 A bit of Advice |
| Review Date: August 9, 2005 |
| Reviewer: B. McCarthy, Florida, USA |
The other reviews and the description seem to properly describe this camera. I am writing this review to give you the perspective of someone who started out with film SLR cameras in school, then got a digital 5MP camera and have used that for years and am now finally getting into Digital SLR photography. This is a big step back into the professional circle for me, and I'm anxious to get out to the zoo or to some vacation spot in the mountains to do my professional photography once again. I purchased this camera almost a month ago and my opinion is that it is the best camera ever made under $2,000. This camera has everything you can need.
I want to warn you, get the full set with the lense. This lense sells for almost $400 and is about the best all around lense you can find. Don't go for the cheap models. I wrote a list about this camera that may appear on this page for you to look at, but be sure that you get the ML-L3 wireless remote (for $20, how can you go wrong) and a spare battery (2,000 pictures sounds like a lot, and I haven't needed to recharge in this month that I've had the camera, but remember that when you go on a trip you may forget to recharge and you don't want to get stuck). Also, get a tripod (try the Slik Tripods U9000, I wrote a review of it and I find it to be the best buy around for a light-weight tripod that acts like a much heavier one) and get a carrying case (the jury is still out, I haven't found one that I like, I want one that will hold two cameras, 4 lenses, a large flash and a bunch of accessories).
If you aren't sure if the D70s is worth the money over the D50 or the D70, it is. The improved autofocusing system is much better than the others and the larger LCD is worth all the tea in China! I leave the LCD protector that came with it on and have no problem seeing my pictures, even outside. Although this is a larger camera than the D50, it isn't much of a difference and you will regret going with the cheaper camera.
If your budget was lower, save up and buy this camera. I bought a CoolPix 5000 a few years back and always kicked myself for not going with the D100. Now I've gone with the best camera on the market and I'm perfectly happy. Plus, I have the satisfaction of knowing that none of my friends can show me a better camera (unless they spent $4,000 or more on a D2X or D2H, and none of my friends can afford to do that)!!! |
s means Superb!!
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| Review Date: June 28, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Wayne Fogel, The Villages, FL |
When Nikon has brought out an `s' camera, it is virtually a sure thing that this is a camera you want to get your hands on. The D70s is not an exception. With essentially instant-on (.2 seconds), improved built in flash, a larger and brighter lcd screen, and especially the abilitry to take up to 144 exposures at 3 frames per second make this an incredible improvement to the existing D70. Imagine the sports or wildlife exposures you have the chance to get with this capability!
The D70s is the digital SLR to record daily life and life events. With a 6.1 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. It has wonderful color resolution and great auto-focus capabilities. When you are ready, it is a fully capable manual camera.
The D70s comes bundled with the excellent and compact 18-70 Nikkor Lens and one EN-EL3a battery. To get started with the camera I suggest the following in addition:
* One extra EN-EL3a Lithium-Ion Battery.
* Two 2GB 80X CompactFlash cards with write acceleration (WA) technology.
Note: Nikon recommends either the SanDisk SDCFH (Ultra II), SDCFX (Extreme/Extreme III) or Lexar Media 80X WA CompactFlash™ card for best performance.
* 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. |
The s is for superb!!
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| Review Date: June 28, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Wayne Fogel, The Villages, FL |
When Nikon brings out an `s' camera, it is virtually a sure thing that this is a camera you want to get your hands on. The D70s is not an exception. With essentially instant-on (.2 seconds), improved built in flash, a larger and brighter lcd screen, and especially the ability to take up to 144 exposures at 3 frames per second make this an incredible improvement to the existing D70. Imagine the sports or wildlife exposures you have the chance to get with this capability!
The D70s is the digital SLR to record daily life and life events. With a 6.1 mega pixel 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.
Buy the D70s without the bundled 18-70 Nikon lens if (1) you already have a bundle of Nikon lenses; or (2) if you want a more capable first lens for your camera. If you want a more capable lens I strongly recommend the Nikon 24-120 lens. It cost $500 from B&H photo and will wind up being the lens you always keep on your camera. Its equivalent range in film cameras is 36-180 - in other words slight wide angle to more than satisfactory telephoto. This is the fourth generation of this lens by Nikon and it now has all the bells and whistles: Nikons best ed glass for super sharp and clear pictures, silent wave motor for extremely fast focusing, and vibration reduction to eliminate the shakes in low light. Nikon has other excellent zooms and you may want to look at them but I can highly recommend this lens as one to have if you never want to miss a shot of the kids or what is happening at the instant.
* One extra EN-EL3a Lithium-Ion Battery.
* Two 2GB 80X CompactFlash cards with write acceleration (WA) technology.
