Nikon D70 Reviews

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Nikon D70
★★★★☆
4.4
89.0% of users recommend this
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  • Image Quality

  • Battery Life

  • Features

  • Ease of Use

  • Value For Money

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Specification for Nikon D70

Main Features
Resolution 6
Optical Zoom 1
Battery Type Rechargeable

Features:
  • 6.1-megapixel resolution for 3008 x 2000-pixel images and photo-quality poster-plus sized enlargements
  • Includes Nikon's 18-70mm Nikkor lens created for this camera's DX format CCD
  • 1.8-inch LCD screen; built-in pop-up flash; shoot JPEG, TIFF, or RAW
  • Store images on CompactFlash type I/II memory cards; Microdrive compatible; no memory card included
  • Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack (included with charger); connects via USB 1.1
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    Latest Reviews

    “SLR is still the craftsman's choice for professional...”

    ★★★★☆

    written by beawill on 26/05/2009

    SLR is still the craftsman's choice for professional photography. However, Nikon D70 has changed that by bringing the craft to the digital dimension without changing the art of handcrafted image capturing in the classical sense of the art of photography. Simply put Nikon D70 has brought the art in digital science. The modifications are inline with not changing the craft but in enhancing the true craftsmanship of professional photographic imaging. Not cheats, just the same old lights and shutter speed combination. The master is still the eye of the photographer and not the eyepiece, that's classical Nikon art of photography.

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    “The nikon D70 was (and still is) my second DLSR i...”

    ★★★★★

    written by nikonian on 24/02/2009

    The nikon D70 was (and still is) my second DLSR i bought. i bought it second hand barely uesd (1995 clicks). it always produced fine images and though i had to learn to get used to it i still have no regrets for buying it. It is still a very good camera no things you don't need , even so many possibilities that i some times can be confusing.

    i just can recommend this fine piece to every body who want a decent camera and not is going to make A0 enlargements. Good points are: resolution
    brand resputation
    durabuillty
    ergonomics
    quality of camera , images
    feel, handling
    monitors (resolution and place) Bad points are: heavy with kit lens 18-70 dx, small monitor

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    “I have a D70s. I used to use the std 28-70 and also...”

    ★★★★★

    written by on 14/12/2008

    I have a D70s. I used to use the std 28-70 and also have a zoom lens (70-300) and an SB600. The camera extremely versatile. Have travelled extensively with this camera. Early on, shot mostly in Auto with fantastic results. Camera has allowed me to grow and experiment with other fine features - producing even better results! I am currently coupling this camera mostly with the 18-200 VR lens. All lens' I have used are Nikon. Also have a tripod for those landscapes and lowlight conditions and a remote (really like this as well). Camera Buttons are intuitive.

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    “Overall the Nikon D70 is a nice camera and I have been...”

    ★★★★★

    written by louisaw on 11/06/2008

    Overall the Nikon D70 is a nice camera and I have been using it for a few years.

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    “The Nikon D70 makes a fantastic first DSLR. If you are...”

    ★★★★☆

    written by jbnz on 07/04/2008

    The Nikon D70 makes a fantastic first DSLR. If you are wanting to take the plunge and move from a 'prosumer' camera this (or it's replacement the D80) would be a good choice. Brought out as direct competition to the Canon Rebel 350. IMHO it beat the Canon in everything.

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    “I like the Nikon D70 and think it is great for the...”

    ★★★★★

    written by on 27/02/2008

    I like the Nikon D70 and think it is great for the price I paid for it. Quick and efficient. Fairly simple to use without much need to refer to instructions.

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    “This Nikon D70 is a very versatile camera, and easy to...”

    ★★★★★

    written by caxtonman on 07/09/2006

    This Nikon D70 is a very versatile camera, and easy to use. Colour and contrast in final prints are spot on, instant viewing on the LCD monitor and very easy to hold. The bad points are only minor, but on the replay view of your shot you can only zoom in on part of the image unlike my Fuji Finepix S5500 where you could zoom in and pan around the whole picture. A really good mid-entry camera.

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    “In general my Nikon D70 is excellent for its price,...”

    ★★★★☆

    written by chrisletts on 10/08/2006

    In general my Nikon D70 is excellent for its price, however within 6 months I have dirt on the CCD which refuses to budge even with a pro air-blower. Yes I do interchange lenses (standard/telephoto), but I'm always careful doing it and wouldn't have expected dirt to get in that way so quickly. Also I take some Astronomical shots, and would have liked a remote that locks the shutter open.

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    Chrisletts's Response to chrisletts's Review

    Written on: 12/06/2008

    I've now upgraded to a D200 - interesting since at first the pics didn't seem as good as my D70, but the D200 requires more careful setup and once you get the hang of it it cannot be beaten AND no dirt on the CCD yet !!!

