro lens such as the AF Micro Nikkor 105mm f2.8.
* Polarizing filters for both the kit lens and the telephoto. Get Nikon filters there is no sense in spending money for Nikkor lenses and then putting junk filters on them.
* A bag to carry all this stuff.

This will get you nicely started. Further down the line you may wish to get the following:
* A speedlight. Either the SB 600 or 800.
* A tripod and ballhead.

Be sure to check prices at B&H Photo as well as those shown here. They have a tremendous selection and have long been known and trusted by serious photographers. In addition I would suggest that anyone who buys a D70 join Nikonians. There or literally tens of thousands of people who are more than happy to help you with any question you may have about Nikon Cameras, lenses and other equipment as well as help you with your photography skills. And, bet of all, it's free! Go to nikonians.org.
4 A great camera!
I've had my D70 about 3 months, and taken at least 1,000 pictures. I have owned a Nikon FE and Nikon 6006 previously. The biggest difference for me in cameras, when you are looking at a full featured camera like this, is user interface. I loved the FE; it was a breeze to use. I hated the 6006; it was confusing and no fun. The D70 is easy to use, takes great photos, and has an amazing array of features. If you own Nikon lenses and want to make the move to digital SLR this is a no-brainer. I could dig for things to complain about but they are not consequential given the overall quality here. My biggest complaint--it's turned me into a fanatic and I am now spending money on more lenses, the superb SB800 flash, and more. But if the biggest complaint is that the camera makes one more of an enthusiast, well, that's what we want isn't it?
5 Outstanding Camera
The Nikon D70 Digital SLR camera is the best digital camera for the amateur and semi-professional photographer on the market! A good friend of mine has a Cannon Rebel SLR, and he wishes he knew Nikon was about to release the D70 or he would have never bought his Cannon. No question that this camera is worth every penny....
6 I love it!
I've had my Nikon D70 for about 6 months and have shot thousands of high quality pictures. I've shot weddings, portraits, snapshots...you name it. Grat camera!!!
7 Best dSLR for Advanced Amature
First of all I am not a professional photographer. So take my opinion with a grain of salt as you should for all online reviews :-)

It's been a couple of days since I bought this camera and so far my impression has been overwhlemingly positive. There are a few things that I would like to see rectified in terms of design issue in future model or via firmware upgrades. I will try to focus on my compilements and complaints mostly on what other reviewers may not have already said.

Pros

1) Very fast every where ! The camera is instantly on and ready to take pictures the moment you set the switch to on. Lag time between pressing shutter and actually taking the picture is almost non existent. So you can be assured that the picture will be taken at the moment you press the shutter and not a second later. This is very important when you are running around children (or something else) trying to capture the best moment. I also own a Minolta Maxxum 5 SLR which boasts one of the fastest autofocus. This camera is as good if not better in focusing objects. Even in low light.

2) Well layout and ergonomics. I have heard several times from other D70 users that people owning a Nikon SLR feel right at home from the beginning. Unfortunately I did not own a Nikon before. And still it did not take me more than a couple of hours to get fully adjusted to its control. Very well thought out layout and position of knobs, wheel makes it one of the better ergonomically designed camera out there.

3) Body size is a bit large comparing to Canon digital rebel or other models. However, the added weight makes it more balanced and fits well in my hands. I feel really comfortable holding and handling it. The body finish is *matte* type (not sure what Nikon calls it). Basically what I mean is that the boyd is not plain and smooth like most cameras. I love the finish, it gives a better feel in my hand while holding it.

4) LCD is large and bright. I have it turned off and find it easier to take pictures with the viewfinder though.

5) Picture quality is great. I have taken several pictures in auto mode to see how the camera reacts to different situations. All of the pictures came out really sharp and clear. There are several professional reviews out there that you can also read to see for your self how it does.

6) Bundled kit lense is excellent quality comparing to Digital rebel's bundled lense and provides great value. (...)

Cons

1) With flash at night sometimes portrait pictures came out a bit whiter than usual (in Auto). This maybe because I have not manually adjusted the camera for white balance. But in general I should not have to.

2) ISO setting is not displayed when in Auto ISO mode. I think this is one of the most common complaint and hopefully can be resolved via firmware upgrade.

3) Size and weight can be a problem if you want to run around a lot with it. Definitly can not fit in your jeans pocket !

Overall, I have so little to complaint but so much more to say. I suggest you go to a local retailer and handle the camera yourself first before buying it. If you have had an SLR before you will be able to pick it up and get started almost immediately.

(...)
8 They've Done It Again
No camera beats a Nikon. They're lenses are superb and their cameras are the best. Nikon has always been the leader and when the digital camera age dawned, their Coolpix's were serious contenders. Like all digital cameras however, there was the serious problem of "lag" when you wanted to take continuous shots. Nature does not stand still for anything and there are no guarantees for getting a second chance if you miss that all-too-important moment because of camera lag.

The D70 eliminates that problem without sacrificing the Nikon quality. The Nikon D70 lets you take a series of shots in rapid succession without any time delay. It is what every photographer has prayed for.

And Nikon did not skimp on quality. Each photo still has the Nikon hallmark of excellence. Whether you are a beginner or expert, the crystal clear clarity is there in every photo. In fact, after handling the D70, you will find other digital cameras to feel like toys. I know the price is currently steep but the Nikon name is worth every cent. You are paying for quality and Nikon delivers it.

Nikon's D70 is on the hefty side and I can't imagine why they didn't put a CompactFlash card in with the unit (at that price, they should have!). But the menus are easy to navigate and if you have just a smattering of SLR knowledge and picture taking, you will be shooting like a pro in no time flat. If you are looking for a camera that will make every picture you take a masterpiece, I heartily recommend Nikon's D70.
9 A class by itself- significantly better than the EOS 300
Before I purchased the D70, I bought the EOS 300 Digital "Rebel" mostly because of my positive experience with a Canon A80 digital and the less expensive price vs. the D70. I absolutely love the A80 and Canon quality and customer service is first rate and wanted to upgrade resolution, FPS, and shooting flexibility. I was disappointed that even though I experienced a slight improvement in picture resolution, I found the EOS 300 Rebel just underwhelming in terms of design, function and ease of use. It felt heavy and awkward, and didn't seem a significant improvement over the A80. I also had a problem with the lens(an upgrade from the lens kit). The auto focus servo malfunctioned, only worked in one direction, and the camera could not focus at all in low light. I returned the EOS camera and lens and bought the Nikon D70 and 18-70 lens kit, the other option for entry level digital prosumer gear. WOW, what a difference and what a beautiful camera! Amazing image/color quality, fast auto focus, with low-light beam assist. The metering is dead-on precise, I can even get an accurate exposure with 30 second shutter speeds! Changing film speed, white balance, aperture, shutter speed is one touch controlled with dials at thumb and forefinger. The menu works like windows with very easy to access and use. The lens is a wider focal range and better quality than the Rebel kit. The D70 feels great in the hand: solid, lightweight with natural ergonomics. It was intelligently designed by people who use cameras, know digital photography, and not just an adaptation from an older model film camera. Spend the extra few $'s for the D70, and especially now with the $200 rebate on the camera and lens kit.
10 Consider your lens options first!
You might consider buying the D70 without the 18-70mm kit lens. There are a lot of new and used Nikon AF lens on the market. You can easily find some good deals on used lens that might fit your needs better. For example, I found a use (like new) AF 28-300mm lens for the same price I would have paid for the kit lens. Yet, keep in mind that the D70 has x1.5 conversion factor. This makes the lens I bought function like a 40-450mm lens or 10x zoom when used with the D70. Anyway, look around at available lens a bit before you decided to buy the D70 with or without the standard kit lens.

The D70 is an incredible camera, but I won't bother repeating what has been said better by other reviewers.
11 Best camera for the money
I recently decided to purchase a digital camera. At first I thought I would get a small point and shoot; which probably would have been ok for casual picture taking, but then I decided I wanted something a little more serious, something I can have fun with on weekends. Now, I'm not a profesional photographer, just a lowly college student ;-), so I'm writing this review for people looking to get into photography, like myself' and who don't have $4000 to spend on a camera (or dont want to). There are 2 types of camera buyers, those who think the D70 is "cheap" and those of you who think it is very expensive, I was one of the latter, but let me assure you that it "is* worth every penny. There are quite a few things that stand out about the D70, all only list a coulpe big ones becase they other reviews here have done a good job. First is the price, I paid $980.00 before tax for the "outfit" package and I feel that is a great price for what you are getting. The Digital Rebel was $899.00 and it is the only dSLR cheaper than the D70; however, after merely picking them both up there was no choice for me. The D70 felt *much* more sturdy and really felt good in my hands, while the rebel felt like a toy (you really have to pick up a camera before buying it, so dont expect to do all your research online). I was also actually looking at a non-SLR originally, the Canon S70. While a good (best?) little camera, thats what it is, a little camera, its just outgunned by the D70, and you can change your lenses on the D70, somethign I really wanted. The lens that comes with the D70 is a better quality lens than the rebels. Another big factor for me was the fact that the D70 can use lenses back to the '60s I have 5 non-AI lenses from a Nikomat ELW that work very well in the D70, along with a bellows mount. The older lenses are also much less expensive for us students than new auto-focus lenses ;-) (they only support full manual mode, but I think its fun to shoot in manual mode) The battery is great, I bought it 3 days ago and have had it on a lot and probably shot 300 or more pictures and its still full. Ive had no regrets on buying this camera, and would do it again in a heartbeat. I recomend reading the reviews on "DCresource.com" and "imaging-resource.com" to get more professional reviews. I HIGHLY recomend this camera. Have fun shooting!
12 Is the quality of all Nikon D-70 cameras the same?
Based on the reviews here and some professional reviews offered on some other websites, I just bought a Nikon D-70 Camera and SB-800 Flash. The performance is pretty good indeed. However the camera, the kitted 18-70mm lens and the flash I bought are all actually made in China. There is the "Made in China" label on the camera and the lens. I do not know how this would compare against the D-70 and lens made in Japan.

Before buying the camera, I wrote to Nikon USA and some other sellers in the US and none of them was too forthcoming as to the availability of a Nikon D-70 and lens made in Japan. I wrote to Olympus also to find out if the Olympus C-8080 digital cameras sold in the US are made in Japan. Both Nikon and Olympus used almost the same words: "Olympus owns and manages several plants in different countries, all our products are designed and made by Olympus according to the exact same norms and same quality control".

I do not know if these cameras sold in the US are made in different countries and if there is any difference in quality. I cannot help wondering about this when I read different ratings by different owners. It is quite possible that different buyers get cameras made in different countries - some better than the others. This could be true of lenses, camera flashes, etc.

I am still prepared to buy another Nikon D-70 if it is actually made in Japan. I can perhaps then tell if there is a difference in performance.



