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Will

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Nikon D70 review
« on: April 02, 2004, 10:20:48 pm »

Enjoyed your review, Dan.

I also have a new D-70, my first digital camera. I love it. It's a great entry-point camera for not too much money, though for landscapes I could wish for a camera that shoots huge files--as for instance the Kodak slr/n or a high-dollar Canon, neither of which I could afford. I assume that I would need the big files to make big prints.

You said that you shoot nature. Do know the best way to get the biggest possible prints out the D-70?

What lens for landscape do you plan to use on your Nikon?

Thanks

PS: The controls on this Nikon seem pretty intuitive to me. I just hope I do not drop the doggone thing.
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BryanHansel

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2004, 11:26:09 am »

I thought I'd add my thoughts so far about my D70.  

Overall, I love the handling of the camera.  It feels like a Nikon.  It is fast, and it's fun to fire off 100 shots at 3 fps.  The menu system is fast and easy to navigate.  The flash comp button is also the flash release button.  (I hardly use flash, so this is a much better placement than my other cameras.)  The metering patern button is now next to the exposure comp button right behind the shutter release.  Flash is great.  The SB-800 works perfect with this camera.

The few things that I've found annoying, but not so much so that I can't deal with it.  In order of how annoying it is.

1.  No shutter release cord.
2.  When using the timer on 2 sec to release the shutter, it switches off of the timer after the shot is taken.
3.  You have to use the menu system to turn the AF-S to AF-C.  I wish I could turn the AE-L/AF-L button into the AF-S/AF-C button.
4.  The viewfinder is too small, and it doesn't provide me with enough info.  I want to see white balance, ISO, Metering pattern in the viewfinder.  It's not fun to have to tilt the ballhead so I can see the top of the camera when I want to make a change.
5.  It is very difficult to include the sun in shots without blowing  the shot out.  Much harder than slide film.
6.  The forward command dial is two small.  I wish it would stick out a few mm more.

I'm having a lot of fun with this camera.

Bryan
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jwarthman

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2004, 08:38:04 pm »

Dan,

Quote
At this point, the image quality of the 6 MP DSLRs is so high that they are overwhelming our printers. I stretched an Epson 2200 (certainly the best under $1500 photo printer) to its limits with my D70, and there was more left in the file that the 2200 couldn't get out.
     I could have gone bigger (almost certainly 16x24) without a problem. A 10D, a D100, a *ist D, an S2 Pro and a Rebel would have all done the same thing. These cameras are better than your printer unless you have a 24 inch wide printer! Pick the camera you like and enjoy taking pictures with it, knowing that its image quality (at base ISO) is so high that you'll never see a print from it that uses every bit of detail the camera has to offer (unless you own an Epson 7600).
I cant speak about the image quality of the D70. But unless something really unusual is going on, 6 megapixel images aren't sufficient get the most out of the 2200. For instance, I shot a group of ~100 students a couple years ago with the 6 megapixel D60, and made 8x10 prints that looked quite good. I'm confident that a 12x18 print would've looked good as well. But the next year I shot the same size group in the same place - but with the 11 megapixel 1Ds. The 8x10 prints showed a clear advantage in terms of detail - faces were clearer and more distinct. I suspect the difference would have been more pronounced on a 12x18 print.

Don't misunderstand - a 6 megapixel image makes a gorgeous 12x18 print. But until you've made prints on the same printer with an 11 or 14 megapixel image, or a large stitched image, or a high-res scan of a MF slide, you may not realize how much more detail your printer can deliver.

I just think it's overstating things to say that the 6 megapixel cameras are overwhelming our printers.

Enjoy!

-- Jim
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E Scott Cragg

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2004, 01:17:33 am »

Nice Review... Figure I might add my .02.

I am a very happy 10D owner, my good friends and Room-mate just picked up a D70 and we've gone out shooting together now twice complete with the requisit trading of cameras...

With absolutely all do respect, and an definate nod to the fact that camera ergonomics are very subjective my nature, I must say that I am very dissapointed in the D70.

Don't get me wrong, I consider it a camera in every way on the same level as the 10D spec-wise, its an amazing camera (especially for price), I also like Nikon's bringing the best they can afford to market at the best price, as oppossed to Canon's intentional crippling of the Drebel... that aside though-

Despite its admitted strengths both in the market place and on paper, I just don't enjoy taking pictures with the D70 all that much.

