Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant camera - well done Nikon!
Review: After finding out from the Nikon suppliers in Australia that the D70 was shipped on Monday (today is Wednesday), I madly phoned my local camera shops to see who had one available. To my horror, most stores advised all supplies that came in were pre-sold and the next shipment would not be for a few more weeks! Not one for giving up, I finally found one available at a shop a little out of my way. They held it for me, and now I have it!You can read many reviews on the Internet about the D70 so I won't go into it on here, except to say that the camera is worthy of nothing less but the best review! There are bound to be 'bad' or negative points about the camera, but these are usually down to people's own perception and don't always reflect the average user. If there are any bad points, I can assure you they will be far outweighed by the great points! Having used both the Coolpix 5700 and D1X, I can safely say the D70 is going to become the benchmark for all the other manufacturers to aspire to - even in regards to pro-DSLR's. Having only had a few hours to play around with it, I'm amazed at the features the camera has and how easily accessible they are. With a little more playing around I'm sure to find many more features the D70 can do I wasn't aware of. One piece of advice: if you're like most people and toss the manual into a dark corner somewhere, think again! Read the manual as you will find there are many features on this camera that are normally only found on cameras 3 times more expensive. Overall it's worth every star of the 5 stars I've given it. Well done Nikon. No wonder the first round of units were all pre-sold before they hit our shores! Most people know when they're onto a good thing!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome digital SLR. Very pleased.
Review: Had mine since March 23. The wait was worth it! After initial battery charge shot over 2,000 pix and recharged the battery once due to transferring pix to PC directly from the camera. Take Nikon's advice ... use the optional power adapter during transfer directly from camera or use a card reader. Transferring pix from camera drains battery FAST! The D70 is ready to take pictures before your finger leaves the ON button, seriously. No delay between shots. Nice focusing system ... can choose focus area in viewfinder or let camera choose for you ... one of its the many nice features. Good price (~$1299 for D70 outfit with 18-70 lens) for an excellent prosumer DSLR. If you get this camera, spend the extra to get the "D70 Outfit" with the new 18-70 Nikon lens. Its worth it and saves you $100+ over buying the lens later. The lens is worth over $400 by itself. What I did not like: wish the LCD monitor could fold and hide or that the plastic protector could be made to stay on more securely. It just seems like the protector was an after thought in development. It falls off easily. Rubber viewfinder eyepiece cup falls off easily too. Already lost mine. I'm a very satisfied customer ... Go Nikon!!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Camera
Review: I am an amateur photographer and have until recently used only film. I learned on an old Nikon FE2 and learned the basics of photography often the hard way...trial and error and error and so on. I take decent photos with the "old relic" but wanted to save some film with the ability to see my shots and retake if necessary. (the film developers will certainly miss my over abundance of bad shot photos!!!) I find that with the D70 I would have to TRY and try hard to take a bad photo and IF I do I just push the trash button. In doing so no one but me will ever know that I take anything but great shots!!!
I was lucky to have been given a Fuji S2 camera for use at work. The S2 was the camera I dreamed about...that is until I used it for a few months. It was cumbersome to hold, heavy, VERY fickle, and eats batteries like mad!!! My "second" choice was the D70. After figuring out that I wasn't an S2 girl I bought the D70. When it finally arrived (I was first (...) by a "seller" on Amazon!!! BEWARE!!!) I was overwhelmed by it's abilities. I took the time to actually read the manual and the book "Digital Photography for Dummies" and have been taking some awesome photos since. I absolutely LOVE the set up and look forward to making a mark in photography, ok maybe in my own little world!! But that is the fun of it, right?
My advice to any of you...try it before you buy it. Most major camera dealers will rent cameras for you to try out before buying. It costs an affordable fee but is worth the piece of mind when choosing to invest in a camera of this caliber. Rent a set up for a day or w/e and then you can come back and buy on line.
PEACE...Shoot photos not people!!!
(...)
Rating:
Summary: First-time reviewer compelled to write about the D70
Review: I am normally a "reader", rather than a "writer" of reviews. In fact, this is the first review I have written for Amazon. I had to do so, however, to add my voice to the chorus of accolades that this camera is receiving. I had gone without a decent camera since a nice Minolta SLR kit I'd bought in the Navy was stolen after 5 months of ownership. Now, seven years later, I decided to take the plunge and get a good DSLR.
In deciding which camera to buy. I reacquainted myself with photography and the new (for me) terminology of digital photograhy in 2-3 weeks of intense online research. Honestly, if you're looking to drop several hundred dollars or more on a digital camera, it behooves you to do this. You'll learn a tremendous amount, and in that time, the sometimes cryptic language of photography will start to become lucid. I finally brought my options down to the Canon Digital Rebel and the Nikon D70. Unfortunately, the Nikon D70 was, at the time, out of my price range, as it was ~$550 more than the Canon for the body+lens kit. As such, I ordered the Canon.
(...)
Let me say this: even at a $550 price differential, the D70 is worth the extra investment. I have been continually astounded at the quality of the photos I have been producing, and eagerly anticipate continuing to improve as I discover the more esoteric functions of this phenomenally flexible camera. I have shot landscapes, "snapshot" party pictures, close-ups of ice in natural lighting, and close-ups of food under low light conditions, and with a little fiddling, the D70 has come through with flying colors each time. The food shot was notable because it highlighted a major difference between the D70 and the Digital Rebel: the addition of Flash Exposure Compensation on the D70. With it, I was able to fill-in the shadows of a backlit entree without overexposing the foreground. VERY useful, and added to the utility of FEC in indoor shots and fill-flash, one of the most compelling arguments for foregoing the Digital Rebel in favor of the D70. I can unreservedly say that I am more eager than I would have believed to pursue photography as a serious hobby, and the Nikon D70 has been a large part of that impulse.