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    “I was a real fan of the last generation of Nikon 35mm...”

    ★★★★☆

    written by FuzzyTalz on 10/10/2005

    I was a real fan of the last generation of Nikon 35mm AF SLRs, which atoned for weaknesses in their feature set (no built-in ability to leave the film leader out of the cartridge upon rewind, no mirror lockup) with superb ergonomics and useability. Plus, most Nikon lenses, also despite their often hamfisted engineering, do manage to put as fine an image onto film as any other - better with wide angles, indeed. Alas, with digital trending to more-or-less supplant 35mm (and even medium format) film within the course of the next couple of years, image quality is far less clearly defined by the quality of ones lenses, and the characteristics of the film used. Rather, in the digital realm, the camera's (or digital backs) themselves - and the complex algorithms deployed to created a full color photographic rendition from the limited, monochromatic data siphoned from the sensors of modern digital cameras - impacts image quality far more dramatically. In this regard, I find Nikon, as a company, consistently makes the wrong decisions. The first wrong step is in not recognizing how essential the sensor itself is, to the quality of a digital image. This has lead to a situation where Nikon leaves the development of the sensors used in its cameras (and to some extent, the design of those sensors as well) to other companies. Consequently, not only is Nikon not in control, ultimately, of the quality of sensor that goes into its digital cameras, but they are missing valuable opportunities to learn and grow from the process of their design, manufacture, and integration. This is the reason why the D100 and the D70 have such drastically divergent image quality, although each uses the very same sensor. The D100 is notorious for its soft images - the result of a very strong anti-aliasing filter. After hearing the complaints, Nikon - not really being in control of the manufacture of the sensors and, thus, without sufficient internal resources to affect a redesign had it wanted to, did the only thing it could to improve image sharpness in the D100's successor: weaken the anti-aliasing filter. This did improve the crispness of the images the D70 makes, but it also, sadly, highlights the reason the D100's low pass filter was so strong to begin with: to control the moire and color aliasing inherent in the sensor design.

    With it's weaker anti-aliasing filter, I'd say more than a quarter of the images I made with my D70 were so badly marred by moire and/or color aliasing, as to be unusable for prints beyond 5" x 7". And I owned two of them, so if you're wondering if I got a bad sample, I didn't. And the problems I experienced are so well documented by other reviewers, and illustrated in the many sample images available for review online, I have to wonder how and why so many people are buying this over-hyped, under performing digital SLR?

    Granted, I am extremely discriminating about image quality, and being digital rather than analog is no excuse for poor image quality. And, yes, the D70 is very handy, fast to use with its superb ergonomics, and has a very nice set of features to keep the average user on the road to discovery for quite some time, in these modern times, getting high quality digital images demands much more of a camera. The sensor and the image processing algorithms used to create a full-color image from its data, are second only to the lens in determining ultimate potential image quality. It is here that the D70 falls well short. Yet, it's just another in a long line of arguable Nikon image quality compromises: the D1X with its odd-shaped rectangular pixels that enhanced horizontal resolution which reducing it vertically; the D100 with its anti-aliasing filter which not only controlled moire and color aliasing at the expense of fine images detail when its competition managed to achieve both from its sensor design; the D2X which is hopelessly low on resolution (especially viewed against its competition) and comparatively noisy.

    I've read on Nikon's website, in reference to the moire issues with the D70, that because they are committed to providing the sharpest possible images, they are willing to allow a certain risk (reality?) of moire. Yet, while acknowledging its undesirability, Nikon provides no real solution beyond the laughably ineffective Color Moire Reduction function of their hideously clunky, buggy Nikon Capture bloatware, instead leaving the user to rely on equally ineffective third-party tools to deal with the problem they created. I don't know about you, but to me, this seems contradictory to their much-ballyhooed Total Image Quality marketing spiel, apparently designed to seduce amateurs into the Nikon system with promises of image quality, which thus far, has only really been seriously approached by a single, "pro"- priced product: the D2x.

    No, the D70 isn't a great camera. But it IS a triumph of marketing for Nikon.

    Kudos?

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    “Nikon D70 - I use this camera profesionally for...”

    ★★★★★

    written by victoranthony on 14/07/2005

    Nikon D70 - I use this camera profesionally for wedding photography and it doesn't disappoint my clients at all. The colours are natural (Canons are overblown). Metering is slightly overexposed (1/2 a stop maybe) but is easilly adjusted.
    If you are used to SLR's generallly this camera will not disappoint. Turn on time is instant and there is no shutter lag at all.
    I have never run the batteries down despite usually taking 300 to 400 images at a wedding.