Note: Nikon recommends the SanDisk SDCFH (Ultra II), SDCFX (Extreme/Extreme III) or Lexar Media 80X WA CompactFlash™ card for best performance.
* 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 Nikon 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 Nikon 105mm f2.8.
* Polarizing filters for both the kit lens and the telephoto. Get Nikon filters there is no sense in spending money for Nikon 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. |
A solid digital SLR, but the original D70 offers better value
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| Review Date: June 23, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Gadgester, Mother Earth |
The new Nikon D70s digital SLR camera is a slight upgrade to the successful and popular D70 model. It retains the size and body construction of the D70, and also keeps all the features of the D70 that make the latter such a prized digital SLR, e.g.: same CCD sensor and DSP chip; instantaneous start-up; fast response, little shutter lag; industry-leading 1/500 flash sync (wow!); 3D color matrix metering; and the powerful i-TTL flash/lighting system. Like the D70, the D70s uses a CompactFlash memory card and is MicroDrive-compatible.
The D70s differs from the D70 in the following aspects:
- port for electronic cable release (MC-DC1)
- larger, 2.0" LCD (vs. D70's 1.8", but same resolution)
- slightly more powerful battery
To many Nikon diehard's disappointment, the D70s did not include more megapixels (unlike the Canon DR XT vs. DR) or a more powerful AF system, and kept D70's slow-poke USB 1.1 (a.k.a. "USB 2.0 full-speed") connection.
Since the D70s is just a minor upgrade, I strongly believe the D70 to be a much better value. You should go with the D70s only if you absolutely need the cable release feature.
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Mega Pixels, Smega Pixels - The Camera Just Works
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| Review Date: December 12, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Dom Miliano, Denville, NJ USA |
I was shooting pictures of a BMW X3 for a magazine test-drive article. My San Francisco-based editor was along for the ride. When I pulled out my Canon EOS 1V, she exclaimed, "You still shooting film?" Yes, I am. Or more accurately, was. For even a slow-moving guy like me, when fate steps in to help me make the decision, I get it.
Here's the deal: My favorite film - Fuji Velvia 50 - was discontinued. My E-6 film processor went out of business. A friend - a Nikon Tech Rep - spent an hour convincing me that digital was the best way to go for my magazine work. Finally, he said that the Nikon D70s was the sweet spot when you consider price, quality and performance. Bottom line, this is the camera to have if I was going to dip my toe in the digital water. When I expressed a concern about the number of megapixels, he made a point that 6 megapixels was all I needed. I was still worried but he showed me sample prints and I was convinced. Oh yeah, my editor has the old Nikon D70 and she has shot several covers with it and lots of full page shots. They too looked good so I placed my order for a D70s.
I have just received it so I don't have a lot to say about the camera except that it feels great in my hand. The manual is very well written. The controls are just where they need to be - experienced Nikon users will feel at home immediately.
Another selling point - It uses compact flash cards so I can share them with my Canon point-and-shoots. In fact, I almost bought the D50 - a good camera that's a lot cheaper - but it uses the SD format cards. An expense that would blow the savings away as soon as I bought a couple of 1 gig cards.
The built-in flash is a bit weak for pro use but since it's there, I don't have to buy a new flash just yet.
I plan to use the D70s in 2006 for all my magazine work and thereby save its cost in film and procesing. If it all works out as planned, I'll upgrade to the D200 when the price drops a bit on that camera and then use this one as my backup.
Five stars for now - we'll see later.
Update - I shot at the Cloisters in NYC on Christmas Eve. The camera was easy to handle. The pictures had good color. Afterward, I made a large blow up (8X12) from a JPEG (Fine, Large) and the picture was quite sharp and had good tonal range.
Still looking good.
Second Update - A shot I took with the D70s with a Nikon 80-200 f:2.8 just was published as the cover picture and it's amazing. Seriously sharp, good color and (dare I say) better than film. And that's with just 6 megapixels. I believe that most readers (meaning all non-pros AND many profesionals) would find this camera all you need and more.
One or two minor gripes after 6 months of hard use and a few raves. The motor drive is too slow for motorsports - 3 fps is not enough. The build-in flash is convenient but with my 20-35 F:2.8 on the camera, anything shot close-up gets a nasty shadow.
The battery still rocks - hundreds of shots and no charge needed.
As for storage - with a 2 Gig card, it's like 10 rolls of film in the camera. Two 2 Gig cards and you could do a week's vacation without recharging and downloading.
I have 3 articles I wrote and illustrated with this camera coming out in a couple of weeks. More on the camera then.
PS - The new Nikon N80 is a 10MP camera (like the D200) - that tells me that the D70s is not long for this world. Discount / closeout / good used camera buys are sure to follow. |
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