Rating: 
Summary: The only things wrong with this camera...
Review: I'm not going to go in depth about how much I love this camera because all of it has been said in all the other reviews. I will detail what I have found 'annoying' and what I don't like about the camera.
First, some background. I bought the camera in mid December 2004, and have shot my wife, my son (9mos), my dog, went to the zoo and wild animal park in San Diego, the beach, cloudy conditions, sunny conditions, and snowy conditions. Most of my pictures turned out great, and the ones that didn't were mostly my fault.
The problems I have had with the camera:
Lack of ISO through the viewfinder. You have no idea what the ISO is when you are framing the shot. I have had several pix taken at ISO 800 and 1600 without knowing. Not a big problem, because of how good the image quality is at high ISOs, just kind of annoying.
Packaged software sucks. I'm not a big post processor, but Picture Project is not worth the media it is on. Good thing you can download Nikon View for free. I am too cheap to by Capture.
"Underexposure" problem. Some pictures are slightly under exposed so as not to blow highlights. Added +.3 exposure compensation seemed to help. Fotogenic's PS4 custom curve helped a lot too.
Dang LCD cover. This thing is great to keep your LCD from getting scratched, but dust keeps getting in between it and the LCD. If you remove it to clean the dust, make sure you snap it back on good or say good bye to it.
That's about it. Minor annoyances to an otherwise great camera. If these things are intolerable to you, I would suggest another camera. If not, you cannot go wrong with the D70.
Rating:
Summary: A DSLR for the Masses!
Review: I've had my D70 for a week and have already taken about 100 pictures. My results? Spectacular! I purchased it with while on a business trip, so had the opportunity to play with it before I got home. Since I had my evenings more-or-less free, I read the manual (not too helpful) but then downloaded everything I could from the net to help me with using the camera. I'm still having fun learning what it can do.First, if someone is familiar with SLRs in general, then the learning curve for the D70 won't be as steep. If you've owned a DSLR in the past, it should be quite easy to use - in fact, you'll probably be astounded! Second, get used to almost instantaneous power up and auto-focus. My previous DSLR was slow to start up and was generally slow to focus and recycle. I have had all kinds of fun with the speed of my new camera. For this alone, I'd recommend the D70! Third, the pictures are very good to spectacular. The color and clarity of my "windy pictures" (taken from the 10th floor of my hotel looking at swaying palm trees) was breathtaking! And taking a picture of the sun shining behind a dark cloud with the suns' rays coming down to the ground: my old DSLR couldn't do that! It can take the hard-to-take pictures (light/dark areas scattered, strong light and strong dark in the same general area) because of it's sophisticated metering. Fourth, the buffer holding the pictures, even in their RAW (NEF) format, transfers so quickly to the CF card, I didn't even notice a lag. Even my old film Nikon N70 would have a hard time keeping up with this camera as it would need to autowind the film. With the D70, no such problem. Just keep snapping away! Fifth, I can use my all my Nikon lens from my N70 on my D70, which will reduce my overall COO (cost of ownership). Sixth, the software that comes included with the D70 - PicturePerfect - is not what I would recommed. Instead, I opted to go with Nikon Capture (which is included in the camera, but it's only a 30 day trial subscription). I find Capture 4.1 to handle most of my needs. I recommend that users of a fine camera like the D70 use Capture (you'll have to upgrade to 4.1 to handle the RAW images) instead of PicturePerfect. PicturePerfect is designed for people who only want to work a very little bit on their pictures; Capture 4.1 gives the serious hobbyist far more control. All-in-all, I'd say I have a perfect camera.
Rating:
Summary: Exactly What I Needed In A Camera
Review: My first concern when choosing a camera was to find one that I would use and use regularly. The obvious downside to the D70 (and any SLR) is the size and weight. This is by no means a camera that I can put in my pocket and pull out at a moment's notice. Despite this, I find myself bringing it with me to places that I wouldn't have imagined bringing any sort of camera. The D70 makes taking pictures such a pleasant experience that I go out of my way to carry it with me. I have taken it skiing, kayaking, partying, and many other places.
The camera is absurdly easy to use, if all you want is to take a picture and move it to a computer. I assume that anyone looking at this camera, though, is perhaps interested in a some additional features, whether in the camera or in photo editing. The D70 does not disappoint. Even prior to reading the manual, I was able to figure out a lot of what the camera can do, and after reading the manual, I realized that it is unlikely that I will ever memorize every function. It is by far most satisfying to simply put everything on manual and simulate shooting film.
