Designed for a broad range of consumers from experienced amateur photographers to beginning photo enthusiasts, the 6.1 megapixel D70s builds on the su
Designed for a broad range of consumers from experienced amateur photographers to beginning photo enthusiasts, the 6.1 megapixel D70s builds on the success of the D70 with an improved autofocus system, larger LCD monitor, a remote cord port, and new graphic user interface, among several other enhancements.
The Nikon D70s is the result of Nikon's engineers refining the D70. Improved auto-focusing and a larger 2.0-inch screen are just a couple of the modifications made to the D70. This camera is in the middle of the Nikon prosumer range, between the D50 and the upcoming D200. It features an effective 6.1-megapixel sensor and instantaneous 0.2-second startup. With a street price of $899.95, the D70s is an affordable and formidable competitor in the digital SLR market.
Price: $899 US
Nikon D70s Pros and Cons
Pros
Two-button on-camera flash memory card formatting
White balance fine-tuning
Ultra fast flash sync
Viewfinder with grid
Dust elimination in software
Noise acceptable at any ISO
Mirror lockup
Nikon's consistent, system-wide 1.5x digital crop factor
Introduction As a kid I had dreams of owning a Nikon, and that wish endured for more than 25 years. When I finally got one, I fell in love with the Nikon system and body style. If it had remained a film-only world, I would still be using Nikon cameras and lenses. Becoming a professional photographer brought shorter deadlines, and eventually I had to switch to digital. At the time, Nikon had no plans to produce a full-frame digital. So I switched to the Canon 1Ds for digital and an EOS 3 for a film camera so that I could make the most of the available wide-angle lenses.
When I was asked to review the D70s, I couldn't wait to use a Nikon digital camera for the first time. Downtown San Jose, California and San Jose's Japantown provided a perfect testing ground for the camera. Armed with the D70s, the 18-70mm DX Zoom, and the 55-200 DX Zoom Nikkor Lens (street price for this kit is $1499.95), I set off to test the camera. The results of the test, if successful, would perhaps justify a purchase. The new camera would be used as a backup camera for my lovely assistant and wife, Karen.
Nikon D70s Features
The Nikon D70s uses a 6.1 effective megapixel DX digital sensor that yields 3,008 x 2,000 pixels, suitable for making prints up to 16x20. One of the best features of this camera is the instant power-up time of only 0.2 seconds (Nikon spec). It's great to turn on the camera and be ready to take a photo immediately. The new EN-EL3a rechargeable batteries provide longer life than those included with the Nikon D70, and with the optional battery adapter, you can also use CR2 batteries.
The camera has a nice 2.0-inch LCD monitor for reviewing your shots and accessing the camera menu. Many of the camera options can be chosen from the camera body itself, saving battery life for reviewing images. The LCD offers three image playback views - one with the image information, one with a histogram, and the actual image. These options provide a lot of useful information without jamming all of the data onto one screen. There's also an enhanced menu color scheme that makes it easier to view and make menu selections.
Nikon D70s shooting menu
Nikon D70s main playback display
Nikon D70s image preview with histogram
Nikon D70s zoom playback option
Nikon D70s playback with image info
As a digital shooter, one of my complaints is dust on the sensor. When you get dust on the sensor, it shows up on every frame until it's cleaned. Nikon has come up with a software solution to help eliminate dust from the images through use of a dust reference photograph. Taking a reference image of a white card and uploading it into the optional NikonCapture software assists in eliminating the dust during post processing. Having this option is nice, although you have to pay extra for the software to use it.
For the sports shooter, the D70s offers a 3 frames-per-second burst rate up for a whopping 144 consecutive shots. The camera uses Nikon's renowned 3D Color Matrix Metering, which evaluates brightness, color, contrast, and selected focus area. Subject-to-camera distance information makes proper exposure and applicable aperture or shutter speed settings possible. New to the Nikon D70s is an updated five-area auto focus system with All-Area Search. To top off the list of features, top shutter speed and flash sync speeds are 1/8000, and 1/500, respectively. My favorite feature is the two-button card format system, which allows a user to format their memory card without having to access the menu system.
For spontaneous shots that require a flash, the D70s has a built-in pop-up flash. To further assist you in taking photos, seven "Digital Vari-Programs" (Scene Modes) will adjust white balance, contrast, and exposure settings to best match a particular subject or environment. The Digital Vari-Programs - Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close Up, Sports, Night Landscape, and Night Portrait - give the photographer a creative mode to match almost any situation. And the composition grid in the viewfinder will make sure your images are level.
Nikon D70s Design
From the moment you pick up the D70s, you are aware how solid and well laid out it is. If you are moving from the Nikon N80 or another mid-level Nikon film camera, it will feel very similar. Since the body was based on the N80 design, it has a similar look and feel. But to me it felt more solid than the N80. Every button is well marked and easily reached, regardless of hand-size. Normally I would buy the optional battery pack to increase the size and weight of the camera, but the D70s felt comfortable and efficient in my hands. For some users weight may be an issue. At 1lb 5oz, the camera, coupled with the kit lenses, provides a setup that won't make a chiropractor appointment necessary. The best thing about the D70s design is the consistency with other Nikon cameras. The camera controls are very similar to other Nikon film and digital bodies. In a nutshell, I found the D70s ergonomics and layout spectacular.
The power switch is on top of the camera near the front dial. The placement and speed are such that you can turn on the power as you're raising the camera to your eye, and by the time you're ready to shoot the camera will be powered up and ready to go. With other cameras, like the Canon EOS 20D, you would have to look at the power switch to flip it on. The time required is very short, and might not be meaningful to many, but for a street photographer it could be very important. I think the quick switch is a great Nikon design feature.