13 Awesome Camera
I am an amateur photographer and have until recently used only film. I learned on an old Nikon FE2 and learned the basics of photography often the hard way...trial and error and error and so on. I take decent photos with the "old relic" but wanted to save some film with the ability to see my shots and retake if necessary. (the film developers will certainly miss my over abundance of bad shot photos!!!) I find that with the D70 I would have to TRY and try hard to take a bad photo and IF I do I just push the trash button. In doing so no one but me will ever know that I take anything but great shots!!!

I was lucky to have been given a Fuji S2 camera for use at work. The S2 was the camera I dreamed about...that is until I used it for a few months. It was cumbersome to hold, heavy, VERY fickle, and eats batteries like mad!!! My "second" choice was the D70. After figuring out that I wasn't an S2 girl I bought the D70. When it finally arrived (I was first (...) by a "seller" on Amazon!!! BEWARE!!!) I was overwhelmed by it's abilities. I took the time to actually read the manual and the book "Digital Photography for Dummies" and have been taking some awesome photos since. I absolutely LOVE the set up and look forward to making a mark in photography, ok maybe in my own little world!! But that is the fun of it, right?

My advice to any of you...try it before you buy it. Most major camera dealers will rent cameras for you to try out before buying. It costs an affordable fee but is worth the piece of mind when choosing to invest in a camera of this caliber. Rent a set up for a day or w/e and then you can come back and buy on line.


PEACE...Shoot photos not people!!!

(...)
14 The only things wrong with this camera...
I'm not going to go in depth about how much I love this camera because all of it has been said in all the other reviews. I will detail what I have found 'annoying' and what I don't like about the camera.

First, some background. I bought the camera in mid December 2004, and have shot my wife, my son (9mos), my dog, went to the zoo and wild animal park in San Diego, the beach, cloudy conditions, sunny conditions, and snowy conditions. Most of my pictures turned out great, and the ones that didn't were mostly my fault.

The problems I have had with the camera:

Lack of ISO through the viewfinder. You have no idea what the ISO is when you are framing the shot. I have had several pix taken at ISO 800 and 1600 without knowing. Not a big problem, because of how good the image quality is at high ISOs, just kind of annoying.

Packaged software sucks. I'm not a big post processor, but Picture Project is not worth the media it is on. Good thing you can download Nikon View for free. I am too cheap to by Capture.

"Underexposure" problem. Some pictures are slightly under exposed so as not to blow highlights. Added +.3 exposure compensation seemed to help. Fotogenic's PS4 custom curve helped a lot too.

Dang LCD cover. This thing is great to keep your LCD from getting scratched, but dust keeps getting in between it and the LCD. If you remove it to clean the dust, make sure you snap it back on good or say good bye to it.

That's about it. Minor annoyances to an otherwise great camera. If these things are intolerable to you, I would suggest another camera. If not, you cannot go wrong with the D70.
15 A great camera, but not for everybody
To put it bluntly, this is one of those devices where you have to go through a rather lengthy learning curve to use, compared to a general point-and-shoot digital camera. Until you learn the ins and outs of how to use it, and how to use the many settings it offers, you may be dissapointed in your photos. But, I hear this is fairly normal with most digital SLR cameras.

I'm a bit upset that Nikon makes you pay extra for imaging software that should have come free with the camera, and they don't even give you a memory card -- even a small one.

On the plus side, it's great to be able to play with all the settings and really get creative. Even better, if you already have a Nikon 35mm camera with some lenses, you can use those lenses with your new D70. Even if your lenses are quite old, most can be converted to work with your D70, but you must use the camera in fully manual mode.

I went ahead and got the entire kit, that comes with the Nikon zoom lens. That lens covers (based on a 35mm camera) around 27mm to 105mm, probably what most amateurs and pros will use the most. And, with 6 megapixels to work with, you've got plenty of room to crop your photos without losing much detail.

As others have said, the battery in this camera lasts forever and a day, until you hook it up directly to your computer or TV, then it sucks the life out of them. Get a card reader for your computer and you can probably get by with just one battery, as Nikon provides a CR-2 cartridge for emergencies. This holds three CR-2 batteries, and fits in the same compartment as the rechargeable battery.

The camera has an incredible feel to it. Just pick it up and it feels like it's worth the price, and the extra weight and great balance also helps you hold the camera steady. No, you can't whip this one out of your shirt pocket at a party, but that's not what it's for.

To sum up, this is a great camera. Just don't get discouraged when you see the size of the manual (it comes with a quick start guide, too), and just Google your way to all kinds of info on how to get great photos with your new camera.
16 I've arrived!
I owned a total of six digital cameras before purchasing my D70, ranging from an execrable little Agfa that drained a pair of AAs to produce a dozen terrible VGA shots thorugh a Canon G2 that was a pleasure to use. The Canon was pretty good, with manual controls and decent image quality. But what I really wanted, all that time, was a camera with enough pixels to produce sharp, photo-quality 8x10s, a camera that actually fired when I pressed the shutter release, and a way to use all my Nikkor lenses. More than that, I wanted something that felt like a pro camera, like my F2s and F3s.

Well, the D70 doesn't quite have the heft and solidity of an F2- it's more like the modern plastic Nikons that it descended from. And while I can mount any post-AI lens on it, I lose a lot of the metering using non-computerized lenses. And my favorite wide angle Nikkors, like the 28/2.8, become boring normal lenses on the D70.

But those are minor complaints. This is an excellent camera, with superb ergonomics, full control over all the exposure parameters, and the famous Nikon F mount. I can still use my old 300mm, (albeit with reduced metering ability), my Vivitar 283 flashes (with an adapter to cut the trigger voltage), and a lot of other accessories. It's a true system camera, and compared to the film Nikons I bought 20 years ago, it's a bargain. Of course unlike the film cameras it doesn't have a useful life of even 10 years, let alone 20 or 30 or more. But then, what modern electronic device does? And the lenses will, in the Nikkor tradition, still be useful on whatever cameras I buy to succeed this one.

Picture quality is, of course, superb, and the automation makes the camera a pleasure to use. A novice could set the mode switch to "Auto" and happily click away all day, while the pro can do anything possible on a film camera, and more.

I bought a 1Gbyte flash card for my D70, as the 256MB cards I already own fill up pretty fast when you're shooting 5Mbyte RAW mode images. I plan to buy a few more accessories as well- another battery, a real wide angle lens (when funds allow) and perhaps the soft case, to better protect it.

And I think this just may be the year I sell of the rest of my film SLRs- if anyone still wants them!
17 First-time reviewer compelled to write about the D70
I am normally a "reader", rather than a "writer" of reviews. In fact, this is the first review I have written for Amazon. I had to do so, however, to add my voice to the chorus of accolades that this camera is receiving. I had gone without a decent camera since a nice Minolta SLR kit I'd bought in the Navy was stolen after 5 months of ownership. Now, seven years later, I decided to take the plunge and get a good DSLR.

In deciding which camera to buy. I reacquainted myself with photography and the new (for me) terminology of digital photograhy in 2-3 weeks of intense online research. Honestly, if you're looking to drop several hundred dollars or more on a digital camera, it behooves you to do this. You'll learn a tremendous amount, and in that time, the sometimes cryptic language of photography will start to become lucid. I finally brought my options down to the Canon Digital Rebel and the Nikon D70. Unfortunately, the Nikon D70 was, at the time, out of my price range, as it was ~$550 more than the Canon for the body+lens kit. As such, I ordered the Canon.

(...)

Let me say this: even at a $550 price differential, the D70 is worth the extra investment. I have been continually astounded at the quality of the photos I have been producing, and eagerly anticipate continuing to improve as I discover the more esoteric functions of this phenomenally flexible camera. I have shot landscapes, "snapshot" party pictures, close-ups of ice in natural lighting, and close-ups of food under low light conditions, and with a little fiddling, the D70 has come through with flying colors each time. The food shot was notable because it highlighted a major difference between the D70 and the Digital Rebel: the addition of Flash Exposure Compensation on the D70. With it, I was able to fill-in the shadows of a backlit entree without overexposing the foreground. VERY useful, and added to the utility of FEC in indoor shots and fill-flash, one of the most compelling arguments for foregoing the Digital Rebel in favor of the D70. I can unreservedly say that I am more eager than I would have believed to pursue photography as a serious hobby, and the Nikon D70 has been a large part of that impulse.

One word of warning, however. If you are not a "fiddler", someone that enjoys the minutiae of shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, white balance, etc... this may not be the camera for you. While it is fully capable as a point & shoot, it is the extra features and extensive manual/custom controls that justify the price. If you don't see yourself happily delving into those details, I'd recommend the Canon Powershot A95 (which was my camera of choice for P&S).

Good luck with your decision, and thanks for your time!
18 Excellent value for the money.
This is a great camera as every other reviewer has mentioned, takes great pictures very low noise level even with very low shutter speeds. I have been using Canon Powershot S30 for past two and a half years and I was a reasonably satisfied user within its limitations. I got D70 just two months ago, and it keeps amazing me everytime I use it. The skin tones always come true, which was never the case with my older camera (though it may be unfair to compare). Automatic white balance works fine most of the time and the available white balance modes are also very useful. Getting Nikon Capture 4.1 may not be a bad idea becuase editing raw images with it is very very simple and the results are quite satisfactory. The bundled software is practically useless.
The included lens is simple great, focusses reasonable fast is an AF-S lens which uses SWM (Silent Wave Motor) which enables swift, silent AF (Auto Focus).
Bottomline Nikon D70 is great beginner's level DSLR, go grab one for yourself.
19 Its a great camera but it ain't easy.........
Well, I shouldn't say that. It IS a great camera and you can pull it out of the box and start taking great pictures (as long as you leave it on the "automatic" mode). I'm merely trying to inform those like myself who think that through the virtue of a new camera, you'll be the next Ansel Adams. I make the analogy of the proverbial golfer who thinks that the next, greatest putter will put him on the PGA tour, it ain't gonna happen.....:)

To that end, I am glad I kept my Nikon Coolpix 4300 for the occasional travel trip or when you just don't want to have to think. My local camera store guy says the same thing (actually his words).

But of course this is the whole point in buying a digital SLR and Im quite enjoying myself playing with all the settings. I spent the better part of tonight sitting on the sofa, camera in hand, varying exposure compensation values till I was throroughly confused.

I guess my point is dont let the camera intimidate you. Over time, you will gladly welcome the myriad of input you can summon. I will offer a few tidbits of advice (trust me, my sofa can attest to my studies):

1) Set the white balance in all modes to around -1, at least. The camera tends to shoot a little cool and a little bump in the white balance can warm up your pictures nicely.

2) Go ahead and use the shooting menu/optimize image/custom functions. Bump up your sharpness and saturation even if you plan to run your pics thru Photoshop later.

3) Do not use ISO Auto custom menu #5. Rather be prepared to vary the ISO as you need to.

4) And last go out on the internet and find a custom curve! Easy way to change the whole tonal markup the camera produces. Try the "white wedding" curve at: http://fotogenetic.dearingfilm.com/downloads.html (I know, it sounds like a drug)..........

