Nikon D70s SLR Digital Camera Kit w/ 18-70mm Lens

Nikon D70s

Posted Feb 13, 2006 - This camera is great, it is easy to pick up and start using right away. The menu is easy to step thru and understand. Pictures were great and the 18 to 70 lens worked great if you only have one lens.

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D70S Review

Posted Nov 28, 2005 - This is my first dSLR, I've a Cybershot P5 before. It is very different upgrading from a P&S to a dSLR. Whenever I want to take a picture with my P&S, it takes forever to start up, I've missed a lot of photo opportunity because of that. I spent a month researching the Canon Rebel XT and the Nikon D70S, and the features and image quality are pretty much evenly matched. The reason why I choose the D70S is mainly because of how it feel in my hands. It's a perfect fit. The Rebel XT is just too small for me and it feels like it's poorly built. I got the d70s with the 18-70mm lens kit, the image under good lighting was awesome, sharp + great color. But in low light situation, the picture wasn't as good, however, that might because of my skill level (beginner). the user interface is very nice, it has all the buttons and dials to let me access settings directly. Battery life is Great! amazing compare to my P&S. I've shot close to 200 photos with flash, I still didn't have to recharge my battery yet! This camera is kinda heavy, but it might not be a bad thing, at least it's not a big problem for me.

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My first go at digital with D70s kit w/18-70mm lens

Posted Jan 29, 2006 - I'm an advanced amateur photographere. Lots of experience with 35mm and large format cameras. I decided to take the plunge into digital during the Christmas holidays because one of the online stores reduced the price of the kit to $1025. Special holiday incentives from the store (Circuit City). I was looking at both the D70s and the Canon 20D. The Canon was several hundred dollars more expensive than the D70. What eventually eliminated the Canon for me was that it was hard to see the menu options that are listed on the monitor: the test was smaller than the D70s. And if the Canon was hard to read in the store with the store's even fluorescent lighting, I knew that I was going to have problems reading it in the field. So even though the Canon might have a better reputation, I went with the Nikon. Yes, the Nikon seems heavier than the Canon. But the "extra" weight seems to me to make the camera seem steadier. Again, I've never owed a point and shooter or another digital camera. Yes the body is made of plastic but that didn't bother me. I just have to make sure that I don't drop it. "Assembling" the camera was a breeze. Nikon did a great job of creating a quick start poster that tells you everything you need to do to get shooting (in point and shoot mode). I think that I was up and shooting within 30 minutes (and I'm a slow reader) -- of course that's after you've charged the battery. Getting additional information about using the camera (where you take control of the camera) was clearly written in the in-depth manual. A word of warning: glance over the first few pages of the manual where they list every part of the camera. When I tried to get through this section, I was overwhelmed by all of the parts. Go directly to the section where it starts talking about shooting with the camera (more or less a repeat of the quick start poster). Don't even try to learn the parts in those first few pages. The manual is clearly written so following along and learning to use the camera is a breeze (especially if you've owned an SLR before). There's nothing too complicated and if you read carefully, you won't get frustrated (I skimmed one section and decided that my camera wasn't working right; reading the section over a bit more carefully, I realized that I had to get out of automatic mode or out of RAW image capture to follow the instructions in the manual). One problem with the manual is that it has all of these icons that they use to cross reference different sections of the manul. These icons are annoying and take up space unnecessarily. But the writing is clear and concise. The engineering of the camera makes accessing different features easy. Somebody was really thinking when they designed it. The menus are easy to read and use. It feels like an old friend once you get through the manual and learn about all of the features. It really is intuitive. I shot a christening with the camera. Nothing could have been easier. I left it on point and shoot mode and got some good images. A friend performed an experiment comparing the results of an image shot with a D70s and Canon 20D. Other than the Canon feeling a little bit bluer, I couldn't tell any difference between the images both of which were blown up to 13" by 19".