Nikon's flash system is one of my favorite things about the Nikon system, and the D70s flash metering doesn't disappoint. You can use iTTL flash controls in combination with the kit lenses and the SB-600 or SB-800 Speedlights. With other flashes, manual flash exposure is necessary. If you upgrade to the normal line of Nikkor lenses, then you can use iTTL flash with any flash. The flash button near the pop-up flash quickly changes the flash mode. Options are normal sync, red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction with slow sync, slow sync, and rear-curtain sync.
From a design standpoint, I am curious why Nikon chose ISO 200 as the lowest setting. Most of my photographs are at ISO 50 or 100; so having 1 to 2 extra stops provided a challenge for some of my shots. I like to have a shallow depth-of-field in my portraits, and in bright light this may be difficult with the D70s because of the high minimum ISO. Also, when dealing with nature and water, a slow shutter speed to blur water might be desired. The ISO 200 minimum makes slow shutter speeds difficult. This is the only design feature that required compromise or a change in photographic approach.
Camera Experience From a performance standpoint, the Nikon D70s is rock solid. It focuses quickly and accurately. I was able to focus on a subject on a moving Ferris wheel without a problem. Even in low light situations, the D70s was able to achieve focus quickly, with the aid of the on-camera focus-assistance light.
The D70s is a strong performer for action, landscape, wedding, and photojournalism photography. I will elaborate more in the image quality section of the review, but the ISO 1600 is incredible and allows for non-flash photography in low light. The excellent performance at ISO 1600 also makes unobtrusive photography possible in many situations.
Nikon did something different with the D70s white balance control. The D70s allows you to quickly choose a white balance preset by pressing the WB button and then turning the rear dial (see below). They also offer the photographer the option of fine-tuning their white balance by pressing the WB button and turning the front dial. This allows you to make the image warmer or cooler at any of the preset white balance options. For example, if you're shooting outdoors you can adjust the white balance to compensate for changing color temperature. The light at noon is, after all, different than the light at sunrise or sunset.
White balance controls. The number 2, in the display, indicates that the WB has been adusted from the preset.
For $900, you can't expect the camera to be built like the D2X. Weatherproofing is minimal. Is this a problem? Unless you regularly shoot in bad weather I cannot see it being an issue. Most people don't take many pictures in bad weather. Unless you have an assignment in the Brazilian rain forest, you should be okay.
Despite having less resolution than the Canon EOS 20D and Digital Rebel XT, the Nikon D70s is still a competitor. The build quality and the functionality of the Nikon D70s easily match, and in my opinion, beat the Canons. I was able to make faster adjustments to exposure, flash, ISO, etc., on the D70s than on my Canon 20D. The only shortfall is the reduced resolution, but you are paying much less. And the 20% fewer pixels don't make that much difference in the end. D70s is an excellent tool for taking photographs and a camera that will last for a long time.
Image Quality
I was very happy with the image quality of my D70s test photos. Although the lowest ISO setting is only 200, noise levels were still acceptable. Every digital camera will have some noise, but the noise of the Nikon D70s is different. It looked like grain from a film negative, and not the purple/red dots of other digital cameras I've used. Even at ISO 1600 the digital noise was acceptable to me. Being able to use the full range of ISO settings is nice. Nikon should provide an ISO setting lower than 200 on the D70s. That would almost eliminate any easily visible noise and make slower photography possible.
Click to see ISO Comparison.
Shadow detail was extremely good, as demonstrated by the corner restaurant photo (see below). The subjects are backlit with extremely bright light, yet you can still determine what is on the table, and even detect facial expressions. Color and saturation are pleasing, and the D70s color cast is far less obtrusive than the Canon EOS 20D's yellow tone. As a result, it took less time for me to color-correct the NEF RAW images in Phase One Capture One Pro software than it takes for my Canon images.
Click on thumbnails to view sample photos.
The D70s metering seems to produce slightly underexposed images. This may be a safety setting, as you cannot recover highlight detail in overexposed digital images. If you wish to compensate for the underexposure, you can adjust the exposure compensation using the +/- button near the shutter release.
Conclusion For the price, the Nikon D70s is hard to beat. Nikon built a camera that helps the photographer create great images and reduces the likelihood of a bad image. I believe that Nikon decided to use ISO 200 as the lowest setting to make it easier for amateur photographers to capture good images. How many times have we all had blurry photos because the camera was set at ISO 100? I found myself shooting away and discovered I was getting better snapshots and journalistic photos without worrying about an excessively shallow depth-of-field. For the average photographer, this is a positive, but for more artistic photographers, it may be a problem.
I was impressed with the quality of the D70s images and with the camera's build quality. It is an excellent camera and a great value at the suggested retail price. It performs as promised, and provides inexperienced and experienced photographers alike a very capable camera.
Who Should Buy The Nikon D70s If you are buying your first digital SLR or want a backup for a Nikon pro digital SLR, you will not be disappointed with the D70s. It's designed for the advanced amateur, and that is the perfect buyer for the camera. However, if a less experienced photographer, like my mom, wanted a digital SLR, I would recommend the Nikon D70s. As a professional, I would use it on the street, when I want to travel light.
If you are entering the digital world, give the D70s and the Nikon system a good look. The Nikon D70s is one of the best entry-level digital cameras on the market.
Sample Images
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The power switch is on top of the camera near the front dial. The placement and speed are such that you can turn on the power as you're raising the camera to your eye, and by the time you're ready to shoot the camera will be powered up and ready to go. With other cameras, like the Canon EOS 20D, you would have to look at the power switch to flip it on. The time required is very short, and might not be meaningful to many, but for a street photographer it could be very important. I think the quick switch is a great Nikon design feature.
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