Where to get started-

The grip - The nikon's grip is significantlly flatter and seems taller than the 10D's... more specifically, its very plasticy and awkward for my hand to hold (far to small, and  hitting the shutter is uncomfortable, since its nearly upright).   Both the front and back control dials rotate horizonatally, an axis that does not come naturally to my hand while I am holding the camera, often forcing me to hold the camera with my left hand while I toggle dials with my right.. obscenely uncomfortable.  The Canon's grip on the other hand litterally feels as if the mold they used to design it came from my hand.  it is the perfect thinkness, my finger naturally falls right on the shutter, and it feels of far better quality rubber/metal.  

You dislike the wheel on the back of the Canon, I disagree there as well - for my hand, the two canon control dials both litterally fall right underneath my thumb and forefinger respectively, and the movement motion is on a very natural axis considering the hands position.  I feel the control wheel also allows a much faster scrolling through various camera settings/images/ect that a 5 way controller since you don't need to press things repeatedly...  I love the control wheel.

The D70's viewfinder is very significantly smaller and dimmer than the 10D's (Which already has nothing to brag about)...  This would drive me nuts.  While we're on the subject of viewfinders - the D70s active Focus point just gets a bit darker when AF is established... the 10D's flashes red - the latter is FAR easier to see in a low light-environment - making it easier to be sure you've focused on the right thing- Another little decision I couldn't understand.

The D70's playback mode is Far faster than the 10d's, props to that - but why do they make it so awkward to zoom in on an image?  First you press the zoom button, then you press ANOTHER button and scroll a command wheel to set your zoom window, then you move around with the arrow pad?  Strikes me as being needlessly complex.

I also don't like how the ISO and WB buttons are located on the back of the camera - when I'm holding the camera at my chest in the "ready" position, I want access to shootin options on the top of the camera, immediately - where I'm looking.  That's just me though.  Another little niggle - it seems like the nikon requires you to hold down a button while toggling the setting.  The Canon on the other hand, you press a button, once and then have a second or two to change the setting (but you can let go of the button).  Of course, any other button or 1/2 shutter immediately cancels the change - but this way your not required to spend a lot of time pushing and manipulating different parts of the camera at the same time - something I appreciate.

I don't think the DOF preview button is an issue at all - its located right next to the MF/AF, IS and other lens option switches - something I consider perfectly appropriate (and yeah, my hand is usually right there).

A few things I do have to give the D70 credit for - lack of startup time, well placed on/off switch, very well placed (and intellegent) LCD backlight (I often forget my 10D has one its in such an awkward place), and nice burst mode.  The D70 also has an amazingly quiet shutter (although the shutter does produce noticable in-hand camera vibrations that the 10D's doesn't).

I don't mean to bring curses from all the d70 lovers on me - I am glad to see it in the market place, I'm very glad you all are happy with it, and I'm even more glad that we all have options in terms of finding the camera thats right for us.  I for myself am very happy to have my 10D, But I wish you all happy shooting with you D70!  We're all just out there to have fun.

And anyone still undecided, the only advice I can offer is go ahead and invest the time/money to spend a full day shooting with each camera (####, even try both at the same time), whichever camera you grab for more instinctively - buy it... they'll both serve you outstandingly.

Thank god for choice:)

-Scott
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Dan Wells

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2004, 12:27:18 pm »