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Nikon D70s w/lens kit

Posted Jan 20, 2006 - This is an excellent camera that really is good for beginners through pros. I was a bit leary of that at first because it seemed too broad of a scope to cover, but the preset settings allow a beginner to explore with different lighting and speeds. For example, there's a preset for night portrait, which allows for detail image in low lighting for beginners who don't know what shutter speed or amperture to set it at. After playing around with that for a while, beginners can try certain manual settings. This camera can really take pictures in all situations. Great for family gatherings, weddings, portraits, sports shoots, vacationing. It might be a bit heavy and big if you want a good digital for everyday point & shoot. But I wanted something to explore my creativity, so I went with this camera. The prices on this camera are very decent for its abilities. Canon Rebels are a bit cheaper, but the lens quality doesn't seem as good as Nikon. Overall, this is a great camera and I'd buy it again. If you're looking for a camera you can "grow" with, this is it.

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Nikon D70S with 18-70mm Lens

Posted Sep 21, 2005 - Camera fits on my hand perfectly. Start-up time is great. The 18-70mm zoom lens was not as smooth when zooming as other Nikon lenses. I guess, you get what you pay for. Overall, the lens is sharp and fast. The lens coverage at wide angle is beautiful. I could use a little more at the zoom end. If Nikon could come out with a D-70S kit with a 16-90mm/f2.8 zoom, this would be a perfect kit combination. I guess Nikon may have to charge more for this outfit.

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Very good DSLR

Posted Sep 9, 2005 - This is my first D-SLR. After getting the D70s with the kit lens, I have taken about 100 shots so far using various modes (e.g., Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Program, Aperture Priority). The resulting photos are quite good. With good lighting and the right combination of aperture and shutter speed, this camera can produce amazing shots. The key is to know how to make good use the control “knobs” equipped with this camera. Overall this is an excellent camera for more experienced users, and a good tool for “point-and-shoot” users who wish to learn more about photography. (comment added 9/9/2005) I just realized that the filter on top of my D70s sensor is dirty. This can be detected by looking at photos taken by shooting at clear blue sky using a small aperture (e.g., f/22; focus at a nearby object first). If the photos show small dark spots at fixed locations under various focal lengths, then "sensor cleaning" job is needed. Sensor filter cleaning can be frustrating, because you can get rid of the old ones and at the same time add a few new ones. This is another "must have skill" for all the D70s owners who change lens (yuk!).

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Great camera but not perfect

Posted Oct 3, 2005 - I've had this camera for the last two weeks. This is my upgrade from my N80 SLR. Most of the body controls are similar to that of the N80, except when it comes to the OSD menu. Focussing was quick, but i haven't been getting very consistent results. The same shot taken twice showed difference in focus, when zoomed to 100% in PS CS2. Also, noticed a bluish tinge in some of the photos, as the default settings for WB aren't optimal. Even though the camera body isn't metallic, it doesnt feel cheap. The kit lens is much better than the one on the D50. Overall, a very good camera. Some people may look at other brands, but there's isn't a perfect DSLR at this price range.

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Nikon D70

Posted Aug 19, 2005 - It's a great camera and now that I'm in the market for a second camera it's a real hard decision between the Canon EOS 20D for around 2000.00 or the D70 for around 1000.00.

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D-70

Posted Aug 19, 2005 - Has a longer lens than the d-50. The lens is sharper than the d-50 and made of metal components rather than plastic. Spend a little extra and get better value than the d-50.

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Nikon D70s SLR Digital Camera Kit w/ 18-70mm Lens

Posted Oct 7, 2005 - the len is very sharp and it's worth the money. only 2 hours needed to charge the battery and it can be used in 3-4 days' trip. very good high speed focus and continous shooting. New large 2.0-inch TFT LCD monitor

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nikon d70

Posted Oct 17, 2005 - well worth the money.many lens for this camera.looks great also.you well have people telling you what a great looking camera you have and that you look like a pro with it

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