The Nikon D2Xs I use is the company’s top-of-the-line model from 2006. Since 2004, Nikon’s model for advanced amateur photographers has been the D70. It had a CCD sensor with a resolution of 6 megapixels, a sensitivity range from ISO 200 to 1600, five customizable focusing points, three frames per second (fps) continuous shooting, a maximum shutter speed of 1/8000, a single CF card, a 1.8-inch display screen. It sold for $999 (body only). In addition to that, it features an LCD that can be found on the top of the device.
This camera is an excellent alternative to my previous DL model, so I got it. Both cameras have a resolution of 6 megapixels and use the same Sony sensor. The *ist DL was produced a year later for about half the price. However, its autofocus is horrible, a few buttons are dedicated to specific functions, and it has a different lens library. So would the D70 have been a more suitable option in this situation? Let’s find out!
The D70 is virtually incomparable to the D2X in every conceivable manner. It is primarily made of plastic, and while it still has a sturdy feel, there is no mistaking that it is made of plastic. It has a weight of 1.5 pounds, which is equivalent to half a D2X. The fact that it is lighter yet chunkier than my D750 makes it seem quite hollow.
In comparison to my current DL, it seems highly thick and enormous. Although it isn’t as programmable as a D2X or my D750, it still has many specialized buttons, including bracketing, drive mode, ISO, white balance, image quality, metering mode, exposure compensation, and two control dials. In addition, it also has two control dials.
These place the functionalities utilized the most front and center rather than burying them under a maze of menus as my other app does. Unfortunately, even though it has several modifications that bring it closer in functionality to my D750 (such as control dial exposure compensation and viewfinder grid lines), it still has a backward exposure meter that I cannot adjust.
I find the chunkiness of it to be appealing. However, despite, despite its design being an improvement on that of the D100, which it is based on, it still has the appearance of a film camera with digital guts stuffed into it. When viewed from the camera’s rear, the screen is about the size of a postage stamp.
The button layout is very similar to that of my D750, but the buttons are much smaller, making it difficult to press them while keeping your eye on the viewfinder. In addition, when I want to change the focus point, the four-way selector is too tiny and challenging for my thumb to hit comfortably.
Because it takes up approximately 20 percent of the back, the CF Card slot makes it difficult to position buttons. It would be more effective if it were put on the side, like modern Nikons. However, these issues have been resolved in more recent cameras, and the D70 is the camera that paved the way for such improvements.
In Use
The D70 behaves and operates pretty similarly to other modern Nikons regarding its handling and shooting capabilities. The viewfinder is bright, and the 5-point autofocus mechanism performs adequately enough for most purposes. In addition, aperture priority and exposure compensation may be easily adjusted thanks to the camera’s two control dials.
Even with screw-mount lenses with comparable aperture sizes, autofocus is undeniably faster than my manual focus method. The AF-S lenses with built-in focus motors can be used with the D70. However, my *ist cannot utilize this kind of lens. It also has an advantage over the menu-driven nature of the *ist because of the specialized buttons on the device.
It uses the same strange picture review mechanic as the D2Xs, in which you must press two buttons and scroll the command dial to zoom in on an image. This cannot be very pleasant.
It also has several advantages over my D750, such as having a more incredible maximum shutter speed (1/8000 vs. 1/4000) and a higher flash sync speed (1/500 vs. 1/250), which enables an additional stop of light reduction and the use of flash while shooting in highly bright daytime.
It does have Auto ISO, but the only way to get it is through a menu setting; unlike other Nikons of the same vintage, the ISO button cannot be used to access it directly like it can on my D750.
Quality of the Image
Most of the photos were shot in RAW format, and their quality was on par with the images produced with my DSLR. The photographs are better in general, but that may be because I now have access to a lens library that is significantly larger and of a higher quality than before, in addition to improving my skill set.
Compared to other kit lenses, the ones that came with my camera are very sharp, but their ability to take in light is severely restricted. On the other hand, the D70 makes it much simpler to take high-quality photographs because of its improved autofocus, as well as its superior lenses and additional buttons and settings.