Happy shooting!!!
20 Never Looked Back
I owned the new Nikon 8800 and found it pretty limited, then I traded it back for the D70. With just the kit lens, the D70 has exceeded my hopes for what a digital camera could ever be. It's a real camera. BE WARNED: Once you use one and regular P&S or Prosumer toy will leave you cold. I made some good prints from the 8800 with it's 8MP, but my prints from the D70 are in another league. Some folks complain about the size of the D70, but it's sized like a real SLR for steady shooting and proper ergonomics-fantastic! Yes, there is a learning curve and DON'T buy the D70 if you want a camera to deliver pics straight to the printer. This is a camera that can deliver pro results in the hands of an experienced shooter. I have since added the 50mm 1.8, Tokina 80-400 and the SB800 flash...all excellent. Here are two links to pics taken with the D70. Good luck!
[...]

Capt RB
21 Exactly What I Needed In A Camera
My first concern when choosing a camera was to find one that I would use and use regularly. The obvious downside to the D70 (and any SLR) is the size and weight. This is by no means a camera that I can put in my pocket and pull out at a moment's notice. Despite this, I find myself bringing it with me to places that I wouldn't have imagined bringing any sort of camera. The D70 makes taking pictures such a pleasant experience that I go out of my way to carry it with me. I have taken it skiing, kayaking, partying, and many other places.

The camera is absurdly easy to use, if all you want is to take a picture and move it to a computer. I assume that anyone looking at this camera, though, is perhaps interested in a some additional features, whether in the camera or in photo editing. The D70 does not disappoint. Even prior to reading the manual, I was able to figure out a lot of what the camera can do, and after reading the manual, I realized that it is unlikely that I will ever memorize every function. It is by far most satisfying to simply put everything on manual and simulate shooting film.

Briefly, about the contents of the box. The included lens is a great product. It has good zoom and a great wide angle which is incredibly useful for group shots and what have you. I purchased a card reader to avoid running the camera batteries down, and I take probably 2 GB of photos per battery charge. I do not use any of the software that came with the camera, as I use iPhoto for importing and organizing and Photoshop for editing. I did buy a UV filter, and I recently acquired a second lens with a substantially larger zoom.

It is certainly a great camera. I know that I made exactly the right decision to purchase this camera. I use it regularly despite the weight, and I find myself taking better and better pictures.
22 Well worth the price
I have been putting off buying a digital SLR, since we already have two digital cameras and two non-digital SLRs in our house. The Nikon D70 was worth waiting for...super-fast response time, LONG battery life (didn't lose one bar on the indicator, even after a trip to Disney World!) and an amazing array of options. Menu is easy to navigate, though I still refer to the manual now and then. I love it and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone considering a digital SLR.
23 Upgrading from point and shoot digital cameras
I have been wanting to upgrade my Nikon Coolpix 950 since a summer vacation revealed some limitations. Although it has been a good camera I missed some shots due to slow start up and shutter lag. Also the zoom and the lens quality were not able to get some of the shots I really wanted.

I researched the new 6+ mega pixel cameras and became interested in the Coolpix 8800. I soon found out that more mega-pixels does not mean better pictures and I would be subject to the same issues I was trying to get away from.

I then discovered digital slr's. I did some research on the Nikon D70 and was really impressed with the wealth of features, ease of use and overall quality. I have always been a Nikon fan and this camera was not about to disappoint me.

I was hesitant at first because I did not want to return to the days of being a slave to a camera bag full of lenses as I used to be with an old Nikon FA. The kit lens 18-70mm is a great lens that will probably get me through the learning curve. then I may decide to get an add on lens but for now I do not feel like I need to.

I shot some test pictures and was impressed with the quick writes to the card and ability to take 4 or even 5 shots in quick succesion.

I am very happy with my choice and looking forward to this years vacation.
24 The best transition camera available
The D70 is a great camera, period, but it can be especially useful for the serious photography hobbiest who desires to move from film to digital.

The D70 functions very much like the higher-end Nikon film SLR's. The controls are laid out in a logical manner, and without the bright LCD screen on the back you would be hard-pressed to tell that this is a digital camera. Anyone who has had to wade through levels upon levels of menus on some of the point-and-shoot digital cameras will find the buttons for all commonly-accessed functions a welcome feature. I can't remember the last time I had to go into the menus.

The build quality is excellent, and even though this camera doesn't have quite the sturdy feel of the Nikon pro cameras, it doesn't have the same price tag either. It feels well-balanced in my hands, and is easy to hold on longer shooting outings.

The D70 supports the Nikon Creative Lighting System. With the Nikon Sb-800 I can take wireless flash photos with the camera and flash exchanging exposure data for more accurate exposures. Nikon is worlds ahead of everyone else with their flashes, and it shows here. The built-in flash is adequate for close flash shots.

Battery life is outstanding - I can go days or even weeks between charges. The en-el3 battery is tried and true.

The lens that comes in the kit is a nice medium-range zoom, and a good deal at about $100 difference between the kit and body only prices. It is reasonably sharp at the middle of the range, with distortion only noticable at the extremes.

Unlike some other low-end digital SLR's, the D70 doesn't have any software-disabled features to give more value to the pro cameras. Everything can be set manually, if desired.

This camera was my big jump from Film SLR to Digital SLR, and it didn't disappoint me. I recommend it highly, as you won't find a better camera near the price of the D70.
25 Absolute beauty!
After dabbling in all kinds of Point & Shoot digital cameras boasting of zillions of megapixels, finally decided to purchase a dSLR to see what the fuss was all about. Nikon D70 has changed my concept of digital photography. I no longer worry about movie mode, live preview, EVF, shutter lag, recycle time etc. etc.
With the D70, it's all about:
- You
- The image
D70 is simply a medium that allows you to capture the image as YOU want it.

PROS:
====
1. Instant start up.
2. A battery that never seems to get over.
3. Superb handling and cool sexy looks.
4. Can use almost any F-mount lens. The included lens with it's silent wave motor is a beauty by itself.

CONS:
=====
1. For $999.99 price point, there are None.

If you are serious about your digital photography, D70 is the way to go. Forget all the marketing junk that you hear about point and shoot cameras. They come nowhere near the quality delivered by this camera.




26 Excellent Quality, Features, Usability
As a beginner-to-intermediate level photographer, I've waited for some time now for the DSLRs to come down in price, and Nikon finally prompted me to jump in. I have been extremely happy with this camera since purchasing it in March of 2004. The speed and ability to view images instantly are great, as I am always shooting photos of small children (who don't necessarily stay in one place).

I would recommend the DX lens that comes with the kit over a 3rd-party lens (e.g. Quantaray). It is bigger and heavier, but much faster. I also purchased two of the SB-800 flashes. They (again) are pricey, but have a higher rating (more light) and have features dripping everywhere. The Creative Lighting System with remote flash control is easy to use (the instructions make it look hard, but try it out once), I'm probably going to get a 3rd flash to go with it. Also look for the wireless shutter release, available anywhere from $18 - $30. Pretty cool.

The sharpness and color really deliver, my neighbors are asking a lot of questions (looking to buy). While it can be used as a point-and-shoot, there are more than enough controls / settings to satisfy all but high-end pros.

Some advice: Get to know the metering, auto-focus, and white-balance controls. If you spend a little time figuring these features out, you can go from taking good pictures great pictures in "Program" mode, with very little camera adjustment. My last SLR did not have auto-focus, and the ability to get selective with the focus while still in auto (my eyes are getting older) is a big help. It will also keep you from focusing on the wrong object.

My only criticisms of this camera / package are:
1. Included (free) software has limited capability. Trial version of higher-end software included, I think it's another $100.00 or so.
2. I would like the camera to have multiple setup configurations for different situations.

**** Update 1/31/05 ****
When I originally wrote this, I recommended the DX lens that comes in the kit. I still think this is a great lens, but I recently purchased the Nikkor 24-120mm vibration-reduction lens. Awesome. The VR function helps significantly when hand-holding at slower shutter-speeds. It is a great general purpose lens. I found that while shooting with the kit lens, I kept zooming out to the 70mm mark and wishing I had another 10-20mm to fill the frame better, and this lens gives it without having to switch to my 70-300mm. If I were to do it over again, I think I would have purchased the D70 body only with the 24-120mm VR. I thnk the extra couple of hundred dollars is worth it in the long run. The 18-70mm is a good lens, though, and allows a little wider angle (which comes in handy for landscapes).
27 Very happy I bought the D70, not the EOS 300D
So a few days ago I finally made up my mind and bought a Nikon D70 digital SLR camera. This is a 6.1MP, interchangeable-lens digital SLR that allows for all kinds of manual adjustments. I bought the kit version which costs $300 more than the body-only version because the kit-bundled 18-70mm AF-S DX IF-ED lens (27-105mm in 35mm equivalent) is just awesome and retails for much more than $300.

I had been debating between the Nikon D70 and the very popular (and cheaper) Canon EOS Digital Rebel for a few months. I also considered the small Pentax *ist DS. All three digital SLRs take great pictures. But what won me over in the end was the Nikon D70's vast flexibility and solid build (vs. the Canon) and the great lens bundled in the D70 kit (vs. both the Canon and the Pentax). Indeed, the lens is MUCH better than the one bundled in the Canon EOS Digital Rebel [300D] kit or the Pentax *ist DS kit.

I've been busy shooting the last few days and have absolutely no regret about paying much more than the Canon Digital Rebel (which is a fine camera, but does not have all the manual exposure possibilities I needed). I also bought a good photo technique book "Understanding Exposure" which has a lot of helpful tips about creative exposure for better photos. I love my D70! I hope to be able to finally break out of the "advanced beginner" level I've been cursed to stay at for the last 20 years.

(If I had bought the Digital Rebel instead, I would not have been able to do most of the excellent exposure exercises Peterson gives in his book.)

Anyone wishing to get a below-pro-level digital SLR should definitely go for the D70. The Pentax *ist DS would have been my second choice; besides the lens, I also didn't like its small, stiff "feel" in my big hands.
28 THIS makes it worth moving from 35mm
I've had my D70 for a month now. I've got boxes and boxes of Nikon 35mm gear plus a fairly extensive Hasselblad setup; I've always said I'd give digital a try when the price/quality ratio made it attractive. The D70 was IT. I'd like the camera even if it were a film body; it's light, handles nicely, and is easy to use. There are a ton of menus but they're fairly easy to navigate. The digital images are gorgeous--better than the equivalent 35mm slide or neg scanned. THe convenience is GREAT. (I usually shoot 2-3 rolls of 36 frames, in film, for one of my wife's plays; last week I shot over 300 frames on a 1-gig card and 150 of them were "keepers.") The kit lens is VERY sharp and is a great bargain. The D70 also works flawlessly with my favorite Nikon AF lenses--the 50mm and 85mm f/1.8's are a particular delight on the D70. This camera is just a delight. I wish I'd ordered one sooner!
29 A bit expensive, but wow!
I bought this camera for my wife about a month ago. She is the prototypical shutterbug. 100 pictures a day wouldn't be a bad average(We have a new baby). We went digital a few years ago for most shots and I haven't missed the photo lab yet. Here's the kicker though, she absolutely refuses to learn anything in detail about photography. Point and shoot, set the camera on it's portrait mode and shoot portraits, set it on landscape mode and go outdoors. Depth of field? Bah! Bracketing shots? Why?