Briefly, about the contents of the box. The included lens is a great product. It has good zoom and a great wide angle which is incredibly useful for group shots and what have you. I purchased a card reader to avoid running the camera batteries down, and I take probably 2 GB of photos per battery charge. I do not use any of the software that came with the camera, as I use iPhoto for importing and organizing and Photoshop for editing. I did buy a UV filter, and I recently acquired a second lens with a substantially larger zoom.
It is certainly a great camera. I know that I made exactly the right decision to purchase this camera. I use it regularly despite the weight, and I find myself taking better and better pictures.
Rating:
Summary: Finally - a digital camera with no delay in taking the shot
Review: My wife was extremely hard to please when it came to digital and film cameras. After trying about six different brands and models and returning all of them to the store, we found this model while on vacation in St Thomas. I had read a lot about it but couldn't find them in stock anywhere because they hadn't shipped to the US distributors from Nikon yet. Anyhow, I bought the complete D70 outfit and tried it out - I was very impressed right away but the true test was yet to come. After showing my wife the basics of how to use it, she went on a picture taking spree and had a blast. She came back and told me that she liked the camera. After using it for a week, I can honestly say it is a hobbyist photographer's dream come true. A full battery charge easily took over five hundred pictures and the picture quality is outstanding. This camera is truly in a class of it's own! Nikon did a great job on the D70!
Rating:
Summary: Nikon D70 vs Point and Shoot
Review: Nikon is a wonderful out of box experance. They have quick guides that will get you up and taking photos in no time at all. But you will need to charge your battery and my Nikon did not come with a memory card. The D70 is a very fast camera. You can use the 40x memory cards that write at a rate of 10 mb per second. That means you can take 144 photos without any delays. The D70 is a basicly a instant on camera and it is very fast to focus, and it is instantly ready to take the next photo. The Nikon is a point and shoot camera, in that you can set it on automatic and just push the button and take photos. The factory setting are a little bit generic though. I like a photo that is a little sharper and a little more vivid. I can do that in Adobe or I can change those setting in the camera. Soft setting are nice to make people look younger so I would not discard the factory setting all together. You can get good photos out of a point and shoot camera. But you may end up spending a lot of money on accessories. For example, some of them require expensive memory cards. Also you will needing two cameras: a wide angle and a telephoto. With a SLR you will need one camera body and two lens. The one thing I do not consider a issue is price. Point and Shoots have a way to get you to buy extras that cost you money. If you want a good camera, get the D70. It is a good investment for your money and I am sure it will maintain it's resale value much better than the point and shoots do.
Rating:
Summary: The best dSLR for under $3k without question.
Review: Simply an amazing piece of work. I'm an advanced amateur who felt somewhat dejected that Nikon had let Canon outdo them with the 10D vs. D100 comparison. Thankfully, that was a short reign for Canon as this camera blows the doors off of both the 10D and D100. It has everything, and everything done well that all be the professional photojournalist would want in a dSLR. If you are considering a 300D, please, please reconsider. This is a far superior camera. It is better than the 300D's big brother the 10D and is untouched by any of the other <$2k range cameras out there. If you have no interest learning how to use the flexibility the D70 will provide you, consider asking yourself why you are spending over a thousand dollars on a camera. I'd strongly recommend getting a 512M CF card of the faster type (min speed maybe 12x). Why? because one of the neater things about he D70 is the ability to shoot very, very fast. With a normal speed card, like the standard Sandisk 512, you slow down and wait for the card. In most digitals, it is the camera that is slower, not the card. The kit lens is quite nice. It isn't a drop dead top of the line Nikon, but it is better than most, and is a great standard every day lens. Given the crop factor of the CCD, it is equivalent to a 27-105mm lens on a 35mm camera. You may want to get a 70-200mm Nikkor to go with it, or to save money one from Sigma or Tamron. I also use a Tamron 28-200mm, which works well for this camera since its one major flaw, vignetting at large apertures, goes away completely for the same reason, the crop factor. Note that a 70-200 acts like a 105-300, and the 28-200 behaves like a 42-300. A final note, shoot in raw format, not jpeg. One of the nicest things is that you can really, really see a significant improvement in picture quality by doing some quick touch up of the 12 bit image before saving to jpeg for printing or emailing. Also, for reference, the 512 Meg card holds 95 raw images even though the camera indicates half that when powered up. That is the one bug in the firmware I've found, but it is a very minor issue.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent value for the money.