After a full week of shooting with the D70, I have a few more thoughts to add. I have continued to be very impressed with the D70s image quality. The natural light image quality is much better than the old Canon D30 I used for years, and very comparable to a 10D a friend has. The flash system is a big plus for Nikon if you ever use flash. I was shooting at a party last night, and the SB-800 is a marvel, getting good exposures and a nice quality of light. The control it gives is amazing, both as a primary light source and a fill light.  I've never tried a Canon 550EX, so that may give the same level of control. The 420EX doesn't come close! I have also had consistently worse luck with automatic exposures on the 420EX than I'm already getting with the SB-800 after one serious session with the flash. I once (as a fill light in a an outdoor close-up) used negative exposure compensation on the body to hold down a distracting background along with positive compensation on the flash to bring out the subject.
     The 18-70 lens is proving to be a perfect match for the sensor crop on the D70. It gets to the equivalent of 28 mm on the wide end, and it becomes a useful portrait/short telephoto on the long end. It seems to be pretty good in terms of distortion, aberration, etc... (haven't seen any, but I've been taking pictures of real subjects, not test targets, so small amounts may be there). I actually think that I like the combination of a cropped sensor with a "digital only" wide angle lens better than a full frame sensor of equivalent image quality. This is because of the delicious effect of crop factor on long lenses. A 75-300 becomes a reasonably compact "450 mm" lens, and anything that stretches to 400 mm is now a hand-holdable 600! There is simply no way of hand-holding or even monopodding more than 400 (stretching it) on full-frame, and 300 is often a practical upper end. Stretching those limits to 450 and 600 with little loss on the wide end is nice. I can't wait to pick up a long lens and turn my D70 to the birds who are returning to Vermont right now.
     I still find the D70 more comfortable than any Canon body I've used (largely because of the AF point selector-Canon's vertical wheel makes that hard to add). The body with 18-70 is light, yet sturdy feeling, and comfortable to hike with. A camera is only good for nature photography if you're willing to tote it around, and I consider the D70 eminently totable. When I'm doing serious landscape work, I often carry an antique Hasselblad and a tripod (talk about near-perfect image quality), but the D70 is, unlike the 'blad, a reasonable hiking camera when the primary purpose of the hike is something other than photography. My present stable of cameras is a little Pentax Optio 555 point and shoot for when I really can't afford the weight of a camera, but still think I might get pictures, the D70 for when I'm thinking about photography as one purpose of an expidition, and for situations the Hasselblad can't handle (long lenses, flash), and the Hasselblad with three nearly perfect lenses for landscapes when photography is what I'm doing. This is a nice trio, and I am rarely without at least one camera.
      I do agree with whomever said that the front (aperture) wheel on the Nikon is a bit small, though. Canon is very clever with their use of the "select' button in the center of the vertical wheel for quick access to an extra setting, such as ISO or white balance. I prefer having quick, intuitive access to AF point (Nikon) over ISO (Canon), but some clever camera manufacturer could give us BOTH, couldn't they? Comparing the D70 to a 10D, it is "to each, his or her own"-I prefer the Nikon body, but I can easily see why someone else could prefer the Canon-try them both and pick your favorite.
     On the other hand, comparing the D70 to a Rebel is not terribly favorable to Canon. I've never shot a DRebel, perhaps it's NOTHING like a film Rebel. I have played around with film Rebels, though, and their ridiculously limited manual modes would drive me crazy instantly! There is no simultaneous access to aperture and shutter speed, they won't let the photographer choose the metering mode independently of other variables, and the AF mode is also mired in "camera knows best" automation. On a film Rebel, this is perhaps understandable, because it's a $200 camera that is used as a point-and-shoot 95% of the time. I can't imagine anyone serious enough about photography to buy a $899 DSLR wanting a point-and-shoot. If people really do, the DRebel is probably terrific.
     Nikon makes similar bodies (the N55 is as forced-automatic as any Rebel, and the N65 is only marginally better), but they don't base their expensive DSLRs on them. A $1000 Canon DSLR based on an Elan body would be an entirely fair competitor to the N80 derived D70. Let's hope that the D70 forces Canon to release that camera. Nikon and Canon constantly "one-upping" each other is great for us, because we get nice bodies to choose from. At least right now, the DSLR market is not overwhelming the way the digicam market is-there are two major players
(plus 2-3 minor ones) and each makes two potentially affordable cameras.
                                                  -Dan
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gryffyn

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2004, 06:32:53 pm »

Welcome to the "dark side", Dan!  Nikon users can seem a bit scarce on this site sometimes. ;-)

I just picked up a D70 kit today....a present for my wife.  I already have a D100 with all the fixin's so this will make for a convenient 2nd body till the D200/D2X comes out and I get the pixel-peeping hankering to upgrade yet again.

For wildlife shots, I'm typically using the Nikkor 70-200 AFS VR lens.  Love it!  It's fast at f2.8 and the VR really does work. With the 1.5x digital body factor, it's the equivalent of a  300mm lens in film terms.  Not sure if that was what you were asking for....but regardless, I also bought the TC-14EII teleconverter which has a 1.4x factor and works very well with the 70-200.  That basically gives you 280mm at the upper end (close enuf in my books).  And with the digital factor that gives you an effective 420mm in 35mm film terms.  You might want to read Thom Hogan's review of the 70-200 AFS VR....he recommends that you get that and the teleconverter combo....excellent image quality but way more versatility.  Not a cheap lens though!