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    “The Nikon D70 is a great camera, but not for everybody ”

    ★★★★★

    written by ccc3 on 10/06/2005

    The Nikon D70 is 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.

    More information about Nikon D70

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    “I bought the Nikon D70 camera in December after having...”

    ★★★★★

    written by ALAN MILLAR on 22/05/2005

    I bought the Nikon D70 camera in December after having tried to make do with an instant camera after my old SLR stopped working {after 22 years}. The photos that I had been used to and what you get from an instant camera had put the idea of a digital SLR into my head. After reading loads of reviews I went for the D70 and as the saying goes it been all plane sailing from then on. This must be the easiest thing to use in the last 1000 years point it push the button half way then push it in the whole way and you have just taken one of the best pictures you could have hoped for. I also got a 1gb card with it that will hold 570 photos it great I wish I had got it years ago.

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    “I moved on to the Nikon D70 digital SLR from a Nikon...”

    ★★★★☆

    written by mgztt190 on 07/05/2005

    I moved on to the Nikon D70 digital SLR from a Nikon Coolpix and Nikon SLR given the great experience I had with both. The quality of both equipment and pictures is undeniably the same but you can get lost in the various options and functions this camera has... some time reading the manual (and some basic photography guides for a beginner) would really help you get the most out of it.

    The battery however has been a major frustration as heavy use drinks it dry in no time. I have had to buy the power pack which gives a few more hours of use but adds fair amount of unwanted bulk and weight...

    Overall reliability has been good but not quite so well put together and tightly sealed as Nikon's point and shoot digitals as dust got into the mechanism within the first month of owning and it needed a professional clean (more expense).

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    Petejohnston's Response to 192383_mgztt190's Review

    Written on: 29/12/2005

    I'm not sure why you are having such a battery problem. I regularly shoot 4-5 cards worth (500+) shots before recharging the battery. Even then the display tells me that there is more juice left - I just like to be on the safe side.

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    “The last Nikon I bought was an F2 back in 1974. It is...”

    ★★★★★

    written by John Deere on 03/05/2005

    The last Nikon I bought was an F2 back in 1974. It is still going strong but there comes a time when one must stumble into the current century. I had been waiting for Nikon to bring a product to market that hit an affordable price point and provided equivalent performance to the film cameras I was accustomed to using.
    After a week of shooting with the D70, I am just stunned by the quality of the images I am getting. This was going to augment the F2 but may very well lead to mothballing my medium format gear. Yikes!
    The 18 to 70 kit lens is tack sharp and focuses very quickly. The wide variety of program modes is a little bit daunting at first but some time with the owners manual will get you into the game.
    I find myself using either the P or S settings most of the time. But I turned my son loose with it set in simple "Auto" mode and everything he shot was fine. That's the strength of this camera. It can serve the needs of photographers of all experience levels pretty well.
    For fun you may want to try some long exposures at night in S mode with the flash set in long exposure, rear curtain sync. The supplied software makes it very easy to open NEF files and drag them into Photoshop. Beyond that, I can't add much to what other reviewers have said about the D70.
    Nikon has hung the moon on this one.

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    “The Nikon D70 is truly my first digital cam over the...”

    ★★★★★

    written by zigzag on 27/03/2005

    The Nikon D70 is truly my first digital cam over the value of £300. I can't say I've had much experience with other digi slr's, but I'm very pleased with the performance of the camera overall.

    I've used it to date in a good few diferent conditions and it's produced perfect pictures which I am very happy with.

    The battery life is next to none and the functions are very functional, e.g. the multiframe function is a lot quicker than many similar prices slr's.

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    “The Nikon D70 is a great camera for beginner or pro....”

    ★★★★★

    written by transmit on 04/02/2005

    The Nikon D70 is a great camera for beginner or pro. Whatever level you are as a photographer you won't be held back by this camera. Very good image quality but you'll need to hone up on your Photoshop skills to get the best images out of this camera. Best value for the price. Happy with camera and with Nikon lenses/accessories.

    Check out this site for a great list of other reviews:

    http://www.noendpress.com/pvachier/cameras/nikon_D70.php

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    “I have owned the Nikon D70 for two months. Nice...”

    ★★★☆☆

    written by Art on 09/12/2004

    I have owned the Nikon D70 for two months. Nice features, and excellent pictures when I am able to take them. But the camera is tempermental. Sometimes I click the power button and my display is wrong and the camera is non responsive. I have to click it on and off until it finally works; once taking over five minutes. Then, on occasions, the rear LCD panel would meltdown to white with Asian characters when I press the menu button. Though these things were bothersome, my pictures were nice (using the Nikon 17mm-55mm DX lens). Then recently it got worse. The camera began overexposing all of my pictures, making everything look like it was in a sea of green. I checked all of the settings, and even returned the settings to default, but no luck. When I e-mailed Nikon Tech, they sent me a worthless auto reply. Maybe I have a lemon, but after dropping $1,000 for the camera and $1,400 for the lens, I expect better.

