-Solid feel -Dual command dials -Important features have well placed easy access buttons. -Incredible image quality -Plenty of options to customize the camera to suite your shooting style -Image detail feedback (histogram,exposure settings etc) -Depth of field preview -Incredible recording speed when used with a Sandisk Ultra II CF card. -Instant startup and shutoff.

-AF assist illuminator gets blocked by larger lenses -Auto image rotate sensor makes an audible vibrating sound when camera is tilted. It almost makes the camera sound like it's got lose pieces of material inside (but it doesnt) -Quite a bit of noise at ISO 1600 -Annoying exposure glow in the upper right corner when long dark images are exposed at ISO 1600 (astrophotography) -DOF preview button located in a slightly akward place -No cable release option (electronic remote cord substitutes a mechanical cable release) -"only" 6 megapixel. An 8mp chip would be nice, but it's plenty adequate for printing HUGE photographs.

For anyone who has a serious film SLR and is looking to get the benefits of digital, this is the camera for you. I had an N80 which served me very well, and it's safe to say that the D70 is virtually a digital N80. It actually gives you more control over your shot than an N80 does simply due to the inherent capability in digital as compared to film. The D70 has enough features to keep even a professional happy. It allows for plenty of growth for someone new to digital SLR photography as well.

Customer Service

None needed so far. Hopefully I dont need to :P

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N80

- Supplied 18-70mm works just great. It's so much better than the standard lens that comes with the Canon EOS300D/Digital Rebel. - Sharp and detailed photos post processing - Great handling, feels just right

Photos straight out of the camera can be disappointing but if shot in RAW and once the settings have been adjustable this isn't a problem

It's a great beginner's Digital-SLR camera. Compared to other cameras of a similar price level the feature set is really superb. It's nice and portable and handles great. Bought as a package with the 18-70mm ED lens.

Customer Service

Haven't had to deal with Nikon directly yet but Jessops were perfectly helpful in helping me choose the right camera.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS300D/350D. Olympus E1, various Olympus Mju cameras

2 year warranty. Nice weight and grip. Superb battery life. Ergonomics can be customized; e.g. function of control wheels in various modes. Large print contrasty menus easy to read in sunlight. Very fast to see images for review, download to computer, ready for next shot, turn on. Noise is very fine grained and responds well to Noise Ninja at ISO 1600, or if left in monochrome photos resembles TriX film grain. 1/500s flash sync good for fill flash in bright sunlight. Excellent kit lens (DX Nikkor 18-70mm) allows manual focus mixed with autofocus without switching, elements don't rotate during autofocus, very sharp and fast silent focus. Fine control of white balance on every preset is unique.

Default settings may disappoint the inexperienced user. Photos out of the camera look drab and too dark because the metering tries to protect the highlights from being overexposed (and does a good job of that). Photos either need to be brightened and saturated in post processing, or you need to shoot with +0.3 EV compensation and bump up in-camera saturation, or load a custom curve, or shoot RAW. In-camera histogram only is based on the green channel, so there is the potential to blow red or blue highlights in scenes without much green content (e.g studio portraits, flowers). Flashing highlights better. Bracketing setup is a little complex.

Very happy with my purchase. Camera is lots of fun to shoot with. I have lots of evaluation samples with the effect of various controls at: http://www.pbase.com/hsandler/tech

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Minolta A1 prosumer

Picture quality, speed, low noise, flash sync up to 1/500, max shutter 1/8000, good light metering, compatible with most Nikon lenses, battery use, CCD easy to clean, price

Not 'pro like' solid, ISO starts at 200, no grip/battery pack available, poor grip if you have big hands

Consumer camera with some pro camera qualities. Easy to operate, great camera to take with you on a trip. The summary of a nice camera shouldn't have to go further than this. Let the pictures do the talking!

Customer Service

not needed yet

Similar Products Used:

Fuji Finepix S2 pro, Olympus E-20

Image quality Quick response Good colour reproduction long battery life

No mirror lock

Until I bought the D70, I was using the Canon eos50 and oes33 which are good cameras. I used to say I will never go digital because of picture quality, but when I was doing research and looked at the D70, I never looked back. I now have 2 Canons sitting there in the cabinet, anyone want to buy a canon :) When I fisrt bought the D70 i had to cover a horse event, and WOW just fantastic.

Customer Service

nil

Similar Products Used:

Canon eos 50 and 33

Picture quality, lots of options to tailor the camera's settings to your needs. It's quick and responsive. 1/500 sec flash sync.

No mirror-lockup, slowest ISO is 200.

This is my first digital SLR, having used a digital compact before (Sony F828). The DSLR is the better camera in every aspect. Picture quality, especially noise, is far superior. Handling is excellent. The D70 is responsive, well-balanced and lets me control about everything I'll ever want to. The D70 is a joy to use and delivers great results. It's build quality is okay. The autofocus with the 18-70 kit lens is fine, as it's quick, silent and reliable. I particularly like flash photography with the D70 and the SB-600. You can control up to three SB-600s with the master function of the D70's built-in flash, which gives great results. All in all there's not much that could improve my photography. If my pictures aren't first-class, then it's my fault, not the camera's.