So why would I get her a camera as nice and expensive as the D70? Because when I want to shoot my 2 pictures a month, I want something that I can use, not a crappy little consumer pocket rocket, and the D70 gives me a digital body to supplement my N90S Nikon. So what is the result of this big, bulky, control laden camera? She thought it was nice, it took nice pictures, she had used it for a few weeks and maybe shot 500-700 shots and was fairly pleased. "This is nice around the house, but when we go somewhere I'll take the small camera since it's easier to pack." Then she picked up her little digital point and shoot (which is actually high end for a consumer point and shoot, 5 megapixel) and it was like a jolt of electricity went through her. She now HATES the little camera. "I can't believe how SLOW it is." "I can't believe how much better the pictures are on my new camera." "I don't know how I ever took good pictures before, this thing takes forever just to focus." If my wife can see that much difference, you'll be bowled over. I haven't taken my N90S out of the bag since we bought the D70 and am fully intending to take it to the camera store to sell. From what I can tell, the D70 is a quick to focus and as easy to operate as the N90S. Film? What for?

As Ferris Bueller said, "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."
30 Simply the best Digital SLR in the midrange area
There really is nothing better than this.

Here's a brief recap of the game between Nikon and Canon.

Canon put out the 300D, or Digital Rebel, which was the first sub-$1000 digital SLR. Nikon followed up a year or so later with the D70, which crushes the digital rebel in every respect, and truly outclassed even the Canon 10D, the big brother of the rebel.

Then Canon comes out with the 20D to compete with the D70, since they were losing so much sales to it. Here is the real irony... the D70 still beats the 20D in 90% of the aspects.

Go pick one up and you will feel the difference in the controls. The D70 has logical, fast, "pro" controls. The 20D still feels like Canon consumer junk. And that's what it is.

I owned both for a while to compare, and the Canon stuff is truly as much junk as it was in the 80's; they just market it better to beginner photographers. The biggest scam is how they claim the 20D has inherantly less noise off of the sensor despite adding 2MP. Wrong... what it does have is an intense noise-reduction software going on at the firmware level (look up the white paper if you dont believe it), even at ISO100!!! If you really look close at a 20D ISO100 image, you'll see that not only is there considerable shadow noise, but there is a complete lack of detail too, due to both the aggressive anti-aliasing filter and the super-aggressive noise reduction going on to keep the noise down from their high-noise CMOS sensor.

Bottom line is, the D70 blows the rebel, 10D, AND 20D all out of the water, hands down. And don't even get me started on glass. Canon's 18-55 and 17-85 are absolutely terrible lenses... the 17-85 is so incredibly poor optically yet overpriced at $600. The 18-70 Nikkor, on the other hand, is optically supurb! You will see that Nikon does not make crummy lenses, they do it all right the first time, even if it takes them longer. Canon on the other hand makes a lot of junk lenses but sticks USM and IS on them to try and make up for poor optics and bad glass.

Canon is the hare, and Nikon is the tortoise... but remember, the tortoise always wins in the end.
31 If you test the D70, your wallet will be lighter...
If you've seen the 5 star average above and wondered if everyone was blowing smoke, stop. Make sure that your credit limit is good, and head down to the nearest camera store and try the D70. This camera is the real deal. I've had mine now for 6 months, and it seems like a lifetime. To be sure, I am one of the amateur photographers who has simply been frustrated with film, with the in-flexibility over aperture sizes, shutter speeds, exposure, flash units, etc. In short, not being one who does this professionally, just as I think I've learned something: I find something else that I want to do with my camera: and I cannot.
Enter the D70.
I have messed with all of the above, and then some, and simply have not run out of room for fun and creativity in producing some wonderful photos. The D70 is that good. Once on a flight from LA to Houston, I sat next to pro and let him see my D70. Long story made short: he was sitting at the window seat, and before we crossed over El Paso, the battery was running dry! This pro admitted that the camera had far more muscle than he expected.
So, if you are thinking of a camera that slides into that hard-to-find location between professional and amateur, the D70 is waiting there for you. And, "No," I do not work for Nikon! :)
32 Buy it -- now ...
Take it from a former pro photographer who dearly still loves his F and F3. Now's the time and this is the camera if you want to go digital.
33 I've not been more happy w/a purchase, save my Canon i850
I was a very enthusiastic hobbyist with SLRs 20 years ago. I owned a Canon AE-1, Olympus OM2, and my favorite, a Mamiya Sekor, with wonderful glass. I got busy, and dropped my hobby. I got back into photography with an impulse buy of a 3.34 mp Panasonic a couple years ago. I missed the control and gave it away. Missing a camera, I researched and settled on a Nikon 8800, held it and a Rebel and a D70 at a big box. I spent half an hour writing a review, it got cropped. This camera, the D70 is just sweet, I use it and my Canon i850, with Canon paper to produce phenomenal, lab quality photos. This camera, despite it's much maligned "modes", takes one by the hand, it's unbelievable(check the settings of photos taken in auto to learn and develop). I got a kit with tripod, bag, 70 and 300 Nikkor lenses, 1 gig card, two batteries, (though they hold a charge forever), phenomenal battery life, lenses - amazing. If you think you want it, it's for you. I lucked out in making the right decision.
34 THIS CAMERA IS UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!
I bought this camera at my local camera store and I have just liked it better and better during the 5 months i have had it for. The resolution is incredible as is the overall picture quality. The sharpness with the kit 18-70mm lens is great, even enough for 13x19 prints on my canon i9900. I will not go into great detail on the many excellent aspects of this camera but in short here is what I find best about the D70 and the 18-70mm DX lens:

1. Image Quality: The pictures are simply beautiful.
2. Speed: This camera is on faster than you can move your finger from the power switch to the shutter button and there is NO shutter lag.
3. Construction: This is the kind of camera that if you drop it onto a wood table from 3 or 4 feet it dents the table. The battery life is great, I can use it for 3 weeks every day before it needs to be charged.
4. Features: This is a full featured camera just like the D1H or the canon 20D, unlike the stripped down Digital Rebel/300D
5. Versatility: The camera can handle ALL of nikons GREAT lenses except the IX series which is just a few.
CONCLUSION: If you are an advanced amatuer or semi-professional photographer I highly recommend this camera. I would choose it over the Digital Rebel/300D because of its better speed, construction and in my opinion image quality. -Good Luck
35 Very Good Camera
I have had a Nikon N70 for several years. I have a 35-70 fixed aperture lense and a lower end 18-24 wide angle. Recently, I took my new D70 on a long trip to Europe. You can see some of the pictures I took (click on "Customer Images" link under the picture of the camera). Overall, the camera delivers a user experience almost identical to that of N70 (unless you use RAW format). Picture quality is very good in general but I have experienced the underexposure issue many people raised (more so with the D100 than this one). First of all, the LCD on the camera seems to render pictures brighter than computer monitors do. Secondly, the camera is at its best in a diffused lighting environment. But when lighting is weak or tricky, sunrise/set, for example, the pictures will loose some color range. I tried bracketing in many occassions but didn't find compensating exposure very helpful. I have loaded a customized tone curve but I didn't use it a lot, because I was misled by the LCD and I didn't see the benefit after taking some test shots before I left. I guess I should have used it more just as a backup. Overall, the upside of this camera still outshines the downside. I didn't regret buying it and will recommend to others. Hopefully, my experiences with it could help others too.
36 Best in its price range
I have had this camera for a total of 48 hours and I am just beside myself with the quality of its performance. The quailty of the pictures themselves is spectacular, allowing cropping and blowing up of portions of the picture without quality loss. The atuo functions work very well, letting the photographer concentrate more on composition, its awesome for an amateur photographer using an SLR for the first time. In addition, every single aspect can be controlled manually, giving complete artistic fredom. It is light, fully-featured, and well designed to be easy to use. As for the lens included in this package, it is definitely high quality. One of the reviewers mentioned that it is an unusual diameter, 67mm. At first glance, it is unusual, however, B+W, AKA Schneider Optics, makes the best filters in the industry. The benefit to the owner of this lens? Their line is the most complete in the 67mm diameter, offering graduated color filters, warming and cooling, and everything else you can think of. I LOVE the size of this lens as I no longer have any limits to what I can put on it. Yes, the accessories have been somewhat hard to come by, as it is a VERY popular camera. But it is worth it. Anyone who is caught with indecision between this and the Canon Rebel, drop me a line, and I can get comparison information into your hands, including side-by-side photography. The Nikons is hands down the better camera.
37 D70 is very nice
I just bought this camera, along with the kit lens. A pleasant surprise awaited at the camera shop - Nikon has bundled a bag, guide to SLR photography, 70-300 G Nikkor lens, and a 2 year warranty extension in a box as an add-on to the d70 kit.

The add on box went for $279.

Along with the camera, I bought a SanDisk 1GB CF card. I already had a Mac Powerbook (15" G4 1Ghz), and Adobe Photoshop CS.

The camera comes with Nikon PictureProject, but with a serial number you can download additional software from Nikon, including Nikon Capture (free for 30 day trial, then $99 to register).

If you use Photoshop, do not use the Nikon NEF/RAW plugin - use Adobe's Camera Raw 2.3. Camera Raw 2.3 allows you to adjust white balance and exposure, compensate for color shift, and adjust sharpening.

Took the camera down to the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy center for a workout. I was very impressed. I shot the entire museum in raw mode - and got over 140 images on a 1Gb card. The .NEF format uses lossless compression, and the camera is very pessimistic in estimating how many shots you will get on a card. In raw mode, it initially estimates 91 shots on the card.

Some people have complained about the d70 tending to underexpose, a trend which I did not experience (except when I blew a shot in Aperature Priority mode). One thing most people do not know is that you can upload a custom tone adjustment curve into the camera, so if you do not want to shoot raw mode, you can still customize the jpegs the camera produces (requires Nikon Capture).

Overall, I am very, very satisifed with this camera. Take the plunge - you will not regret it.

Matt
38 Great Entry Level Digital SLR

There are basically three types of photographers in the world, those who use and love Nikon, those who use and love Canon, and those who rather not get into an argument that has no end.

Well I am fan of Nikon, I own a Nikon F5 film camera and have never really been impressed with digital.(not enought pixel depth) But for convience and my scrapbooking wife, I finally made the jump to a Digital SLR (DSLR). The great thing about any SLR is that you can change the lens, so when my wife got the D70 she had a lot of lenses to chose from from my collection. Nikon developed the F-Mount in the 1960s and pretty much everything since then works on this camera. The D70 is based on the Nikon N80 body which is a strong plastic body covered with a rubber grip. This is nice because if you have ever picked up a Pro level Nikon/Canon made with a magnesium shell, the first thing that comes to mind is it weights like a TANK!!!

