Solid body, feel good
Great price for the beginner
Smooth operation

No Depth of field preview
control panel is not very easy to use

It's a good SLR for beginner, but without DOF is the main weaknesses. For this kind of price range, maybe Canon is a better choice.

Customer Service

Never use it

Similar Products Used:

None

Good price given the number of functions provided. Better fps continuous servo compared to F80 (check the specs).

No DOF preview. Built-in flash too weak for wide use. Slow flash sync speed. AF is particularly slow. During exposure compensation camera turns idiot & release shutter after much hesitation.

A good start-up camera for a beginner. In fact it can function near to professional standards with good lenses, speedlights & tripod. The much lamentated confusing interface once one gets used to it is very easy to implement but is slow. Panorama function is redundant, any camera can do this, just enlarge your prints & cut-out panoramic with no difference in their quality & price.
To get around the lack of DOF preview, an unorthodox, troublesome & cheaper method (for those wanting to get the F90X for DOF preview) is to switch the power off, press the lens release button & rotate your lens halfway (in Aperture priority & Manual mode only)
The F80 is now in the market so the price of this camera should have dropped substantially giving greater value for your $.

Customer Service

None needed yet.

Similar Products Used:

Yashica AF210; Nikon F100

The autofocus is very accurate. It felt more solid than similar Canons that I had tested. It is a great weight/size for people with larger hands. Has an Electronic Cable Release (one reason for choosing above the N60) Has shutter speed up to 1/4000 of a sec. (main reason for choosing over N60) This Camera Actually meters MF lenses, the N80 does not!

No Dof preview (although there is a way to get it, but it puts the lens in danger). The Electronic Cable Release is EXPENSIVE ($60-70) it would be better if it had a Manual Cable Release. EATS BATTERIES LIKE CRAZY, NIKON'S optimistic estimates are way off!!!

This Camera is a great value for the money. I would recommend the AF 50mm f1.8 lens, it is sharper than the standard zoom sold with the camera. Overall a tremendous value. Too bad the New N80 does not meter older lenses or I would have purchased that, although it does not have the solid feel of the N70.

Customer Service

Never has been needed

Similar Products Used:

Eos 500, A1, A1 program, Pentax K1000, Asahi Pentax Sptmatic, Various other Slrs

Good AF and advance speed. Handly built-in TTL speedlight. Good weight-to-build quality ratio. Fits like a glove in hand. Easy film load and unload. Very durable.

Lack LCD display light (needed due to interface)

After 4 years, several oversea trips, a few drops, and close to thousands of rolls, this thing just keep on goin! Ideal for travelling light. Interface really is very, very easy to use, although a bit slow. All in all, it has earned my respect over the years. Sure, DOF and MLU are not present, but I don't really miss them that much. I checked out the N80 a few times trying find a reason to upgrade, but I find that the N80 is quite flimsy in person! I'll pass the N80 and keep the N70 (which still retain manual lenses metering.)

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

N90s, FM2n

The user interface is the best I've seen anywhere...despite what others have said! You can save your user settings. With manual controls, you need to check every little dial and button to see if you have the settings you want. That is a big hassle when you grab the camera and need to shoot right away. I have a digital camera with manual controls so I know this is a problem, but good thing it also has user files you can save. 3.7fps is good too. The camera does NOT eat batteries like someone has mentioned. It just lasts and lasts... I used the SB-26 flash with it and it's the perfect combo. Even better than the SB-28 since that flash has no wireless slave mode. Big bright viewfinder. Great ergonomics. Just the right weight. Those new light-weight SLRs are too light for me. Hard to hold still!

Doesn't focus as fast as the N90s in low light. The coating on the camera will peel off if you get it scratched. I would have prefered a rubber coated surface...but I don't care. I'll peel it all off eventually. The coating is quite tough though. Must have punctured it somehow.

The user interface rocks! It's the best! Clear layout of settings and easy to change. You can't accidentally knock a button into the wrong setting. And we all know that Nikon is the king of cameras! Look at who goes to Nikon for bodies when they need a digital conversion...Kodak, Fuji... Nikon don't make no cheap bodies....

Customer Service

never...in 5 years!

Similar Products Used:

N6006, N8008s, N90s, Rebel G, Rebel XS, N2000, EM, Elan, ElanIIe, 400SI, Maxxum 7...others....