Customer Service

not yet needed

Similar Products Used:

Sony F828, Canon film SLRs

1. Build. Even though its plastic, its good plastic. 2. Its really easy to navigate through the menu. 3. All the important function is at finger tip. 4. Images are really sharp with good contrast

The auto focus could have been adapted from F5 rather that F80

I finally switched over to digital. Sold my old F/N 80 and 28-105D. At first I was a little apprehensive. However after making the jump I think I landed safe. Its probably the best digital camera which costs less than $3000. Its perfect for someone who loves photography and has taken it up as a hobby. When people blow up the picture 300% and try to find weakness with this camera I think it is insane. Anyone of you out there who wants to make a print of up to 9 by 7 inch size just buy this. Also do remember it cost around $1000, so a $ 2000 or above came might have some advantages…however those advantages are not worth the cost you will pay for it.

Ergonomics and controls Flash system Simplified menu system

Moire & color aliasing Unattractive transitions to overexposure Minimum ISO at 200 No mirror lockup No PC sync terminal No vertical grip/battery pack option

With so much gushing over the D70, I'm compelled to infuse a little perspective. First, the D70 gains its sharpness advantage at, in my opinion, at the very dear cost of sheer image quality. Viewed at 100% or in large prints, there are FAR too many occurrances of moire and color aliasing. This is because, rather than design a new sensor for the D70, Nikon used the same basic design as in the D100 (notorious for its soft images), simply weakening the low pass filter which is meant to reduce if not eliminate just such image quality foibles. Voila! More sharpness AND overall lower image quality. Granted, you may never notice in a 5x7 print, but wouldn't it be terrible to get a once-in-a-lifetime photo, only to discover on enlargement that it's ruined by moire and/or color aliasing, which is particularly problematic in the hair on portraits made with this camera. And what of the 1/500th of a second flash sync ability? Largely another bandaide fix for a fundamental design limitation: the minimum 200 ISO! Nikon needed that 1/500 flash sync (which, by the way, is not shutter-synched, but rather accomplished by turning the CCD itself off and on) to keep up with digital SLRs capable of ISO 100 AND 1/250 flash sync. There are few situations where the D70 at ISO 200 at maximum flash sync is capable of an image which cannot also be made at 1/250 at ISO 100. The few instances where the 1/500 sync might be a REAL advantage, the typical user - and even many professionals - will never find themselves. I've owned and/or used every digital SLR in the 5-6MP class except the Pentax's and the new Minolta 7D, including Nikon's D100 prior to my D70. While I love Nikon's current ergonomics, which certainly make their cameras a kick to hold and use, ultimately photography is about the image and I find the company too often compromises on sheer image quality in favor of speed, style, and on-paper specification. A nice 6MP digital SLR, particularly given its attractive pricing, but let's be honest about what it does and doesn't offer.

Customer Service

Although used for my FM10 rather than any of the digitals, I found Nikon CS to be overall helpful and competent - so long as I had officially imported U.S. market equipment. I pity the owner of grey market items who finds himself in need of Nikon service as your items will be headed OUT of the country.

Similar Products Used:

Canon D60 Canon EOS 10D Canon EOS 20D Nikon D100 Olympus E-1 Kodak Pro14N Fujifilm S2

Learning curve very quick because you can immediately look at each exposure.Menu is fairly easy to understand but the manual is very thick.Battery life is super.

Carefull with bright lights. Watch your exposures as to not overexpose.You will need the SB800 with AF lenses to make this camera really sing for you.Impossible to see previews in bright light or at the beach.I rubbed the cover raw with my right hand already.ISO 200 should go down to 100 for versatility.I would prefer a full sized ccd as to not have to think about the 1.5 lens factor.

Yes, I love my D70. I use it at weddings with my F100.Mostly,it has the 24-85mm zoom on it.Great combination for people indoors and out.

Customer Service

Not needed,yet.I attended the D70 Nikon School and I recommend it to learn the features and speed the learning curve.

Similar Products Used:

This is my first digital. Feels and looks like the F100.Nice transition from film.

Truly remarkable battery life. I threw the battery in the charger for the heck of it last night, but I've probably shot 400+ raw files since the last charge, many with flash. Wonderfully customizable, with +/- degrees for each white balance preset. Good for tricky conditions. Fast, intuitive control over most settings. Small, light, easy to keep on hand for any occassion. Fun as can be to use. With intelligent, intuitive controls, you can usually get the picture you're looking for without the camera getting in the way. Display cover standard. Super. Autofocus/shutter can be controlled with just about any universal remote. Cool :) Long exposures? No problem. Click once - time it - click again. No hands.

Poor low-light focusing - without the AF assist, forget it altogether. Drop it, break it. Battery door is definitely going to go one of these days. All doors, probably. No sync port?! Wait a minute - I missed that bit when I was researching this camera! That's a considerable flaw, IMO. Feels kind of flimsy. Performs much better than it looks or feels. ISO 200 limitation. Inconsistent color/detail performance.

This camera has been getting such great reviews - I thought it only fair to post some caveats for people who are expecting a flawless camera. Please keep in mind that I've voiced the words "I love this camera" on more than one occassion.

Customer Service

Haven't needed it. Pretty solid camera, but I've got this little metallic vibration in the upper left hand side, so... I may have to find out how good Nikon's support is after all.