Nikon D70 Specifications
| Sensor | • 6.24 megapixel (total) CCD • 6.1 million effective pixels • 23.7 x 15.6 mm • Nikon DX format (size) • RGB Color Filter Array • 12-bit A/D converter |
| Image sizes | • 3008 x 2000 [L] (6.01 million) • 2240 x 1488 [M] • 1504 x 1000 [S] |
| File formats | • NEF (12-bit lossless compressed RAW) • JPEG (EXIF 2.21) • NEF+JPEG |
| Color space | • Ia (sRGB) • II (Adobe RGB) • IIIa (sRGB – more green for colorful landscapes) |
| Lens mount | • Nikon F mount (with AF coupling & AF contacts) • 1.5x field of view crop |
| Lens compatibility | • DX Nikkor: All functions supported • Type G or D AF Nikkor: All functions supported • Micro Nikkor 85 mm F2.8D: All functions supported except autofocus and some exposure modes • Other AF Nikkor*2: All functions supported except 3D color matrix metering, i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR • AI-P Nikkor: All functions supported except 3D color matrix metering, i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR, and autofocus • Non-CPU: Can be used in exposure mode M, but exposure meter does not function; electronic range finder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster *1 IX Nikkor lenses can not be used *2 Excluding lenses for F3AF |
| Autofocus | • TTL phase detection • Nikon Multi-CAM900 autofocus module • Detection range: EV -1 to +19 (ISO 100 equivalent, at standard temperature) |
| Lens servo | • Single Servo AF (AF-S) • Continuous Servo AF (AF-C) • Manual focus (M) |
| AF Area mode | • Single Area AF • Dynamic Area AF • Closest Subject Priority Dynamic Area AF |
| Focus area | One of five areas can be selected |
| Focus lock | Focus can be locked by pressing the shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing the AE-L/AF-L button |
| AF Assist | White light lamp |
| Exposure mode | • Digital Vari-program – Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close up, Sports, Night landscape, Night portrait • Programmed auto (P) with a flexible program • Shutter-priority auto (S) • Aperture-priority auto (A) • Manual (M) |
| Metering | TTL full-aperture exposure metering system • 3D color matrix metering with 1,005-pixel RGB sensor • Center-weighted: Weight of 75%(8mm circle) given to 6, 8, 10, or 13-mm process in the center of the frame, or weighting based on the average of the entire frame • Spot: Meters 2.3mm circle (about 1% of frame) centered on the active focus area |
| Metering range | • EV 0 to 20 (3D color matrix or center-weighted metering) • EV 3 to 20 (spot metering) (ISO 100 equivalent, f/1.4 lens, 20 °C) |
| Meter coupling | CPU coupling |
| Exposure compen. | • +/-5 EV • 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps |
| AE Lock | Detected exposure value locked by pressing the AE-L/AF-L button |
| AE Bracketing | • 2 or 3 frames • +/- 2 EV • 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps |
| Sensitivity | • Auto • ISO 200 – 1600 • 1/3 EV steps |
| Shutter speed | • Combined mechanical and CCD electronic shutter • 30 to 1/8000 sec • Steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV • Flash X-Sync: up to 1/500 sec • Bulb |
| White balance | • Auto (TTL white-balance with 1,005 pixels RGB sensor) • Six manual modes with fine-tuning • Preset white balance • White balance bracketing possible |
| Image parameters | • Sharpening • Tone • Color • Hue |
| Viewfinder | • Pentaprism • Optical-type fixed eye-level • Built-in diopter adjustment (-1.6 to +0.5 m-1) • Eyepoint: 18 mm (at -1.0 m-1) • Frame coverage 95% (approx.) • Viewfinder magnification approx. 0.75x with 50mm lens at infinity; -1.0 m-1 • Focusing screen: Type B BriteView clear matte screen Mark II with superimposed focus brackets and On-Demand grid lines |
| LCD monitor | • 1.8″ • 130,000 pixel TFT |
| Flash control | • TTL: TTL flash control by 1,005-pixel RGB sensor o Built-in Speedlight: i-TTL balanced fill-flash or standard i-TTL flash (spot metering or mode dial set to M) o SB-800 or 600: i-TTL balanced fill-flash or standard i-TTL flash (spot metering) • Auto aperture: Available with SB-800 and 600 with CPU lens • Non-TTL Auto: Available with Speedlights such as SB-800, 80DX, 28DX, 28, 27, and 22s • Range-priority manual available with SB-800 |
| Flash Sync Mode | • Front-Curtain Sync (normal Sync) • Red-Eye Reduction • Red-Eye Reduction with Slow Sync • Slow Sync • Rear-Curtain Sync |
| Built-in Speedlight | • Auto flash with auto pop-up • [P], [S], [A], [M]: manual pop-up with button release Auto flash with auto pop-up • Guide number (ISO 200/ISO 100, m): approx. 15/11 (manual full 17/12) |
| Flash compensation | • -3 to +1 EV • 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps |
| Accessory shoe | • ISO standard hot shoe with safety lock |
| Flash Sync Terminal | No |
| DOF Preview | When the CPU lens is attached, the lens aperture can be stopped down to the value selected by the user (A and M modes) or the value specified by the camera (Digital Vari-Program, P, and S modes) |
| Shooting modes | • Single frame shooting (S) mode • Continuous shooting (C) mode: approx. Three frames per second (up to 12 consecutive shots in JPEG format, four shots in RAW format) • Self-timer/remote control mode. |
| Self-timer | • 2 to 20 sec |
| Playback functions | • one frame: Thumbnail (4 or 9 segments) • Magnifying playback • Slide show • Histogram indication • Highlight point display • Auto image rotation |
| Storage | • Compact Flash Type I or II • Microdrive supported • No CF card supplied |
