Nikon D70S Digital SLR Camera
I don’t cover many big-ticket items on this website, mostly because I don’t exactly buy a lot of big-ticket items, but this is one that’s definitely worth mentioning since it’s a product I use all the time and love even more than peanut butter and cuddly Harbor seal pups.
Plus, the holidays are coming up. Maybe this could go on your list of Things People Should Seriously For Real No Kidding Buy For You Since Hello You’ve Been Totally Nice All Flipping Year.
Anyway: I am a huge fan of the Nikon D70S. The S version is an upgrade from the original D70 which provides some additional features and a larger LCD screen, apparently.
I really don’t know a lot about photography in any technical sense, so I can’t give you an in-depth review about the professional qualities of this camera. Also, I don’t know how it stacks up next to similar cameras or the new D80. So…essentially, I don’t know jack about squat.
But! I can tell you from a layman’s point of view that this camera takes awesome pictures with very little effort on my part. It’s all about the point and click, I very rarely change any of the settings and I use the auto-focus for almost everything.
The biggest benefit for me other than the quality of the photos themselves is the speed with which you can capture images. The camera powers on and is ready to shoot in 0.2 seconds, which means that you have a much better chance of actually getting that fleeting baby smile before everything goes to hell and someone starts crying.
I chose this over the comparable Canon Rebel because I liked how the D70S felt in my hand. It’s just got a nice shape and feels professional without being too bulky.
I print some photos at regular photo sizes (no giant posters or anything), but mostly I post images online. For these purposes, the 6.1MP D70S does a bang-up job. Before I got this camera, I used a Fuji FinePix, and the different in image quality is amazing. The Nikon produces great resolution and color and even though I enjoy doing post-processing in Photoshop, most of the time I don’t actually need to do so.
The package I bought included an 18-70mm Nikkor lens which is great for the vast majority of photos I take.
Since I first got the camera I have made two additional purchases that have really extended the Nikon’s capabilities. First, the Nikon SB-600 Speedlight, which can probably do all kinds of wonderful things but all I really care about is that it lets me take photos indoors without the harsh white contrasty results a built-in flash gives. I had never used a dedicated flash before, and the difference is amazing. This gives even, diffused lighting (even in our challenging living room that has dark red walls and a wood ceiling), and I really think it’s worth the expense if you take lots of pictures indoors.
I also got a macro lens (a Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG), which is kind of a luxury add-on but lets me take interesting closeup shots. This also takes lovely portraits, although it’s harder to frame your image because you can’t zoom in and out.
What I really need now is a good camera bag so I quit dumping my beloved Nikon in my purse and getting crap all over the lens (I can’t tell you how many images I’ve had to edit because of dust specks).
It’s an expensive item, but the value I get from having so many great images of our lives is immeasurable. For me, photography helps preserve memories and reminds me of the beauty that’s everywhere, all the time. There’s no dollar amount I can put to that. But for less than a thousand bucks, this camera seems like it’s been a pretty good deal.
Link: Nikon D70S 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-70mm Nikkor Lens
Ballpark price: $800
Posted: November 7th, 2006 under Electronics, Photography, Personally recommended by Linda.
Comments: 29
Comments
Comment from Heather
Time: November 8, 2006, 11:27 am
Hi,
Love your website and pictures! I’m definitely in the market for a dSLR but am having a hard time choosing. Just out of curiosity, what kind of Fuji did you have before?
Comment from Kimberly
Time: November 8, 2006, 11:40 am
I was just online last night drooling over the D70S. The hubs was trying to talk me into going with the D50. I read that the D50 has the neat viewer on the back but you can’t set a picture up with it. You can only use it to view the picture after it’s made. Is that the case with the D70?
Comment from Linda
Time: November 8, 2006, 11:52 am
Kimberly: yes, that’s true. You look through the viewfinder like a film camera. It takes some getting used to if you’ve always used the LCD screen, but I think it’s actually much nicer to take pictures that way.
Comment from Zoot
Time: November 8, 2006, 12:48 pm
I’ve been contemplating a camera purchase for awhile. But I decided I need two: one to throw in the purse and one to take fancy shots with. For the fancy shot camera, I’ve been considering the Nikon. Ken Rockwell LOVES his D70, here’s his review of the D70S
Comment from samantha Jo Campen
Time: November 8, 2006, 12:54 pm
That is like porn to me. Sigh. Out of our budget for sure but man I’d snap that up in a hurry if I could.