I have played with the Canon 300D Digital Rebel, had the D70 near by to compare and one of the things that I kept noticing is that the Rebel felt cheaper in quality and design. The D70 would quickly focus on an object, the Rebel seemed to flounder on white on white. It also seemed that the Nikon had more metering options (Three), the Rebel only had a default AUTO option. Also one area that I like to use is EV compensation values, the Canon is from -2 EV to +2EV. However the Nikon is -5 EV to +5 EV, a better range than my F5! Battery life is something that has almost shocked me on the D70, I think I have recharged the battery two or three times and one or two of those times it was because I did not believe it was still nearly fully charged. My wife has taken around 2000 shots in the four months since purchasing it. I do know that if you use the camera to transfer images to a computer, it will drain it quickly.

I would HIGHLY recommend the D70 Outfit, the only difference between the Body Only and Outfit is the superior lens that comes in the kit. It is a 18-70mm F/4-5.6 Nikkor lens designed to work with Digital SLRs, it is made with Nikon's very best ED glass. Most of the ED lenses Nikon produces are the best lens you can buy for ANY camera. Lenses made with ED glass are usually the most expensive lenses you can buy, Nikon is really almost giving away this lens. It lists at over $550 MSRP and is a great lens to have.

So in the four months we have owned this camera, we have been to two weddings and a trip to London and Kuala Lumpur. It has held up to the Nikon name of quality and durability, my F5 is also getting a little lonely but I am sure I will go back to it soon. The only thing that I might wish would be diffent is I wished it had a ISO 100 mode, but the broad range of the other features make up for any missed features.

If you already own Canon SLR lenses, it probably would be best to stick with Canon and the Digital Rebel; but then again there is always eBay. But anyone who is buying their first SLR/DSLR this is by far the best reviewed camera in its class. Of course if you already own Nikon SLR Lenses, I recommend the Nikon D2X AND a D70 for when you are out of the studio. ;)
39 The perfect digital SLR
When I first tried Nikon's D1, I swore I'd buy a digital SLR once the price came down below $1000. A few years went by, and now the D70 is available at an excellent price, and the features blow away the D1 in almost every respect.

The D70 body construction is very similar to the Nikon N80 film body. Many of the non-digital features, such as depth-of-field preview, multiple selectable focus points, and on-demand grid lines are retained. There are a few minor control changes; you have to select between Single Focus Autofocus and Manual via an internal menu instead of an external switch. Like the N80, the body is plastic, but it feels very rugged and is solid in the hand.

The digital features have advanced greatly over the original D1. The camera starts up and is ready to shoot instantly, there is literally no waiting time. The camera displays the remaining capacity of the memory card even when the power is turned off. When reviewing pictures (which is also incredibly fast, no wait between images at all), a quick tap on the shutter release will go straight into picture-taking mode again. It's a quick two-button operation to delete any picture. (I haven't accidentally deleted any pictures yet, but it might be a little too easy to delete things.) Image orientation is automatically detected and many photo programs can take advantage of this; no more clicking through your collection to turn pictures right-side up!

The battery behavior is amazing. I used the camera almost daily for four weeks before recharging the included lithium battery. One weekend I accidentally left the camera on for three days sitting on a tripod and it didn't run the battery down even a hair. Apparently it is very intelligent about drawing power only when taking pictures and not when standing by.

Managing large digital pictures can be a pain, but it's far better than managing physical folders full of negatives and slides.

The camera can easily produce 8x10 prints with no hint of digital artifacts. I haven't tried printing any bigger, but I believe it could be blown up even larger without any visible decline in quality.


When I picked up this camera at the store, the salesman said he had a pro who recently bought one to complement his D100. The pro liked the D70 so much he sold his D100 to get another D70! Advances in technology have made this incredible body very affordable, and Nikon's design experience has made the interface fast, convenient, and intuitive. If you want to get into the digital SLR stuff, this is a great camera to use.
40 The Nikon D70. It WILL renew your interest in photography!
What can I say about this wonderful camera? I am a professional photographer who finally bought a digital camera. It was worth the wait; and the money! It has paid for itself in only 1 month! You can't take a bad picture with it! It's presets are awesome. It also works beautifully in manual mode. I sync to strobes for portraits (usually B&W) and it can sync up to 1/500 of a second! The lens that comes with it is fantastic. If you have Photoshop and a Mac, BUY THIS CAMERA NOW!!! Nikon rules.
41 The digital camera I was waiting for
I have owned several digital cameras over the last 5 years. The last before the D70 was the Nikon Coolpix 995. I loved the versatility of the 995, but despised the delay between pictures. You learn to live with this little fault, but it does cause you to miss certain shots.

With the D70, I can use all my Nikkor lenses, I get superb images (that I cannot tell from film 99% of the time) and I finally get the speed that I was used to with my Nikon 8008s. A comment that I read in another review was a good one - keep the manual handy for the first few weeks. It will prove invaluable.

Some reviewers on the web have mentioned the "soft" quality of the pictures taken with the D70. This can be controlled by setting the sharpness setting via the menus on the camera. If you have software that allows you to manipulate RAW images, you can also control the sharpness via the software controls without much reduction in quality.

The camera has a very good ergonomics, with the minor exception of the aperture dial, which is on the front of the handgrip, the multi-directional pad, and the exposure lock button which is easy to hold, but also easy to slip off of before you take your shot.

Battery life is exceptional, even when using flash 40-50% of the time. I keep an extra battery charged at all times, but rarely need it in the field. With a 1 gb compact flash card I get over 90 shots while shooting both a RAW image and a basic JPEG one at the same time. I do this so that I can have a shot to send away quickly via email if needed. Nice feature.

Overall, I love the camera. Friends who see the printed images are blown away when they find out they are from a digital camera. If you have Nikon system lenses from the last ten years and were waiting for the right digital SLR to use them with, look no further.
42 Great camera.
I have some digital point and shot camera before, after I bought the D70, and I fund out that what is the good camera, and if you spend $900 on 8mp digi cam, please, you just wast your money, and i do have a problem with this comera, becouse all my family want me to take a pictures for them, and it is ok, but the problem is that they want the print out and they don't want to pay it, and some days I am not going to pay for them, and I sold the kits len, the 18-70mm on ebay, And I bought a 50mm lens, It take great great picture.
43 Quality & Price are Excellent
I to recently purchased the D70 for professional use & personal use. I used to do a lot of digital product shooting for a studio many years ago with a fixed lens digital slr (how things have improved!). I moved on to editing and did most of my shooting for myself with a film camera or my canon digital elph (love that camera still). Based on reviews it was a no brainer to go with this over the rebel. I used this for shooting simple knock out shots with hot lights and it worked great. After using it two weekends in a row for the product shoots, I was more then pleased with quality, results and low learning curve to using this camera. It was surprisingly easy to use. I've never own a nikon before, been a Contax user for some time. The dials and menus are pretty intuitive. The hardest thing to get used to for me, was not relying on the LCD as much, like previewing, changing ISO or white balance, having to remember to look at the display on top of the camera. One thing that the D70 is lacking that I did not realize (wouldn't have changed my mind on purchasing) is that there is no B & W mode. I know everyone says just convert it. The problem with that is, intention. I come from an art/photo background. Intention means a lot. If I intended to shoot it in B & W, then that should be an option. Not an after thought. Maybe nikon will add it via a firmware update. Now I suppose I'll be intending to convert to B & W sometimes. The included lens in the kit is a pretty good value as well. I almost went without it, but for simplicity went with it. Kit lenses are usually of cheaper quality, this one seems pretty good. Faster lens would be nice though. Other then that, very happy with it so far. Just wish I had more free time to go and have fun with it.
44 Fantastic---You won't be disappointed
I've had this camera for three months and have shot several thousand pictures. I tried the Olympus 8MP 8080 but it was noisy except for ISO 50 like all prosumer ZSLR's. I exchanged it this beauty and after the first day never looked back.

Everything you've read is true, GREAT pictures, NO more shutter lag, battery lasts about 4x longer than compact cameras since you set up the shot from the viewfinder not the LCD which uses power. Plus the battery is powerful, 1400mAh. I now rarely use Photoshop. It's easy to use and has many, many functions including the ability to fine tune the white balance--very useful and many development options.

The lens is top notch, not like the kit lens with the Canon Rebel. To compliment this lens I picked up a Nikon 28-200. Great lens for about $300.00 that also works very well for macro shooting since it focuses up to about 15 inches. Add an extension tube and you can photograph the pollen in a flower with razor sharp results. No need to pick up a macro lens this one does it all plus it's a great lens for walking around. Don't get the Tamron 28-300 since images are soft between 200-300mm and it will depreciate faster than any Nikon lens because of the name. I also picked up a used razor sharp 70-210 f4.0-5.6 lens for only $150.00 which is much, much better than the new 80-200 or 80-300 more expensive Nikon lenses.

Pros:
Simply great shots
Ease of Use
Instant On
Super Fast
Lots of Features

Cons:
Wish the LCD was bigger but it is standard size
Light on top panel should be on-off instead of staying on for just 10 secs
Light on top could be brighter or indigo blue for easier read
Auto White balance runs a little cool.

White Balance Tips:
For most shots simply set the Auto White Balance at -2 or -3 setting and leave it there. This will warm the shots very nicely.
For outdoor shots on nice days use the Cloudy or Shade setting. The Sunny setting is little cool-blue. With Cloudy the added warmth or red looks great. But you won't go wrong with Auto -3 outdoors.
Use Shade setting with a -2 or -3 setting for spectacular red sunsets.
Flash portraits use Flash setting with a -1 or -2 for warmer skin tones
Don't waste your money on a warming filter. The Auto White balance will compensate for for the added red. If you want warm use shade just follow the above advice and/or adjust the setting to -2 or -3 to add some red.

You will not be disappointed with this great camera.
45 Currently the Best Prosumer Digital SLR
I spent a fair amount of time researching my options before purchasing my first Digital SLR. After much analysis, the options came down to the Canon EOS Rebel, and the Nikon D70.

First, a word about pricing. This item is manufacturer price fixed. IT IS THE SAME PRICE EVERYWHERE. Now, if you are finding a lower price, it was probably bought on the gray-market (i.e. in a foreign country) and may not be subject to a US warranty. I'm not here to look out for the manufacturers interests, just be wary of what may look like a great deal.

The camera is currently incomparable. The lens if far superior in quality to the Canon "kit" lenses. This is basically a lens you would purchase if you bought the body, and separately shopped for a lens.

The speed of writing to the flash memory card and buffer size are unbelievable. In multipicture mode, you can burst approx. 144 straight pictures without any lag whatsoever. Unbelievable.

The customization options are far superior to the Canon. This is a first rate camera, with the ability to either turn it on and begin taking photos, or customize each setting until your heart is content.

The two major negatives:

1. The manual appears to have been written in Japanese, translated into German, and then translated into English, all by a Chinese kindergartner. It is virtually unintelligble.