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    “Previously a Pentax 6X7 and Spotmatic user I needed a...”

    ★★★★★

    written by Stefan Lorett on 10/04/2004

    Previously a Pentax 6X7 and Spotmatic user I needed a digital SLR for work. Controls and choice of programmes meant I could change over almost seamlessly. My usual panic about whether I had bracketed enough is now gone. I bought the Nikon D70 Digital Camere ten days ago, taken about 1000 shots and had no problems except that the battery guage goes from full to empty rather suddenly and only gives about half an hours warning. The only shots that it struggles with is misty landscapes, best to focus manually. Domestic lighting especially with an orange table cloth threw the automatic white balance but manual adjustment sorted it out pretty quickly.

    Its brilliant, BUT and its me not the camera, keep your tripod handy, its a shame to lose the resolution and lens quality to camera shake. I've bought the nikon 24/85 zoom and a sigma 15/30 zoom both of which work well with the camera. On the longer lens settings (particularly the effective 127 on the nikon zoom camera shake is a worry especially at lower ISO's especially with such a light camera.
    Use Nikon capture 4 to run it from your computer and try the time-lapse feature, though if your serious about image manipulation use photoshop not nikon's own software which has a rather childish interface for such a sophisticated camera.
    If you buy it try photographing the moon. I did the evening I got it home... NASA eat your heart out.

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    “I've had a Nikon F100 for many years, but was using it...”

    ★★★★★

    written by fmilder on 30/03/2004

    I've had a Nikon F100 for many years, but was using it somewhat less than my two digital rangefinders (first an Olympus 3040 and then a Pentax Optio-S). I was waiting for a new Nikon that would use my existing set of lenses. Reviews of the Nikon D100 were mixed, and the other Nikon SLRs were VERY expensive.

    In addition to the Nikon D70 Digital camera-kit, I bought a second battery (it's not clear that I needed it, but I like to have two; the camera comes with a battery holder, so that you can go to a camera store and buy 3 conventional LI-Ion batteries instead if you have to. I figured that they would be so expensive that the rechargeable would pay for itself in one or two uses. I also got a 40X 1 Gigabit card. According to the information window on the D70, it will hold 291 photos at highest resolution, saved as JPEGS.

    The D70 has that GREAT Nikon feel in your hands. The controls work very much like the D100; you can put in on the "P" setting, and use the rear dial near the shutter to change the F stop/shutter speed, or you can put it in one of the other traditional modes -- M, S, or A. Or, you can put it into "Auto", and then it takes photos almost on its own, including popping up the included flash. If you are an experienced SLR user, you may prefer to use the P setting, rather than "Auto", to assure that the flash isn't popping up for half of your photos. In the P mode, it behaved just like my F100, but with the added convenience of a built in flash if I wanted it.

    The shutter has no lag whatsoever, as near as I can tell, and the "kit" lens, an 18-70 (that translates to 27 to 105 in 35mm terms) AF-S model. Although it is only an F3.5-4.5, it is small and convenient, and it focuses VERY quickly and quietly.

    The buttons on the back of the camera are very intuitive. I was able to take photos straight out of the box, make a wide varitey of adjustments, and view them, including technical information and graphs. Still, it pays to read the manual on this camera, especially to set the controls the way you like them. Some of the menu features are "hidden", unless you turn them on, and you won't know that without reading the manual.

    Picture quality is excellent. You can see the texture of skin and the detail of hair in a way that was largely lost in much of my digital photography.

    Of course, as compared to "cheaper" digital cameras, this has much faster lenses, with the ability to control depth of field -- you can actually blur the background when you take portraits, something that had to be done artificially (with software) with my previous digital cameras). My only complaint is that you are aware of the "clunk" of the mirror as you fire the D70's shutter, and some of my handheld photos at 1/20 of a second or so seem ot have a little camera shake, something that I often seemed to avoid with my digital rangefinders. It may be that I simply have to get "back in shape", or I may take to using the flash more.

    While the flash is a "head on" design (and I really prefer a bounce), it does a great job on fill-in flash, and it is really convenient. Just remember to use the "P" mode, rather than "Auto" if you don't want it to pop up every time you take a picture in less than perfect light. My Nikon SB-28 worked well in the D70's hot shoe, although it took a little tinkering to figure out the right setting. I'm pretty sure that it does NOT work in TTL mode.

    It does not appear that there are any disabled features on the D70, although I guess we'll find that out when they release (if they release) an improved D100. In the meantime, I have been very happy with it!

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