Comment from Mandy
Time: November 8, 2006, 1:39 pm
We have the D70 and the same Speedlight and love them. It has made all the difference in our photographs of our 2 year old son. It’s so easy to take tons of shots to get those 1 or 2 gems that would be impossible to get with another camera. The only problem we’ve had is that after about a year and a half of use there’s a vertical line in all of our photos where the pixels have gotten screwed up. It isn’t glaringly apparent in all photographs, but you can see it. Total bummer, and I can’t find much online about it. We had to get the body of it repaired once when our then 1-yr old pulled it off of a desk (thank god not onto himself since it is damn heavy. But the cost of repair was what a small digital camera would cost!) so maybe it was damaged then in some way that didn’t appear until now. Have you heard/read of a flaw like this?
Comment from Linda
Time: November 8, 2006, 1:47 pm
Lameness, Nikon.
Comment from Lucia
Time: November 8, 2006, 1:58 pm
Donna Downey is coming out with a trendy-cool camera bag. They are SO AWESOME! They will be out in December. http://www.donnadowney.com/ddshop.html or here blog has one at the top in the header to preview (SO SUPER CUTE and perfect for SLR cameras and lenses - and no, I ddin’t get paid for that plug). I am SO getting one when they come out!
http://donnadowney.typepad.com/simply_me/
Comment from Leah
Time: November 8, 2006, 2:21 pm
Sold! My next lens shall be a 50mm.
(I’m glad to hear you chose the Nikon because of how it felt. That’s how I decided to go with the Canon Rebel. I’m sick of people debating the intricacies of the two models when, for the bulk of the population, most of that stuff will make absolutely no discernable difference. Yay to people like us who know squat!)
Comment from Paige
Time: November 8, 2006, 3:27 pm
’sigh’ I want one!
I think the fact that it turns on quickly would be key. I have a Canon PowerShot point-and-shoot that drives me crazy because it takes so long to turn on and to take the damn picture. I don’t have kids yet but I have a cat that I am always trying to shoot, but she moves so fast that the only photos I get are when she’s sleeping. I definitely want to get a dSLR before we have a baby. Thanks for the recommendation Linda!
Comment from Lisa
Time: November 8, 2006, 8:03 pm
I’m a professional photographer, and the Nikon D70 is the camera I use. I love, love, love it- probably more than I love my iMac, though that’s a close one. It is a great camera for everyday folks, and also a good camera for people like me who are new to the freelance biz and can’t afford the D2X. Yay Nikon!
Comment from Lesley
Time: November 8, 2006, 9:44 pm
I’ve decided after reading Blurbomat and Dooce and now you, that my next camera is going to be the D70 with a honking great flash attachment. Currently I use the Canon Powershot G6 Digital, which is pretty darned good for quality (considering my complete and utter ignorance about photography) and expensive enough that I can’t justify buying another camera right now.
Comment from K
Time: November 8, 2006, 11:14 pm
Do you get used to the size of it? I thought about buying a DSLR, and was torn between the Nikon and the Rebel XT, but the Nikon was so heavy and big that my hands started cramping up. I ended up buying a Canon PowerShot S2 IS instead, but I do plan to buy a DSLR someday when I have money falling out of my pockets. I just wondered if the heft/size is something you get used to, or if it’s just not the right size for my hands.
Comment from K
Time: November 8, 2006, 11:15 pm
Love your photos, by the way! I always assumed you were all pro and fiddled with settings and adjusted the aperture and the whatchyamacallit and etc., so it’s totally awesome to hear that you usually use the automatic settings. Maybe there’s hope for me!
Comment from Lynn
Time: November 9, 2006, 5:58 am
Does anyone have any recommendations for a cheap camera? I would love to purchase the D70…I drool over it actually, but the money Nazi ain’t havin’ it. So my budget is about $200. Any ideas on something that takes decent pictures and isn’t a piece of crap?
Comment from Zoot
Time: November 9, 2006, 6:17 am
Lynn - I go to kenrockwell.com for camera reviews - he’s great. I’m consindering
http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/sd800.htm
As my “cheaper” version, but it’s about $350 at Best Buy. BUT - I think the earlier models of the same camera (SD700?) are cheaper…so that might be a good place to start.