One word of warning, however. If you are not a "fiddler", someone that enjoys the minutiae of shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, white balance, etc... this may not be the camera for you. While it is fully capable as a point & shoot, it is the extra features and extensive manual/custom controls that justify the price. If you don't see yourself happily delving into those details, I'd recommend the Canon Powershot A95 (which was my camera of choice for P&S).
Good luck with your decision, and thanks for your time!
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the price
Review: I have been putting off buying a digital SLR, since we already have two digital cameras and two non-digital SLRs in our house. The Nikon D70 was worth waiting for...super-fast response time, LONG battery life (didn't lose one bar on the indicator, even after a trip to Disney World!) and an amazing array of options. Menu is easy to navigate, though I still refer to the manual now and then. I love it and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone considering a digital SLR.
Rating:
Summary: WOW NIKON! You outdid yourself with the D70!
Review: I have had Nikon cameras for most of my adult life, and that is more years than I care to count. The Nikon D70 is the best I have ever used. It is fast, comfortable, and elegant. Its pictures are sharp, properly exposed, and always in focus with Nikon's fast AF system. The batteries last for months with regular use, provided you don't upload your pics direct to your PC from the camera. I suggest you purchase an inexpensive card reader for the upload process. I suggest buying the package, which includes the body, a battery, and a great 18-70mm AF lens. I do not recommend that you buy from Amazon. They are several hundred dollars more than most of their online competitors. In closing, take the plunge with this great camera. It is easy to use, versatile, and an absolute best buy that will give you many years of pleasure. Great for the professional, the amateur, and those happily in between.
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad picture yet!
Review: I have had this camera for just over a month now and it is the best camera I've ever used! The lens that is packaged with this camera is excellent and I purchased the 70-300mm lens as well. If you are in a hurry, the auto mode provides point and shoot functionality. If you have the time to get creative, then you can switch to manual mode. I still use my Coolpix 4300 for times when I just want to pop a camera in my purse and go, but I have to say that the D70 is just as easy to use. I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: The D70 is worth the wait
Review: I just received my camera last week and so far I love it. I haven't found any negative things yet. I bought the kit with the 18-70 lens. The Nikon is better than the Canon Rebel I had a month ago. I also bought the SB-800 flash and it's great. I love the flash sync of 1/500 second. It will take me a few weeks to learn the new features but I'm loving every photo I take.
Rating:
Summary: I've arrived!
Review: I owned a total of six digital cameras before purchasing my D70, ranging from an execrable little Agfa that drained a pair of AAs to produce a dozen terrible VGA shots thorugh a Canon G2 that was a pleasure to use. The Canon was pretty good, with manual controls and decent image quality. But what I really wanted, all that time, was a camera with enough pixels to produce sharp, photo-quality 8x10s, a camera that actually fired when I pressed the shutter release, and a way to use all my Nikkor lenses. More than that, I wanted something that <em>felt</em> like a pro camera, like my F2s and F3s.
Well, the D70 doesn't quite have the heft and solidity of an F2- it's more like the modern plastic Nikons that it descended from . And while I can mount any post-AI lens on it, I lose a lot of the metering using non-computerized lenses. And my favorite wide angle Nikkors, like the 28/2.8, become boring normal lenses on the D70.
But those are minor complaints. This is an excellent camera, with superb ergonomics, full control over all the exposure parameters, and the famous Nikon F mount. I can still use my old 300mm, (albeit with reduced metering ability), my Vivitar 283 flashes, and a lot of other accessories. It's a true system camera, and compared to the film Nikons I bought 20 years ago, it's a bargain. Of course unlike the film cameras it doesn't have a useful life of even 10 years, let alone 20 or 30 or more. But then, what moren electronic device does? And the lenses will, in the Nikkor tradition, still be useful on whatever cameras I buy to succeed this one.
Picture quality is, of course, superb, and the automation makes the camera a pleasure to use. A novice could set the mode switch to "Auto" and happily click away all day, while the pro can do anything possible on a film camera, and more.
I bought a 1Gbyte flash card for my D70, as the 256MB cards I already own fill up pretty flast when you're shooting 5Mbyte RAW mode images. I plan to buy a few more accessories as well- another battery, a real wide angle lens (when funds allow) and perhaps the soft case, to better protect it.
And I think this just may be the year I sell of the rest of my film SLRs- if anyone still wants them!
Rating:
Summary: Never Looked Back
Review: I owned the new Nikon 8800 and found it pretty limited, then I traded it back for the D70. With just the kit lens, the D70 has exceeded my hopes for what a digital camera could ever be. It's a real camera. BE WARNED: Once you use one and regular P&S or Prosumer toy will leave you cold. I made some good prints from the 8800 with it's 8MP, but my prints from the D70 are in another league. Some folks complain about the size of the D70, but it's sized like a real SLR for steady shooting and proper ergonomics-fantastic! Yes, there is a learning curve and DON'T buy the D70 if you want a camera to deliver pics straight to the printer. This is a camera that can deliver pro results in the hands of an experienced shooter. I have since added the 50mm 1.8, Tokina 80-400 and the SB800 flash...all excellent. Here are two links to pics taken with the D70. Good luck!
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