Review: This is a great camera as every other reviewer has mentioned, takes great pictures very low noise level even with very low shutter speeds. I have been using Canon Powershot S30 for past two and a half years and I was a reasonably satisfied user within its limitations. I got D70 just two months ago, and it keeps amazing me everytime I use it. The skin tones always come true, which was never the case with my older camera (though it may be unfair to compare). Automatic white balance works fine most of the time and the available white balance modes are also very useful. Getting Nikon Capture 4.1 may not be a bad idea becuase editing raw images with it is very very simple and the results are quite satisfactory. The bundled software is practically useless.
The included lens is simple great, focusses reasonable fast is an AF-S lens which uses SWM (Silent Wave Motor) which enables swift, silent AF (Auto Focus).
Bottomline Nikon D70 is great beginner's level DSLR, go grab one for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT CAMERA-BUT TOO EXPENSIVE AT AMAZON
Review: This is most likely the best DSLR money can buy. It turns on much more quickly than Canon's Digital Rebel. Moreover, it has a much more solid body composition, making it more comfortable and more durable. Finally, the lens you get with this package is unmatched by canon's 18-55mm attempt to create a "cheap package" HOWEVER!!!!! Amazon is currently selling this camera kit at $700 more than most camera stores. I personally hope that Amazon will lower the price of the kit to $1299, like all the other stores. Otherwise, we'll all have to buy this great camera elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: A great camera, but not for everybody
Review: To put it bluntly, this is one of those devices where you have to go through a rather lengthy learning curve to use, compared to a general point-and-shoot digital camera. Until you learn the ins and outs of how to use it, and how to use the many settings it offers, you may be dissapointed in your photos. But, I hear this is fairly normal with most digital SLR cameras.
I'm a bit upset that Nikon makes you pay extra for imaging software that should have come free with the camera, and they don't even give you a memory card -- even a small one.
On the plus side, it's great to be able to play with all the settings and really get creative. Even better, if you already have a Nikon 35mm camera with some lenses, you can use those lenses with your new D70. Even if your lenses are quite old, most can be converted to work with your D70, but you must use the camera in fully manual mode.
I went ahead and got the entire kit, that comes with the Nikon zoom lens. That lens covers (based on a 35mm camera) around 27mm to 105mm, probably what most amateurs and pros will use the most. And, with 6 megapixels to work with, you've got plenty of room to crop your photos without losing much detail.
As others have said, the battery in this camera lasts forever and a day, until you hook it up directly to your computer or TV, then it sucks the life out of them. Get a card reader for your computer and you can probably get by with just one battery, as Nikon provides a CR-2 cartridge for emergencies. This holds three CR-2 batteries, and fits in the same compartment as the rechargeable battery.
The camera has an incredible feel to it. Just pick it up and it feels like it's worth the price, and the extra weight and great balance also helps you hold the camera steady. No, you can't whip this one out of your shirt pocket at a party, but that's not what it's for.
To sum up, this is a great camera. Just don't get discouraged when you see the size of the manual (it comes with a quick start guide, too), and just Google your way to all kinds of info on how to get great photos with your new camera.
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate digital camera for the rest of us?
Review: Unless you are at the level of spending $4000-$6000 on a digital camera, check out the Nikon D70. After buying this camera and learning its features in the last week, I am positive that I won't need to upgrade again for a long time, if ever. This camera's 6.1 megapixal quality gives me virtually any size print I need as an advanced amateur. And the prints are exceptional. Add to that the wonderful set of features allowing for creative control and the ease of use. I bought the lens that came with it, and it is a top quality Nikkor lens. Later I'll buy a zoom lens. If you're thinking that the 8-megapixal 8700 will deliver better results, think again. The CCD is smaller on the point and shoot models like the 8700. The reponsiveness is incredible. I am shooting much quicker than I was on my previous point and shoot. Now I don't miss a shot. If you are thinking of upgrading to an SLR camera from a point and shoot, take the D 70. You will be amazed at how quick the camera takes shots. The menu is easy to read, noise is not detectable in photos, large range of shutter speeds and ISO settings (to 1600!). Nikon have priced the camera so well that anyone looking at the 8700 would be better off spending just a couple hundred more for the D 70 that will last much longer. Excellent pics. Professional feel when holding the body. Superior lenses available. Easy to learn. Responsive. Several filters screw right into front of lens-no cheap slide ons. Great buy! Most of us are guilty of constantly checking for the latest and greatest upgrade to our "toys." If you purchase this camera, you can sit content for a long time, get to learn it and enjoy great photos for years to come. And after talking at length with the representative from the camera shop I frequent, I was convinced that this Nikon D 70 is a better investment than the Digital Rebel from Canon, which is what I went to the store to buy in the first place. For once I feel like I bought the perfect camera. I don't have thousands to spend, but the price of $1300 was well worth it. I'm so done with reading digital camera reviews!!!!
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