Compact, lightweight, feature-laden camera.

Learning the command dial screen was a bit complex.

This is a fabulous camera, and I really love mine. It is compact and has all of the features I really need. I also have an F5; it is amazing how much the N70 can do compared to the F5. You can see photographs I created with this camera at http://www.jhberkandassociates.com/Joe_Berk_Photography.htm

Customer Service

Excellent

Similar Products Used:

X-700 Minolta, F5 Nikon

Interface is intuitive to me, nice feel and takes great pictures.

DOF and multiple exposures are nice but not worth getting an N90

As my first SLR this camera has been great, I bought it used, and have taken probably close to 30 rolls of pictures so far and have made very few mistakes. From candids of kids playing to family portraits to sporting events to the wilds of Costa Rica, I haven't been disappointed. I'm thinking of looking for an underwater housing for it so my underwater pictures will be as good as my land pictures.
Great camera and a great price!

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Numerous point & shoot,Motormarine EX underwater camera

Really good SLR for the intermediate and pros. Even a ametuer can use it

None noted

Really good. I have been using it for wildlife photography which requires speed to get good shots and I havent been let down by my -70. Its controls are clear and visible and the colour coded LCD is also very clear and easy to understand. TO really master it you have to read the book and test out the various options before going in for goal. Its flash is also good. Metering vise the camera shows no drawbacks and does it exceptionaly well but very complex lighting situations can fool the meter. Focusing is fast and the continous mode allows you to track even a very fast moving subject. It has 7 Vari progrmaes that can be easily used by the command dial. These allow you to set the camera for a certain picture i:e fast action night and so on and the camera will use its built in functions. I really like the flowing motion option which allowed me to capture stunnig wildlife shots.

Similar Products Used:

None

The 2 biggest strengths I think need to be mentioned are the preset-settings that included close-ups, portraits, landscapes, silohettes, action and landscape with objects in the foreground. The second feature, is the ability to manually override any setting. Another strength that shouldn't be left out is the matrix metering that enables more accurate light metering.

For a beginner, the preset functions are great, but the rest of the controls and features are a bit difficult to grasp - but not impossible.

Overall, I have loved my N70! It enables you to get right out there and start taking photos with the preset features and as you become more comfortable, and start experimenting with other features, it quickly becomes an all-purpose camera. As I stated above, the preset features are easy to use and help get you started fast, and the manual override gives you the ability to grow past the limitations of the preset features. And with matrix metering, it's difficult to make a bad exposure!

Similar Products Used:

None

does take very decent pix, and therefore a decent camera with AF.

a few.
a bit clunky due to slower speed than other newer nikons , not too easy interface, but its logical after a few weeks.. and i wish they used CHEAPER AA type batteries!
altho they advertise flash is the best, duh..

heres the real deal. you ask a million guys about a blank sheet of paper, you will get about 950,000 unique answers, so pls read this for what its worth, ok ?
a PRO will REPEATEDLY assault and HATE this machine. a n amateur will either love or hate it.
i bot it AGAINST THE f80 and f90 due to a few BIG
reasons : F80 sucks overall, as it CANNOT replace
the F70 by leaving out so many features...that is
called idiotic marketing, and going backwards.
F90 can beat it, but..the PRICE! and f90x is only
fun with its Fantastic databack..
i have a huge collection of manual nikon lenses,
and wanted to start with AF due to my aging eyes..
hey, teh AF part is pretty good even with
a candle burning 10 feet away. thats good.
slow, but good. and all the manuals WORK !
the metering i mean of course, and , you know what? it AIDS your focusing on manuals!
there are tiny arrows pointing LEFT or RIGHT
as you MANUALLY FOCUS ! talk about a NEEDED
second opinion huh!?
the flash, despite the hulabaloo, sucks. bad.
you got a good side , as it can be ADJUSTED
in many ways..to your liking..so you can
FORCE a good flash pix out of this machine,
with your experience anyway. better to get
a decent sb28 or cheaper sunpak ttl flash.
those that want REAL CONTROL, dont waste time.
IF YOur eyes are good, get the FM2N.
you want the CHEAPEST , AF nikon makes, that
can handle manual lenses, you have no choice
but the F 70.
good pixing !!

Customer Service

?

Similar Products Used:

FM2N, F80, F90X, F4,
F3, F5,FM2 , FE, FG, FA
F2sb, etc.