2. The included software is very basic, and not intuitive. Also, the software does not come with a RAW mode feature enabled, only a trial period of approximately 30 days, after which point you must pay $100 to fully enable the feature. In any event, better image manipulation software is widely available.
46 Notes from a professional shoot
Notes from a professional shoot

The Nikon D70 performed exceptionally well during a professional product shoot. This was a simple job shooting pastry under portable studio strobe lighting where the client only needed digital images.

My overall impression of the D70 is that it is an excellent piece of photographic equipment. I was most impressed with its responsiveness. The camera was always ready to shoot. I never felt as though I was waiting for the camera for any reason.

The shoot was almost 3 hours and the battery, which was fully charged at the start of the shoot, held up the entire time. It wasn't until later when I was viewing the images at home on the TV from the video out that it started to show signs of a low battery. During the shoot I was not using the onboard flash but the LCD was referenced frequently for composition and approval by the client.

I did not get to test out all the features but it was not hard to get into a shooting and operational rhythm. I did find that I used the LCD more then the viewfinder for composition. It is easy to pop off a shot and then study it, make adjustment, and then pop off another shoot. This allowed for switching between two shots to make A/B comparisons. Since most of the shots were tripod based this method was possible. I did not expect to work this way but I will say that it was very natural and much more productive then using a Polaroid back.

I used the 18-70mm AF-S DX lens. It performed well with clear, sharp and rectilinear linear pictures. However, I did have trouble keeping the focus and zoom ring clear with my fingers. They are about the same size and a bit close together. You will need to know which one is which. In general I prefer Tokina and Sigma lenses to Nikor anyway. I did some research and found that Sigma makes some impressive by specification lenses designed for DSLR cameras that have a small CCD compared to a 35mm negative. I would recommend checking them out before buying this package. You may find a lens you prefer. It is nice to have options.

Now for some tips I picked up from experience:

The SB-25 I own does work with the camera just not in TTL mode. I latter read that the new SB-800 is required for TTL. If I buy the D70 I will have to also buy the SB-800.

To review pervious pictures you need to use the up and down buttons of the cursor not the left and right. I was using the 4 tile mode to switch between images then toggle back through 9 tile back to single image. User Error.

The left and right buttons switch between the information screen, histogram, highlight mode and standard view. I made the mistake of being in standard view because I did not know there was a separate mode when reviewing pictures for highlights. This caused me to erroneously assume the highlights we under control on a few occasions.

I love the pan & zoom function when reviewing pictures. It is easier then a loop and a Polaroid by far.

There is an option to let you change f-stop and shutter speed in half or third increments when manually overriding or adjusting exposures. I like 1/3 stop increments and knew the camera could do it so it wasn't hard to find the option to set this. Just don't be fooled because you didn't read the manual like me.

The 1.4x magnification of the lens didn't bother me.

The viewfinder image is smaller then what I'm use to on the N90 but not bad.

The view finder seems to cover less of the final image then I anticipated. I also seemed to have a drift to the left. Many of the compositions I did by hand, free style, seem to have the image shifted off center to the right. I suspect this is me but it was odd.

The LCD is bright and easy to read. The nicest on any digital I have seen.

The camera felt good in my hands. Controls were where I wanted them to be. The body felt rugged and sturdy

There is no way to determine what shooting mode you are in without looking at the mode dial on the top left. It is also not backlit so it is hard to read in the dark.

The backlight on the top LCD is dim. I'm use to the N90 which has the blue glow which is fabulous.

The LED in finder information is nice but I do still prefer the N90 viewfinder information and LCD style.

The focus assist light was nice.

There is an option to toggle a set of grid lines in the viewfinder. Nice feature! How did they do that? I have to change focusing screens on the N90.

Image quality was excellent. I saw no evidence of pattern problems others have reported. 6 MP is real nice. Shoot first crop later if you have to. You will any way if you shoot cropped in the viewfinder.

Highlight and histogram are very helpful features. They did make it easy to detect when something was wrong that my eye didn't catch.

The Nikon D70 is worth the money and has many features to make it heavy on the Pro side of Pro-sumer. For the professional, consider this instead of using a Polaroid back for verifying shots.



47 Nikon D70 Scores Big
Having read a few Nikon D70 reviews, I wanted to pass along some wisdom as well. No camera is perfect, and certainly digital camera's have come a long way since this technologly started. My comparison on this camera and my decision to purchase, is based on owning several digital camera's in the past few years.

I was recently using the Fujix S7000 SLR digital. It also received raved reviews. So this review will compare the Nikon D70 to the Fuji S7000.

I wanted a camera that had instant type startup. I had missed many a photo due to the slowness of my camera, the Fuji S7000 was no exception. The Nikon D70 is very fast in starting and processing images to the memory card. I use continuous shooting mode the most. The D70 is fast, I can't say its the fastest. The S7000 was faster capturing images, but too slow to process, causing me to miss subsequent photos while I waited for the camera to finish processing to the card. So the D70 won this contest easily. The other issue is the way the D70 reviews images taken. It does it all seamlessly. You can keep all of your locked settings in place while viewing images, in several thumbnail views. The deleting of images is a snap. The S7000 from Fuji, unlocks your locked settings when you want to view images already taken. This one feature in itself it worth the current street "price" of this camera. By the way everyone sells it for about the same price.

The image quality is what everyone writes about. It neither the very best ever, or the worst. I think film camera's will rule for about another few years, as far as quality is concern. The Nikon D70 generates very good photos. The close up protraits in good lighting come out with a "nice" glow. The detail is good to excellent depending on your subject and lighting. I use this camera primarily out doors. So forget perfect lighting and controlled subjects. Being lazy I depend on the AF and Auto settings. I have purchased two additional Nikon lenses. The 70-300mm Zoom and the Macro 105mm for close up work. It all works very well.

There are some "cons" on this camera but not enough to sway me away to the other "DSLR's". Again, the image quality is good to excellent. This camera does better in lighted situations. Use your "histogram" chart to correct images. Others have written about "moire", thats distorted color patterns, that plague most digital camera's. Well I have not seen too much of that. This can happen with you have lots of blues or reds in a photo.

Overall I think this camera is best suited for the advanced amateur photographer. The features and price make this an excellent choice. Also note that Nikon is also selling the D100, which basically has the same features, for another $200.00 body only. Careful also with dust in the open lense mount. Changing lenses in the outdoors will attract dust particles and crawls into your CCD. Excellent battery life.

WORD OF ADVICE: Nikon Europe Warns Customers of Stolen D70 digital SLR Kits
A number of Nikon D70 digital SLR camera kits destined for Spain have been stolen from Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on July 17, 2004.

The kits comprised of a D70 body with AF-S DX Nikkor 18-70G lens, battery, charger and English and Spanish language User manuals. Importantly they also carry a Warranty Card carrying the following address of Nikon's Spanish distributor Finicon S.A.

Finicon S.A.
C/ Ciencias, 81 Nave-8
Poligono Pedrosa
08908 L'Hospitalet de LLobregat
Barcelona
Spain

A spokesman said: "Nikon would like to take the opportunity to warn the trade and customers to be wary about unrealistically low prices being offered for D70 bodies, 18-70mm lenses, batteries or chargers without retail packaging or valid warranty cards or manuals. Should anyone become aware of these products being made available, they are advised to contact their national Nikon office."

The serial numbers are engraved into the camera body base. They are as follows:

4100064 4100100 4100112 4100118 4100160 4100244 4100274 4100316 4100580
4100065 4100101 4100113 4100119 4100161 4100245 4100275 4100317 4100581
4100066 4100102 4100114 4100120 4100162 4100246 4100276 4100318 4100582
4100067 4100103 4100115 4100121 4100163 4100247 4100277 4100319 4100583
4100068 4100104 4100116 4100122 4100164 4100248 4100278 4100320 4100584
4100069 4100105 4100117 4100123 4100165 4100249 4100279 4100321 4100585
4100676 4100754 4100844 4101108 4101132 4101144 4101162 4101180 4101198
4100677 4100755 4100845 4101109 4101133 4101145 4101163 4101181 4101199
4100678 4100756 4100846 4101110 4101134 4101146 4101164 4101182 4101200
4100679 4100757 4100847 4101111 4101135 4101147 4101165 4101183 4101201
4100680 4100758 4100848 4101112 4101136 4101148 4101166 4101184 4101202
4100681 4100759 4100849 4101113 4101137 4101149 4101167 4101185 4101203




Overall rating four and one half stars.****.5
48 The Best dSLR around!!!!
I just received a Nikon d70 as a gift and boy was I glad. This camera is unbelievable. From its sleek looks to its many (and I mean MANY) features, you canot find a better digital SLR camera. I got it bundled with the Nikon lens that are good, but I suggest buying a 2nd, more flexible lens, perhaps a 35-200mm or some such product. With the power that this camera embodies, you will need it to occupy yourself and truly experience all its capable of. I've had it for three days so far and each time I turn it on, I smile.
Great looks. Great features. Fast autofocus. Built-in Speedlight Flash. Amazingly light. It is simply worth every penny if you can afford it. I owned an N90s before I decided to switch to digital and I have yet to regret it. Nikon is amazing and their products have always put a smile on my face! You will need a Pro Flash Card. I got a Lexar Pro 80X 1GB card. Amazingly fast! FIVE STARS!!!!!!!!
49 BEWARE
I agree with all the great reviews here,and the dealers listed here are good...but if you see some sites selling below Amazon prices,it's usually missing battery,charger,U.S.warranty,etc...one dealer lists the battery and charger for $600,and sells it for an additional $400!!!...same dealer has off brand memory cards marked up 10x real value.
50 The cadillac of 6mp digital cameras
This is a real beauty, and it has been made very user friendly with a number of automatic modes that allow you take high quality pictures from the start. The camera kit includes an 18-70 mm zoom lens that gives you a wide range. The focus allows you to pick one of five points in the view finder. The digital screen provides immediate feedback and various programmed options. It comes with a thick user manual and CD's that will allow you to master this camera in due time. But, most importantly, the quick set-up guide allows you to take pictures immediately. This is a professional camera that has been made accessible to novices such as myself who want a step up in digital camera quality.
51 A Fine Camera....with one concern
Since I'm considering purchasing one, I borrowed my friend's D70 for a few days and shot several hundred pictures. The camera performed wonderfully and took
really sharp, beautiful photos. My one concern is the matter of long term reliability.
This camera is made in Thailand and has a plastic body. Higher end Japanese cameras tend to be made in Japan and have metal alloy bodies. The lesser Japanese models are usually made in places like Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand, so only time will tell whether or not the D70 holds up. Were it made in Japan and with a metal body, I'd give it a full 5 stars.
52 Aurelio
After a very careful review of all existing products in the Digital SLR segment, I finally decided to buy this camera through Amazon.
I'm simply impressed and delighted by the easiness of usage, the great feel and look of the camera and the sharp, vivid, colorful pictures my Nikon produces. Recently went to BC. Canada, for a two week vacation and used extensively my new D70. Battery life is excellent. The 1Gb. Memory card I have was enough to store more than 600 pictures!
Also worth mentioning the fast and reliable service form Amazon and associated suppliers.
By all means: A Great buy!
53 Love it
I have been out of photography for a long time due to my day job but when my daughter got into it, I thought it was time to jump back in. Frustrated with my point and shoot Canon S-30, it was clearly time to go digital SLR. After reading the reviews it was clear this is the way to go. I've had the camera a month now and its performance is incredible. I'm still on the first battery charge, using a Lexar 40X card. I've used the Nikkor 18-70 included with the body, the 60mm Nikkor Micro and the 70-300 zoom. The results are incredible. I've now decorated my office with photos that never saw the inside of a photo shop, printing them at home off my HP Officejet. People are astounded by the images and I've gone so photo happy that my wife thinks I need to go on lithium. If you're in the market for a digital SLR but don't want to break the two-large barrier, this is the way to go. NO question.
54 So far so good!
It was with high hopes and expectations that I finally made the jump from digital to film and then back to digital photography. I searched for a long time prior to making a purchase, studying every review I could lay my hands on. After many, many bleary-eyed months of research, I had narrowed the field to 3 prosumer cameras: Pentax ist*d, the Canon D10, and the Nikon D70. All three were good cameras and each had features the others didn't. My choice finally came down to the two things that I needed as someone who shoots wildlife photography---speed and image quality. All 3 of the above choices shoot at 6+ megapixels. Where they differ is in the speed. The Nikon D70 shoots at 3 fps, and depending on which image quality mode you are using, can buffer shots for up to 9 seconds.

