Pros: 6mp, Fast Focusing, Great Controls, Pro Features.
Cons: Not sharp enough while cropping.
The Bottom Line: This is a wonderful digital SLR camera, with plenty of strengths and Professional like features, but the lack of “sharpness” really hearts this beautiful camera.
dudepctech's Full Review: Nikon D70 Body Only Digital Camera
Wow, “they” finally did it. They built us a solid, nice to use, fairly priced, and fairly good photo quality digital SLR camera. Well, there’s more to this then meets the eye….
First of all, I love Nikons. The photos that I take with my good old fashion F2 are very sharp and clear. But digital, I feel, is the wave of the future.
I started my hunt for a solid digital SLR about four months ago. My current Olympus C3000 takes good pictures, but while cropping and zooming within Corel Photo, it yields some grainy results. So my first stop was actually with a digital Minolta A1 (non-SLR) camera. Fun to play with and fairly good photos, but the non-protected LCD screen, (see my Epinions review “Just Got my A1”), non-sturdy body, and mid quality output, caused me to return this baby for further investigation. Later, I purchased a Canon Rebel Digital, which I can sum up for you in about 10 words; Very plastic and hard to use controls, but very sharp photos. I loved the pictures it took, but trying to use the buttons and limited menus, drove me nuts, so back to the store this one went too.
I started to hear some buzz about a new Nikon camera called the D-70, and so off to the reviews and the Nikon website I went.
6-Mega-pixels, Nikkor lens, VERY-FAST shutter release, great controls, and tons of other stuff to admire, caused me to purchase a D70 body and a Nikkor 28-200 AF lens. Ya, I could have gotten the Kit with the wide angle zoom and it would have been better for landscapes and family portraits, but I wanted an all-in-one lens. The 28-200 at 1.5x gives me 42mm to 300mm and close ups as near as 1.5 feet, not bad for a $350 Nikkor lens.
Now, lets run quickly through the pros and cons of the D70:
Pros:
- Nikon quality
- Very-very fast shutter release
- Wide range of professional features
- AF-S type lenses yield very-very fast focusing
- Great control placement
- 6.2mega-pixels
- Dual CF and SM memory card slots
- Good body/lens balance
- Long battery life per charge (about 475 shots)
- F-Stop Preview button
- Twin shuttle wheels for Shutter and Aperture
- And much more.
Cons:
- “Soft” focus.
- Nikkor lenses cost a bit more then others
Really, I love the camera. The only thing that bugs me, and I must say unfortunately, is the clarity of the photos. I’ve read other reviews over the internet, and some photographers call this “softness” and try to justify the lack of sharpness by saying that it helps smooth rough edges and add richness to their pictures. But, let me run with this just a bit, if you allow me. Over the past 25 or so years, camera companies have tried very hard to make sharper and sharper lenses, and in more recent years, the digital camera companies have been endlessly upping the mega pixel count to ever increasing levels. It is this endeavor of upping pixel counts that I want to focus our attention. The reason, we all want more Mega-pixels is not just so that we may print a bigger and bigger photos, but also to add the ability to use computer software to crop and zoom in on subjects. It is this final issue that uncovers the true meaning of Christmas. The more pixels you have, the more you have to play with. And the more you have to play with, the more of your photo will stay in focus and sharp as a razor while cropping, cutting, and zooming.
For example, lets say you’re out at the beach with the family, and little Susie is way out playing with Candy your pet dog. You snap a very cute picture of the two playing in the sand. Later, when you go to print it out, you realize that you were a bit too far off to really see their faces. So, you crop and zoom in on the center of the photo, to help bring your little girl and your dog closer in. If you’re only using a 3 or 4 mega pixel camera and your subject was out 40 to 60 feet away, then, good luck Charlie Brown, you won’t be able to see anything, but a big blur. Now, let’s say, you just spend $1,500 on a new Nikon D70 with a 28-200mm lens, and at 50mm you snap the same shot. …No go, you’re in the same spot. Why? Because, Nikon in its infinite wisdom made this beauty to have a “Soft” image sensor, rather than a “Sharp” one. Ya, if you’re doing weddings, soft portrait photos, or don’t plan on cropping, then this is the real deal, and you’ll absolutely love it for years to come. But, if you want a camera, as I do, for good all around use, and photo cropping, then you’ll need to keep looking.
Canon Digital Rebel? Maybe the best for 6mp quality at sub $1000 prices, but don’t drop it, or you’ll be taking another trip back to the camera store, not to speak of, having tired fingers while pressing those extra recessed buttons.
Minolta A1? Sure, but white balance is off, LCD screen unprotected, no lens filter protection without a darn tube adaptor, and body life less then fragile.
Wish list: …I’d just love it if Nikon would come out in the next six months, with a Nikon D70-8. Same everything, but with 8 mega-pixel and the sharpness problem fixed, for the same price of $999 (body only). Hope-hope-hope…..
If money wasn’t an issue, I’ll tell you what really wets my whistle. The Canon 1DS, 11mp Digital SLR!!! I’ve seen comparison shots between a 1DS and a good film camera, and believe it or not, the 1DS wins hands down. It’s the first time in history that a digital camera was SHARPER then a film camera, no joke. How much??? Well, for the body alone, this little bad boy will cost you $7995.
I’m still looking, and will write soon with my next camera tests, here on Epinions.com
Enjoy!
dudepctech
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1350 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
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