Comment from April
Time: November 9, 2006, 9:06 am
I just purchased the D50 from http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ They have some great kits with starter lenses - I got the 18-55 mm lens, I think it’s rated much higher than 28-80mm one. I’ve also put the 55-200 lens and the sb-600 flash on our wedding registry - at www.target.com, which rocks. My fiance is a total nerd - majored in math and stats and worked at BestBuy all through college so he majorly researched it for me. By all accounts the D50 was pretty close in quality to the D70S for about half the price. I figured if I really got into photography, I could upgrade to the D80 and sell the D50 on EBay since they’re probably going to stop making it soon and it’s been out of stock almost everywhere… I had trouble finding it anywhere but that website I bought it at, which came very highly recommended from some other computer/photo nerds at work. Anyways, long story short, I would highly recommend the D50 as well. Big Fan. Big Huge Fan.
Comment from Caroline
Time: November 9, 2006, 9:33 am
Linda - I love this site! Keep up the great work… the d70 has been on my drool-list for quite a while now! I’d wondered which camera you use for your fantastic shots.
Comment from LLD
Time: November 9, 2006, 1:39 pm
I’ve been looking at a new bag also and found this great one offered by Kata - and the model is T-212 (Kata T-212 (Slingbag)) - and I can’t wait to buy it. Right now I’m using a Canon Rebel - film camera, and also have a Canon A530 digital - love them both, but can’t wait to get a nice DSLR!! - just need some extra money! 
Because I already have lenses for my film Rebel i’ll most likely go with the XT. A great review site for cameras of all kinds is dpreview.com. It is fantastic, you can do side by side comparisons and get news on the newest and greatest products and a ball park figure re: cost.
Comment from Linda B
Time: November 9, 2006, 4:36 pm
We have the Nikon D50 (photo newbie here) and we also invested in the 50mm lense. It is worth every penny. It takes great close up shots and the aperture setting goes quite low (high?) so the depth of field is greater, which makes for a much more high impact shot.
I prefer Nikon to Canon in general but I agree with you in that I liked the way it felt in my hand. It is a little bigger and heavier, which works well since I have alarmly large man hands compared to my rather petite frame.
I think my next “need” is the speedlight.
Cool review.
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Time: November 9, 2006, 7:47 pm
[…] 6. Nikon D70S Digital camera (I have no idea the specifics of that. I just read it takes good pictures FAST, no annoying pause that I have with the current digital camera.) […]
Comment from Katie
Time: November 10, 2006, 12:29 am
I ended up with the Canon Rebel XT because I already had a Rebel film camera and therefore could use my lenses. But, I’ve always wondered if I made the right choice. I heard that the Nikon has some kind of setting made just for capturing kids. Is that true?
Also, does anyone know what the speedlight equivalent woudl be for the digital Rebel?
Comment from dlg
Time: November 10, 2006, 11:45 am
we have a D70 at work. my husband, who is a great photographer, feel in love with it and decided to ask for a nikon for his birthday this year. a D200. it’s INSANE. i’m not great at taking photos, an every shot i have taken with the thing looks professional (though i think i have only been able to pry the hubby’s fingers off it long enough to take 4 photos). i’m going to have to investigate the speedlight. thanks for the tip.
Comment from Anonymous
Time: November 12, 2006, 10:31 am
Looking for a good bag? I cannot say enough good things about the Lowepro Slingshot camera bag. I love that it’s over the shoulder and rotates forward for easy access and there’s tons of room, despite it’s compact design. It also has a built in rain cover that doubles as a greyscale thingy. I have one for my Canon 30D (which I do love, though am still getting used to what it can do. It was recommended to me above the D70, which I was also considering).
Comment from Shawna
Time: November 12, 2006, 10:33 am
Doh, I wrote a bunch of praise for my Canon 30D camera and this Lowepro Slingshot bag:
http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/PageDisplay?dest=frames.jsp¤cy=CAD&storeId=10001
But I forgot to fill out the name, etc. and my long comment disappeared. Short version: both rock.
Comment from Leah
Time: November 13, 2006, 5:44 pm
Katie: You made the right choice. All the research I’ve done says the Rebel and the D70 are pretty much the same. The Nikcon “kid mode” is probably the Canon’s “sport mode” by another name. Also, I may be wrong, but I suspect the Speedlite will work on the Canon as well, yes?
Comment from omu
Time: November 14, 2006, 10:13 am
I said it when you were looking at digital slr’s way back when, but I wouldn’t trade my D-70 for ANYTHING. We bought it before our little guy was born and I love, love, love it. We’ve gotten so many irreplaceable, irresistable photos with it. It’s the best investment ever!!
Comment from cggupqkuhd
Time: July 3, 2007, 12:39 pm
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Comment from rohit
Time: August 17, 2008, 1:41 am
hi
sir
Nikon D70S Digital SLR Camera
this model in surat [india ] avalable ?
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