Thom's review can be found at:

   http://www.bythom.com/70200VRlens.htm

Hope this helps.  

Us Nikononians gotta stick together on this Canon-ical site. <grins>
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BJL

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2004, 07:59:00 pm »

Quote
I prefer having quick, intuitive access to AF point (Nikon) over ISO (Canon), but some clever camera manufacturer could give us BOTH, couldn't they?
Yes: Olympus for example. One of the pleasures of the E-1 is that setting ISO, AF point and numerous other things can be done simply by holding down the appropriate button and rotating either control wheel; and the top control wheel is a nice big one, operable with thumb or index finger. After initially setting my personal preferences, I hardly ever have to dig into menus, for which I am very gratetful.

Of course, AF point selection is greatly simplified by the E-1 having only three AF points!


Anyway, thanks for the continuing reports on the D70 and 18-70; I agree with you about the importance of the 18-70's convenient zoom range, given that I enjoy the very comparable range of the 14-54 on the E-1.
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Dan Wells

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #7 on: April 02, 2004, 09:50:12 pm »

I just got a D70 a couple of days ago and took it out for its first round of pictures today (rain had prevented me from getting out earlier). For the kind of photography many here do, it is an interesting little machine to think about. First of all, its image quality is RIGHT in there with the rest of the 6MP crowd (as Michael says, they're pretty much bunched together now, anyway). Second, it is (to me, anyway) a nicer camera to shoot with than the Canon D30/D60/10D. This is simply because of feel and the way I take pictures.
    My two best examples of this are the depth of field preview and the AF Area selector. On a Canon, the preview is on the LEFT side of the camera-not a very useful spot if the lens is resting on your left arm. Admittedly, I have a nonfunctional left hand, so I don't cradle lenses in it-perhaps the Canon preview button is reachable if you're holding the camera that way.Even so, would you really cradle a longish lens close enough to the body to reach that preview button anyway? While trying for the DOF preview on the Canon, be sure to miss the nearby lens release (a control that should be kept well separated from all other buttons to prevent accidents!) Nikon has wisely placed the DOF preview on the bottom RIGHT of the lens mount, in easy reach of my right third finger.
    The AF area selector is the four way pad inherited from the F5 (and many other Nikons), not used for any other control in shooting mode. It doubles as the menu navigator, but that is never confusing. Canon uses the rear control wheel, which has two disadvantages. First, it only gives one axis of control-much harder to pick a point with-you have to scroll through all of them. Second, it is also the shutter speed control, which reduces the convenience of AF point selection. EVERYBODY else has copied Nikon's control layout since the F5, why can't Canon?
     Metering and focusing seem good (it's the first day with the new camera, though). Both are much better than the D30 I used for years (I'm a longtime D30 user, also somewhat familiar with the 10D). Nikon says that the D70 uses their famous Color Matrix meter-if that's true, this little camera's going to be hard to fool! For those really bizarre situations, there's spotmetering (nice tight pattern, and linked to the AF point.
     Nikon is supporting the D70 with a good selection of high-quality DX lenses that give us true wide-angle on a digital body, as well as a wide range of Nikkors carried over from the film world. The lens range is nice, although I wish for more VR AF-S (Canon calles this combination IS USM) lenses at affordable prices. Canon certainly does better with long lenses. The included 18-70 AF-S DX is a nice little lens with a very useful focal length range on a digital body. I'm looking for a good long lens to go with my D70 (something that goes out to at least 300, maybe even 400).
     In addition to the lenses, Nikon has a lovely flash system with this camera. The on-camera flash uses Nikon's sophisticated iTTL control, and actually tends to get exposures right (which I can't say for the D30). The (expensive) accessory SB800 flash is amazing-very powerful, gets the exposure right, easily settable flash compensation for fill flash, and wireless capable (without owning two of them because the on-camera flashlet can serve as the controller!) My only complaint about the flash system is that switching the on-camera flash between being a flash and a wireless controller is buried in a menu. That should be on some button. Of course, no other camera short of a Hasselblad H1 (which I believe has a built-in PocketWizard or something) has a built-in wireless flash controller at all. The wireless capability is going to be really nice for the occasional fill-flashed nature shot, and amazing for the event photography I do on the side.
     The D70 is a very nice little camera, one that many traveling photographers should pay extra attention to due to its size and weight, but it isn't perfect. Its build quality reminds me of my old D30 in most respects (well-built, but clearly plastic). 10D's I've shot with are better than that. The Nikon Capture software is slow and annoying (although very flexible) on my 1 gHz PowerBook. Canon's RAW converter is no better, but you don't need it because all the Canons are supported by Photoshop's built-in Raw converter and Capture One. Right now, nothing but Nikon Capture supports D70 RAW files, although Adobe, Bibble Labs and Capture One are all headed that way as quickly as they can go.
     Nikon has the gall to charge for Nikon Capture, even in its slow, annoying state, and there are a few camera features you can't access without it (tone curve downoad to camera), even once one of the better RAW converters is released. Of course, to get a downloadable tone curve on a Canon, you aren't looking at a $99 piece of software, but a $4,499 EOS 1D Mk II!
    My other complaint is that there are one or two places where the D70 seems less well built than even the older Canons (let alone the 10D and whole 1D series). The major one is the battery retention mechanism. The D30 used a little spring-loaded "foot", while the D70 relies simply on pressure from the door and the terminal springs. We'll see how it holds up, but that foot was nice extra security (as well as making the battery easier to remove on purpose. Overall, though, the build quality is like an upper end consumer SLR, just as the D30 was, and a big step up from any Rebel, digital or otherwise!
   Overall, a nice DSLR in a light, affordable package with almost no missing features and a few great ones for a good price. Right now, my pick of the lower-end market (up to the 10D and D100, but not counting the big pro cameras).