| Text input | Up to 36 characters of alphanumeric text input are available with LCD monitor and multi-selector, stored in the Exif header |
| Playback functions | • Single image • 4 or 9 thumbnails • Magnified playback • Slide show • Histogram indication • Highlight point display |
| Video output | NTSC or PAL selectable |
| Remote control | ML-L3 wireless remote controller (optional) |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 (only at 12 Mbps) • Mass storage / PTP selectable • Video out • DC-IN (optional AC adapter) |
| Power | • Lithium-Ion battery pack EN-EL3 • Three CR2 lithium batteries (with supplied MS-D70 battery holder) • AC Adapter EH-5 (optional) |
| Dimensions | 140 x 111 x 78 mm (5.5 x 4.4 x 3.1 in) |
| Weight (no battery) | 595 g (1.3 lb) |
| Weight (inc. batt) | 679 g (1.5 lb) |
| Box contents * | Strap, Body cap, Eyepiece cap, LCD monitor cover, Video cable, USB cable, Rechargeable Li-ion battery EN-EL3, Quick Charger MH-18, Picture Project CD-ROM, MS-D70 CR2 battery holder |
| Optional accessories | Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3, Multi Charger MH-19, Quick Charger MH-18, AC Adapter EH-5, Speedlight SB-800/600, Nikon Capture 4 Software, Semi-soft Case CF-D70, Remote Controller ML-L3, CompactFlash™ Card |
Conclusion
If I had bought a camera in 2005, would the Nikon D70 have been better for me? Absolutely, without a doubt. The autofocus is significantly more refined, the camera is considerably more adaptable, and it possesses a lens library that is substantially more extensive, all of which contribute to superior autofocus and additional shooting possibilities. If I had purchased a D70, I most likely would not have converted to a Canon and instead would have graduated to a D300 before settling on a D750 as my final camera purchase.
I don’t think I would have found it the ideal camera for me then. First, it was twice as expensive as my Pentax because it required additional lenses. Because I already owned wide angle and telephoto zooms for Pentax, I decided only to get the *ist body. Given my college student budget, this was a challenge in itself. In addition, I wanted a camera that was easy to use and compact so that the D70 would have felt too large and clunky in comparison. It was enough to convince me to carry my itty-bitty Pentax everywhere; I think the D70 would have been much less inclined to come along for the ride.
A further enjoyable excursion into the past. Even though many digital components have been upgraded, the experience of using a modern DSLR is almost the same as when using a D70. Each generation brings incremental improvements to image quality, noise reduction, shooting speed, autofocus speed, and ergonomics but maintains its predecessor’s basic capabilities. There isn’t much that I can accomplish with my current camera that I couldn’t do with this one; the only difference is that it would be somewhat more challenging. Nevertheless, I will hang on to this one since you never know when the lads might be interested in joining me for some target practice.
Nikon D70 Price
Nikon D70 FAQs
How old is the Nikon D70?
As of March 2023, the Nikon D70, a digital single-lens reflex camera, will have been on the market for 19 years. It was first released in January 2004.
When was Nikon D70 discontinued?
As of March 2023, the Nikon D70, a digital single-lens reflex camera, will have been on the market for 19 years. It was first released in January 2004. After being succeeded by the Nikon D70s in 2005, the Nikon D70 was eventually phased out and decommissioned.
How many megapixels is the Nikon D70?
The image sensor in the Nikon D70 has 6.1 megapixels.
Does the Nikon D70 have autofocus?
The Nikon D70 does come equipped with an autofocus mechanism.
Is the Nikon D70 a DSLR?
The Nikon D70 is a Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera, a type of DSLR camera.
Is the Nikon D70 waterproof?
The Nikon D70 is not submersible. You will require a waterproof cover or housing to use your device underwater.
What is the image quality of the Nikon D70?
It is generally agreed that the picture quality of the Nikon D70 is excellent for its period, particularly when considering the camera’s 6.1-megapixel sensor. But this one is hopelessly outdated compared to more recent cameras that have a higher resolution and operate better in dim light.
How do you use a Nikon D70 camera?
To take pictures with a Nikon D70 camera, you will need to follow these fundamental steps:
First, after it has been charged, place the battery inside the camera.
Install a microSD card that is functional with the device. Install a lens onto the frame of the camera.
Activate the camera and adjust the parameters, including the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.
Use either the viewfinder or the LCD screen to compose your picture.
To snap a picture, you need to press the trigger button.
What is the ISO range of the Nikon D70?
The Nikon D70 has an ISO range of 200-1600, with an expanded choice that allows it to be pushed down to 100. (Hi-1).
How do I connect my Nikon D70 to my computer?
You will need a USB connection that is appropriate for your Nikon D70 in order to connect the camera to your personal computer. (usually a USB Mini-B).
First, make sure your camera is turned off, then connect the connection to both your camera and your computer, and finally, power the camera back on. It is expected that the computer will recognize the camera and grant you permission to transmit files.