So far, my usage has been limited to shooting pictures of my cats, who have decided to sleep every time I come at them with a camera. I hope to get out today and utilize the capacity of this camera. So far it has been very easy to use. The manual could be a bit better though. I'm pretty much an experienced amateur, and right out of the box the camera was able to put forth some nice still pictures with amazing clarity! Now I just need to teach myself what the heck white balance and all those other technical terms mean and how to put them to use!

If you are looking at this camera, one tidbit of advice--get a fast card! 40x minimum. I know there are 80x cards out there (that's what I got) and it should take care of all your needs. And a spare battery (although 3 people I know who have this camera say the battery seems to last forever). I'd also choose this camera over the slower Nikon D100.
55 Finally a camera that overcomes limitations of the compacts
I bought this camera because I needed something:
1) That took interchangeable lenses in the Nikon system
2) Had a great viewfinder...it ain't a Nikon F100 but blows away most compacts.
3) Speed. It's ready to shoot before I can bring it to my eye and the shutter goes off without a perceptible delay. I can shoot off a continuous sequence of at least 9 shots
4) Quality - the larger sensor results in much higher quality and lower noise
5) I can put a Speedlight on it (although the best results are obtained with new Speedlights).

I'm very happy with this camera. If you want more detail I have a longer review at www.gadgetguys.com
56 I sacrificed my whole Canon System for this Camera
I would guess that all the other reviewers have said what should said, has advised what it should have been advised. So in short, I would approach this subject from the standpoint of value for money.

a) The feel of the Canon 300D and Nikon D70 speaks for itself when you man-handled (or woman-handled) the cameras. Although the body itself are somewhat similar in weight, putting on the lens will make you feel that the D70 is a more stabilised platform for photo shots. As the saying goes, you are what you wear. And to perform well, the basic thing to do is to dress for the role. So the feeling of the D70 is that it just make you feel like a pro (this cannot be measured in terms of money......it's feeling y'know?)

b) Value of the lens. The Nikkor DX lens that comes with the camera kit has more elements than the Canon lens. That said, the quality of the pictures are, personally, are better because of the lens.

c) Sensors size. I always would want to work with the photo developers. And the Nikon sensor 3:2 size helps when you need print directly in a hurry and this would not allow the developers to crop the pictures up, in the end sacrifice some details that you may want in the photo. Important consideration.

d) In the end, this camera serves most of my needs without going to break the bank for a higher end camera. yes technology will improve but if a computer at Intel Celeron 1GHz can do normal typing and emailing, what's the need for AMD 64 Bit? So in the same breath, this camera can do what is needed to do and did it extremely well (the reviewers can all vouch for this fact); thus making the need to upgrade this camera a very remote possiblity.

e) Yes EOS300D is cheaper but has tons of space to improve. The D70 is dearer but has performed in a way that there's little to improve (even if Nikon has improved the camera, it is small little problems that can be solved by firmware upgrades or doing some minute custom changes). From this perspective, the money should be given to the people who put in the effort to produce a fine product.

f) I sacrificed my whole EOS system for this camera. Nuff said. (Even though it is the old EOS 500, it still produce fantastic pictures. Sad to let it go but have to finance the camera somehow!!).
57 The best dSLR for under $3k without question.
Simply an amazing piece of work. I'm an advanced amateur who felt somewhat dejected that Nikon had let Canon outdo them with the 10D vs. D100 comparison. Thankfully, that was a short reign for Canon as this camera blows the doors off of both the 10D and D100. It has everything, and everything done well that all be the professional photojournalist would want in a dSLR.

If you are considering a 300D, please, please reconsider. This is a far superior camera. It is better than the 300D's big brother the 10D and is untouched by any of the other <$2k range cameras out there.

If you have no interest learning how to use the flexibility the D70 will provide you, consider asking yourself why you are spending over a thousand dollars on a camera.

I'd strongly recommend getting a 512M CF card of the faster type (min speed maybe 12x). Why? because one of the neater things about he D70 is the ability to shoot very, very fast. With a normal speed card, like the standard Sandisk 512, you slow down and wait for the card. In most digitals, it is the camera that is slower, not the card.

The kit lens is quite nice. It isn't a drop dead top of the line Nikon, but it is better than most, and is a great standard every day lens. Given the crop factor of the CCD, it is equivalent to a 27-105mm lens on a 35mm camera. You may want to get a 70-200mm Nikkor to go with it, or to save money one from Sigma or Tamron. I also use a Tamron 28-200mm, which works well for this camera since its one major flaw, vignetting at large apertures, goes away completely for the same reason, the crop factor. Note that a 70-200 acts like a 105-300, and the 28-200 behaves like a 42-300.

A final note, shoot in raw format, not jpeg. One of the nicest things is that you can really, really see a significant improvement in picture quality by doing some quick touch up of the 12 bit image before saving to jpeg for printing or emailing. Also, for reference, the 512 Meg card holds 95 raw images even though the camera indicates half that when powered up. That is the one bug in the firmware I've found, but it is a very minor issue.

58 Goodbye film!
Pros:

1.Turns on instantly, no waiting for it to boot up.
2. Batteries last a very long time. I've had this camera for about 2 weeks and have taken several hundred shots and the battery shows no signs of getting week
3. No shutter delay.
4. Good solid construction
5. Excellent picture quality, of course.
6. Menus are easy to navigate.
7. Uses Nikkor (Nikon) lenses. I suggest getting the outfit with the lense included. The digital format is smaller than 35 mm, so multiply the focal length of your lenses by 1.5. Your existing lenses will not have the same focal length range as they do for 35 mm.

Cons:

1. High price, although competitively priced compared to similar digital SLR camera
2. CF flash card is not included. You will need to purchase one if you don't already have one. I suggest at least a 256 MB, preferably a 512 MB or larger.
3. Lense is an odd size 67 mm, may be hard to find filters. I was able to find them, but I had to go to several stores.
4. Accessories can be a little difficult to find. Nikon is notorious for sending out press releases and product literature months before the items are available.
5. Lately accessories for the D-70 are in short supply,e.g. lenses, filters and the SB-600 speedlight(...)I am extremely happy with this camera. I have been waiting for Nikon to come out with a more affordable digital SLR since I already own several Nikkor lenses. The qualities of pictures I have taken have been excellent. I guess I will be selling my old N70, since I am done with film.

59 The BEST DSLR on the market!!
This camera is FAST!!! It's a great relief to finally be able to take a digital photo with almost no shutter lag and/or wait time to take another photo. The startup time can probably be scientifically proven to be a value greater than 0 but is 0 for real world purposes. After flipping the `on' switch the camera is ready to shoot before I can press the shutter release no matter how hard I try! Now that's progress!!

The auto focus is quick and accurate. I have not experienced `Back Focus' problems as some have described. In low light, it does have difficulty focusing on objects with little or no contrast such as the bedroom wall, but this is of no consequence.

In case you haven't heard already from the other reviews, the battery life is absolutely legendary. I had my camera 2 weeks before it needed to be recharged. In those 2 weeks, I shot approximately 1000 photos. Many of which were with the flash or continuous focus. Continuous focus seems to be the biggest battery drainer.

My biggest concern about purchasing the D70 was the moirŽ problem that is in many of the sample photos I've seen and apparently in many of the photos of other reviewers. I can certainly say that I have not been able to produce moirŽ in any photo no matter how hard I try. I've taken photos of many complex patterns, near and far, under many lighting conditions and camera settings and still no moirŽ. Hooray for me, I guess.

The construction feels solid even though it is plastic. We shouldn't be haphazardly throwing our cameras around anyway.

If you're one of the many out there trying to decide between the Canon 300D and the Nikon D70, the choice is very simple. Ounce for ounce, dollar for dollar, the D70 offers more features than the 300D. Also, the kit lens for the 300D is a joke when compared to the 18-70 kit lens of the D70. All of that being said, if you have a bag full of Canon lenses, buy the 300D. If you have a bag full of Nikon lenses or no lenses at all, buy the D70. It's worth the price difference.

No camera is perfect and as such, this camera does have areas that could stand some improvement.

- The Auto White Balance is virtually worthless. `Worthless' might be a bit harsh but it's rather inaccurate. Manually setting the White Balance takes care of that problem.

- The default and preset color profiles seem either too flat or too extreme. I recommend going into the custom settings and boosting the saturation +1 and sharpness +1.

-The view finder is a tad on the dark side.

These shortcomings are minor and should not really affect your buying decision.

As far as additional features for future models, should Nikon be reading, I would suggest a short cut to switch from single to continuous shooting mode and custom digi-vari programs to be able to switch from one group of custom settings to another in an instant.

60 Great Camera, Fantastic Value
I just made the switch to digital. I got the camera/lens package right before a trip, something not normally advised. However, I was amazed how smoothly I transitioned to this camera. I had a F100 which had a similar layout which helped, but I think a big factor is that the camera is very intuitive itself. The camera did not feel much different from F100 performance wise - the shutter lag was too small for me to notice. I am very satified with the pictures (especially for someone who has to lot to learn about the camera). They had accurate exposure and a lot of details. Still need to adjust some of them in photoshop since I had a lot of dark building against mid day bright sky kinda shots, but I am happy with the range it was able to capture and the fact that the details are right there when I do adjust it in photoshop.
61 WOW NIKON! You outdid yourself with the D70!
I have had Nikon cameras for most of my adult life, and that is more years than I care to count. The Nikon D70 is the best I have ever used. It is fast, comfortable, and elegant. Its pictures are sharp, properly exposed, and always in focus with Nikon's fast AF system.