                                                   -dan
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Dan Wells

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #8 on: April 02, 2004, 11:28:09 pm »

In response to Will's questions, my landscape lens will be the 18-70 that I got with the camera. All reviews I've seen say that it's a sharp, contrasty lens (as all but the worst Nikkors tend to be). My initial pictures bear this out. I'm looking for a nice telephoto to go with it-any long-time Nikon folks on here want to recommend a zoom that gets to 300 or better?
      The resolution should be sufficient for 12x18 prints with few problems (it is about 180 DPI at 12x18 without increasing the resolution at all, and DSLR files tend to be quite amenable to being increased a bit in size, so 300 dpi is probably quite reasonable). I printed 11x16 from the much lower resolution D30 with only minor problems, and 9x14 prints from that camera are hanging in a local restaurant right now, looking great. If a D30 can get to 9x14, the D70 is actually doing less enlargement than that at 12x18. The D70 produces a 7x10 inch file at 300 DPI without touching the resolution, which is much more reasonable than the old D30's 4x6. The kind of modest resolution increase I'm talking about can be handled pretty easily by Photoshop, even better by Adobe Camera Raw (when that begins to support the D70) or one of Fred Miranda's actions.

                                              -Dan
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Dan Wells

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2004, 04:34:20 pm »

I agree with Bryan's points, especially the one about "handles like a Nikon". Yes, the AF-S/AF-C thing is annoying (more or less the same problem as the built-in flash not having a switch to change it from primary flash to wireless controller.)
     I made my first print from the D70 last night, and the result was amazing! I figured I'd challenge it by using the Epson 2200 at its maximum print size and resolution. I selected a file, played with it a bit in Photoshop, then sent it over to the 2200 at 12x18 inches, 300 dpi (I simply increased the size in Photoshop in a single step, nothing fancy). The print that came out was FAR better than anything I've ever seen from 35mm printed that big! Yes, if you look at the print from 4-6 inches away, there is a bit of digital noise (it looks like film grain), but it completely disappears at much less than a foot of viewing distance. I'd say that the noise is less than the grain from any 35mm film except perhaps Velvia or Ektar 25 in even an 8x12 enlargement, let alone 12x18. This was at ISO 200-try enlarging even Royal Gold 200 print film OR Provia 200 slides to 12x18! The sharpness was better than any film enlargement I've ever seen, and the color was pretty good (a bit more fooling in Photoshop, and I could have improved the color even more, but this was a test print). Overall, there was no question that this "low-end" DSLR had beaten the finest 35mm films at 12x18.
    At this point, the image quality of the 6 MP DSLRs is so high that they are overwhelming our printers. I stretched an Epson 2200 (certainly the best under $1500 photo printer) to its limits with my D70, and there was more left in the file that the 2200 couldn't get out.
     I could have gone bigger (almost certainly 16x24) without a problem. A 10D, a D100, a *ist D, an S2 Pro and a Rebel would have all done the same thing. These cameras are better than your printer unless you have a 24 inch wide printer! Pick the camera you like and enjoy taking pictures with it, knowing that its image quality (at base ISO) is so high that you'll never see a print from it that uses every bit of detail the camera has to offer (unless you own an Epson 7600). Even if you DO have a 7600, how often do you print a single print at close to the maximum width of the printer for CLOSE inspection? If that's often, you may be a candidate for a 1Ds.  If not, pick a 6 MP SLR you like the feel of and the lenses available for, get some nice lenses and a couple of big memory cards, and enjoy taking pictures.

                                                -dan
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BJL

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #10 on: April 05, 2004, 02:38:16 pm »

As you might have noticed, Phil Askey has just published his review of the D70 over at DPReview. It makes me think that I could be quite happy with one if I did not already have another perfectly nice DSLR.

   One thing that I have to note is that, despite Phil's traditional emphasis on quantitative lab. testing, the tone of his conclusions seems to be that, compared to the 300D, the most important differences (mostly in favour of the D70) lie elsewhere, in build-quality, features, ergonomics and so on. Also, he seems to have made some sharpness judgements that involve trusting print examination over the numbers when there are slight discrepancies. Michael would probably approve; or at least, I do.


P. S. DPReview 18-70 f/3.5-4.5 DX mini-review.
   Phil Askey takes the unusual step of including a brief review of the "D70 kit lens", the 18-70DX.  Things are slightly less happy for it than for the body, though mostly for its 1.4% barrel distortion (and a bit of vignetting) at the wide end. I know from experience and from his illustrations that 1.4% is an easily visible amount of distortion, visibly worse than the standard zoom lenses for any of my three "active" cameras.
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old photog

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #11 on: April 06, 2004, 01:19:38 am »

I'm a retired photojournalist of six years, and just bought the D70 body. For me I've entered into a new era of learning. Yes, old Nikkor lenses (which I have four) won't meter, but on manual you can set the shutter and aperture for exposure using an incident light meter reading (I always used when shooting chromes) or the histogram. But two older AF lenses (35-70 & 180) both work fine.

Focus screen and system is like the F5. Meter range is from ASA (ISO) 200-1600. Would like a little lower range and one stop higher. But the noise on 400+ settings is very low to me, compared to high speed film. I photographed a basketball game last Tues with film and at the same place on Thurs, and the D70 at 1600 was a much better image then the film at 800. I loved it!

Shutter is a little noisey, but you get what you pay for. The viewfinder is a little small (I like to shove my eye into it). And it is a bummer that there's no vertical grip (remember when no camera body had one like the F3). An F5 it isn't, but I would campair it to an N90s.

I was worried about shutter lag (an F5 it isn't), but if 3 fps will do you it is fine. However, I wish there was a cable release ability.

Having to acquire Nikon Capture 4.1 is a real drag and is cheap that it doesn't come with the camera. My budget is strained and this software will have to wait a while, so I can only shoot jpeg/fine.

As far as printing goes, I have no idea, I don't print photos because my printer is old (Epson 800) and now prints terrible. Someday will get a printer that is archival.

Finally, something digital that one can afford if on a small or low budget, and not making a living with it. I doubt very much that it can take abuse like my old F2a - F5 could, but it does feel good, and I won't be abusing it like I did the others. What it has to offer is worth more then what one pays for.  :)
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bjanes

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #12 on: April 06, 2004, 03:08:13 pm »

I agree with some reviewers that the Picture Project that comes with the D70 is too entry level for anyone with any experience in digital photography, but I think it and also Nikon View which can be downloaded from the Nikon web site place a very simple minded Photoshop NEF import on your computer.

It can adjust the exposure and white balance and you can import into PhotoshopCS at 16 bit mode. Most needed adjustments can be done in PS.

I too do not feel like paying $100 for Nikon Capture, and am waiting for the Photoshop Camera Raw to be released for the D70. I understand that it is in beta (note on the Outback web site). If you use Photoshop or a program that supports PS plugins, you are not limited to jpeg's.

Overall, I am very happy with the camera and the lens that came with the camera. I agree that the viewfinder is too small, but it is reasonably bright-- not a significant limitation with autofocus (which works very well), but manual focus would be difficult.