The batteries last for months with regular use, provided you don't upload your pics direct to your PC from the camera. I suggest you purchase an inexpensive card reader for the upload process.

I suggest buying the package, which includes the body, a battery, and a great 18-70mm AF lens. I do not recommend that you buy from Amazon. They are several hundred dollars more than most of their online competitors.

In closing, take the plunge with this great camera. It is easy to use, versatile, and an absolute best buy that will give you many years of pleasure. Great for the professional, the amateur, and those happily in between.

62 A DSLR for the Masses!
I've had my D70 for a week and have already taken about 100 pictures. My results? Spectacular! I purchased it with while on a business trip, so had the opportunity to play with it before I got home. Since I had my evenings more-or-less free, I read the manual (not too helpful) but then downloaded everything I could from the net to help me with using the camera. I'm still having fun learning what it can do.

First, if someone is familiar with SLRs in general, then the learning curve for the D70 won't be as steep. If you've owned a DSLR in the past, it should be quite easy to use - in fact, you'll probably be astounded!

Second, get used to almost instantaneous power up and auto-focus. My previous DSLR was slow to start up and was generally slow to focus and recycle. I have had all kinds of fun with the speed of my new camera. For this alone, I'd recommend the D70!

Third, the pictures are very good to spectacular. The color and clarity of my "windy pictures" (taken from the 10th floor of my hotel looking at swaying palm trees) was breathtaking! And taking a picture of the sun shining behind a dark cloud with the suns' rays coming down to the ground: my old DSLR couldn't do that! It can take the hard-to-take pictures (light/dark areas scattered, strong light and strong dark in the same general area) because of it's sophisticated metering.

Fourth, the buffer holding the pictures, even in their RAW (NEF) format, transfers so quickly to the CF card, I didn't even notice a lag. Even my old film Nikon N70 would have a hard time keeping up with this camera as it would need to autowind the film. With the D70, no such problem. Just keep snapping away!

Fifth, I can use my all my Nikon lens from my N70 on my D70, which will reduce my overall COO (cost of ownership).

Sixth, the software that comes included with the D70 - PicturePerfect - is not what I would recommed. Instead, I opted to go with Nikon Capture (which is included in the camera, but it's only a 30 day trial subscription). I find Capture 4.1 to handle most of my needs. I recommend that users of a fine camera like the D70 use Capture (you'll have to upgrade to 4.1 to handle the RAW images) instead of PicturePerfect. PicturePerfect is designed for people who only want to work a very little bit on their pictures; Capture 4.1 gives the serious hobbyist far more control.

All-in-all, I'd say I have a perfect camera.

63 Finally - a digital camera with no delay in taking the shot
My wife was extremely hard to please when it came to digital and film cameras. After trying about six different brands and models and returning all of them to the store, we found this model while on vacation in St Thomas. I had read a lot about it but couldn't find them in stock anywhere because they hadn't shipped to the US distributors from Nikon yet. Anyhow, I bought the complete D70 outfit and tried it out - I was very impressed right away but the true test was yet to come. After showing my wife the basics of how to use it, she went on a picture taking spree and had a blast. She came back and told me that she liked the camera. After using it for a week, I can honestly say it is a hobbyist photographer's dream come true. A full battery charge easily took over five hundred pictures and the picture quality is outstanding. This camera is truly in a class of it's own! Nikon did a great job on the D70!
64 Awesome digital SLR. Very pleased.
Had mine since March 23. The wait was worth it!

After initial battery charge shot over 2,000 pix and recharged the battery once due to transferring pix to PC directly from the camera. Take Nikon's advice ... use the optional power adapter during transfer directly from camera or use a card reader. Transferring pix from camera drains battery FAST!

The D70 is ready to take pictures before your finger leaves the ON button, seriously. No delay between shots. Nice focusing system ... can choose focus area in viewfinder or let camera choose for you ... one of its the many nice features.

Good price (~$1299 for D70 outfit with 18-70 lens) for an excellent prosumer DSLR. If you get this camera, spend the extra to get the "D70 Outfit" with the new 18-70 Nikon lens. Its worth it and saves you $100+ over buying the lens later. The lens is worth over $400 by itself.

What I did not like: wish the LCD monitor could fold and hide or that the plastic protector could be made to stay on more securely. It just seems like the protector was an after thought in development. It falls off easily. Rubber viewfinder eyepiece cup falls off easily too. Already lost mine.

I'm a very satisfied customer ... Go Nikon!!

65 Not a bad picture yet!
I have had this camera for just over a month now and it is the best camera I've ever used! The lens that is packaged with this camera is excellent and I purchased the 70-300mm lens as well. If you are in a hurry, the auto mode provides point and shoot functionality. If you have the time to get creative, then you can switch to manual mode.

I still use my Coolpix 4300 for times when I just want to pop a camera in my purse and go, but I have to say that the D70 is just as easy to use. I highly recommend it!

66 GREAT CAMERA-BUT TOO EXPENSIVE AT AMAZON
This is most likely the best DSLR money can buy. It turns on much more quickly than Canon's Digital Rebel. Moreover, it has a much more solid body composition, making it more comfortable and more durable. Finally, the lens you get with this package is unmatched by canon's 18-55mm attempt to create a "cheap package"

HOWEVER!!!!! Amazon is currently selling this camera kit at $700 more than most camera stores. I personally hope that Amazon will lower the price of the kit to $1299, like all the other stores. Otherwise, we'll all have to buy this great camera elsewhere.

67 Nikon D70 vs Point and Shoot
Nikon is a wonderful out of box experance. They have quick guides that will get you up and taking photos in no time at all. But you will need to charge your battery and my Nikon did not come with a memory card.

The D70 is a very fast camera. You can use the 40x memory cards that write at a rate of 10 mb per second. That means you can take 144 photos without any delays. The D70 is a basicly a instant on camera and it is very fast to focus, and it is instantly ready to take the next photo.

The Nikon is a point and shoot camera, in that you can set it on automatic and just push the button and take photos. The factory setting are a little bit generic though. I like a photo that is a little sharper and a little more vivid. I can do that in Adobe or I can change those setting in the camera. Soft setting are nice to make people look younger so I would not discard the factory setting all together.

You can get good photos out of a point and shoot camera. But you may end up spending a lot of money on accessories. For example, some of them require expensive memory cards. Also you will needing two cameras: a wide angle and a telephoto. With a SLR you will need one camera body and two lens.

The one thing I do not consider a issue is price. Point and Shoots have a way to get you to buy extras that cost you money. If you want a good camera, get the D70. It is a good investment for your money and I am sure it will maintain it's resale value much better than the point and shoots do.

68 The ultimate digital camera for the rest of us?
Unless you are at the level of spending $4000-$6000 on a digital camera, check out the Nikon D70.

After buying this camera and learning its features in the last week, I am positive that I won't need to upgrade again for a long time, if ever. This camera's 6.1 megapixal quality gives me virtually any size print I need as an advanced amateur. And the prints are exceptional. Add to that the wonderful set of features allowing for creative control and the ease of use. I bought the lens that came with it, and it is a top quality Nikkor lens. Later I'll buy a zoom lens. If you're thinking that the 8-megapixal 8700 will deliver better results, think again. The CCD is smaller on the point and shoot models like the 8700.

The reponsiveness is incredible. I am shooting much quicker than I was on my previous point and shoot. Now I don't miss a shot. If you are thinking of upgrading to an SLR camera from a point and shoot, take the D 70. You will be amazed at how quick the camera takes shots. The menu is easy to read, noise is not detectable in photos, large range of shutter speeds and ISO settings (to 1600!).

Nikon have priced the camera so well that anyone looking at the 8700 would be better off spending just a couple hundred more for the D 70 that will last much longer.

Excellent pics. Professional feel when holding the body. Superior lenses available. Easy to learn. Responsive. Several filters screw right into front of lens-no cheap slide ons. Great buy! Most of us are guilty of constantly checking for the latest and greatest upgrade to our "toys." If you purchase this camera, you can sit content for a long time, get to learn it and enjoy great photos for years to come.

And after talking at length with the representative from the camera shop I frequent, I was convinced that this Nikon D 70 is a better investment than the Digital Rebel from Canon, which is what I went to the store to buy in the first place.

For once I feel like I bought the perfect camera. I don't have thousands to spend, but the price of $1300 was well worth it. I'm so done with reading digital camera reviews!!!!

69 The D70 is worth the wait
I just received my camera last week and so far I love it. I haven't found any negative things yet. I bought the kit with the 18-70 lens. The Nikon is better than the Canon Rebel I had a month ago. I also bought the SB-800 flash and it's great. I love the flash sync of 1/500 second. It will take me a few weeks to learn the new features but I'm loving every photo I take.
70 Brilliant camera - well done Nikon!
After finding out from the Nikon suppliers in Australia that the D70 was shipped on Monday (today is Wednesday), I madly phoned my local camera shops to see who had one available. To my horror, most stores advised all supplies that came in were pre-sold and the next shipment would not be for a few more weeks! Not one for giving up, I finally found one available at a shop a little out of my way. They held it for me, and now I have it!

You can read many reviews on the Internet about the D70 so I won't go into it on here, except to say that the camera is worthy of nothing less but the best review! There are bound to be 'bad' or negative points about the camera, but these are usually down to people's own perception and don't always reflect the average user. If there are any bad points, I can assure you they will be far outweighed by the great points! Having used both the Coolpix 5700 and D1X, I can safely say the D70 is going to become the benchmark for all the other manufacturers to aspire to - even in regards to pro-DSLR's. Having only had a few hours to play around with it, I'm amazed at the features the camera has and how easily accessible they are. With a little more playing around I'm sure to find many more features the D70 can do I wasn't aware of.

One piece of advice: if you're like most people and toss the manual into a dark corner somewhere, think again! Read the manual as you will find there are many features on this camera that are normally only found on cameras 3 times more expensive.

Overall it's worth every star of the 5 stars I've given it. Well done Nikon. No wonder the first round of units were all pre-sold before they hit our shores! Most people know when they're onto a good thing!


Saturday, 06-Sep-2008 23:21:47 CDT
Quote of the Day:


Good morning.  This is the telephone company.  Due to repairs, we're

giving you advance notice that your service will be cut off indefinitely

at ten o'clock.  That's two minutes from now.






	"You mean, if you allow the master to be uncivil, to treat you

any old way he likes, and to insult your dignity, then he may deem you

fit to hear his view of things?"

	"Quite the contrary.  You must defend your integrity, assuming

you have integrity to defend.  But you must defend it nobly, not by

imitating his own low behavior.  If you are gentle where he is rough,

if you are polite where he is uncouth, then he will recognize you as

potentially worthy.  If he does not, then he is not a master, after all,

and you may feel free to kick his ass."

		-- Tom Robbins, "Jitterbug Perfume"