Bill Janes
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BryanHansel

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #13 on: April 12, 2004, 12:22:39 am »

Well, I've had some more time with the D70.  This is also my first digital camera, so I will remark on the switch as well.  
1. I've found a few more annoying points about the D70.  Today, I switched back to my film camera for a couple of shots and realized how terrible the D70's viewfinder is.  It is so small.  Looking through my N80 was like heaven.
2. The second annoying item in the D70 is the shutter. It uses a electrical and mechanical shutter.  The mechanical shutter must have a max speed around 1/250 of a second and the electrical shutter takes over from there.  Nikon on there web site has an explaination that this is what causes the "blooming" when shooting into the sun.  This is why I've had problems including the sun in shots.  Not a huge issue, but I did pay a good deal of money for the camera; you think they could have used the shutter from the N80 at least.
3. Flash on this camera is near perfect.

Shooting digital:
This is old hat to most everyone on this forum, but I'll state a few points that I noticed.
1. I shoot a heck of a lot more.  I'm up near 1500 shots.  Of course, quantity doesn't mean quality.  Many of these are test shots to see how this camera works.
2. How the heck do you file these?  I downloaded Imatch. Hopefully, this will help.
3. My computer is too slow.
4. It is alot easier to shoot a RAW file and fix it later (white balance, etc..) not exposure.
5. The sunny 16 rule doesn't seen to be exactly right.  I'm still testing, but it seems that sunny 16 and 1/3 is about right.

Anyway, digital is fun, but after I shot some film today, I had the passing thought that film was a #### of alot of fun.  So much to learn.

Bryan
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Dan Wells

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #14 on: May 02, 2004, 05:28:25 pm »

Three weeks and 1200 exposures into it, I still love the D70. I use the wireless flash much more than I thought I would, and it has at least one use that many nature photographers will be thrilled by, even though it is not immediately obvious. That is lighting macro shots!I often use the  SB-800 with a diffuser on it well off to one side of a macro as a fill light. Nikon's provided 14mm diffuser is soft enough that, as long as the flash is a few feet away, aim doesn't matter all that much. I have used it on both sides and even behind the subject, depending on the look I want. The little built in flashlet is very capable of triggering the 800 from any angle I have tried so far, and the exposure is generally quite good, plus I use flash exposure compensation to fine tune it. The only thing to be careful of is getting the SB-800 itself in the picture (it is unobtrusive enough looking when not firing that is altogether too easy to include in a scene, especially something like a group portrait). Unfortunately, it is not AT ALL unobtrusive looking when it is firing... I've lost a shot or two this way, by not noticing the flashgun behind something while composing, then having this big specular highlight in the picture.  I would say that I use the flash in wireless mode at least 2/3 of the time that I use it at all. An SB-600 or even another 800 may well be joining it in my bag before a wedding I'm shooting this summer-wireless multiple lighting would be a very useful capability. That is probably more true for people who shoot things other than nature as well, but I'm sure that many folks here do.
     I am presently comparing RAW converters for the D70. I have Nikon Capture (clunky and slow but nice output), Adobe Camera Raw (a lot nicer, but requires more adjustment), and the beta of Capture One (a whole lot of promise there-the final version should be excellent). I'll probably end up going with Capture One, partially because the workflow is so good. It batch processes images, so you never need to wait for a 30 second raw conversion on one image before editing the next. One feature that is miles ahead of anyone else is the one-click white balance with preview-it actually shows a preview window with what the tone of the picture would look like if you considered a given spot neutral. The preview window only shows a smallish area, but it is still a long way ahead of Nikon or Adobe. In addition to the one-click, C1 has a "color wheel" white balance adjuster for fine-tuning that is much more sophisticated than a simple slider The present C1 beta lacks white balance presets and sliders, but those will be in the final version. Exposure adjustment is similar to everyone else's, and the sharpening seems a bit more sophisticated in C1.

                                                         -Dan
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BryanHansel

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Nikon D70 review
« Reply #15 on: May 03, 2004, 09:04:40 pm »

Thanks for the tip on the macro off camera flash.  I've been using a cable with my bracket, but I don't need to worry about carrying a wire.
On a side note, it was really hard to find the remote for this camera, but I just tracked one down (after building a thread cable release that velcroed to the camera.)  And when I ordered it, I figured that I might as well get a 12-24 /4.  Should be here by Thursday.  I can't wait!
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