Nikon F70 / N70
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| Pro | Feels good to hold, quiet, good AF, reliable, useful flash, takes MF lenses. only other Nikon I like is the 801s, which is not quite as able with AF, noise.A giveaway second hand, thanks to poor quality reviews focusing on the panel only, which is really easy to sort, just different to 801. | ||
| Contra | Flash can be inadvertently popped up a little easily | ||
| Thoughts | Great, think I will get a second. | ||
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| Pro | 1/4000sec. - 30sec. shutter speeds
Meters with older AI and AIS lenses High range exposure compensation Low vibration/good vibration dampening Proper glass pentaprism (not a penta-mirror) 8 segment 3D Matrix, Centre Weighted, and Spot Professional specs in an amateur-targeted camera Extraordinary value for money!!! | ||
| Contra | No DOF prewiev
No AF-assistlamp AF poor in low light. No highspeed sync. | ||
| Thoughts | I bought this model as used (my first real camera), and I'm impressed with it. I do miss a AF assistlamp and the AF is pretty poor in low light (use my F70 at night). But the fact, that it is possible to use AI and AIS lenses is great. I don't think, that batteries are gone fast, but I don't use the build-in flash, so I guess thats the reason. | ||
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| Pro | I, love this camera. This is one fine machine. Quick, and very precise. Feels good to handle. Uses, al AF, as well as manual lenses. Picture quality is "superb". I also own a N80, and with a few exceptions, it is on the same line. I love 'em both. Bad reviews for them both, but you gotta go out and find out for your self. These are incredible machines. "bleive that". | ||
| Contra | No, depth of field preview............soooooo, No grip for AA-battery usage........would be nice, but........soooooo,. Interface not lighted for night shooting...soooo, buy a flashlight, Those CR123 batteries..........soooo, buy another set, and get out there and become a believer..........soooooo, get goin' | ||
| Thoughts | This is a "great camera". Really it is, Did you know that it's such a "great", camera, that it has a twin in the Pronea 6i, APS SLR, by Nikon, really it does. Please get one. | ||
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| Pro | - 1/4000sec. - 30sec. shutter speeds - Motor drive to rival the F90/N90 - Built in TTL Speedlight w/Red Eye Reduction - Meters with older AI and AIS lenses - High range exposure compensation - Flash compensation possible - High speed and silent motor drive modes possible - Low vibration/good vibration dampening - Proper glass pentaprism (not a penta-mirror) - Durable construction - Off camera flash possible via Sync Port - 8 segment 3D Matrix, Centre Weighted, and Spot - Professional specs in an amateur-targeted camera - MADE in JAPAN! - Extraordinary value for money!!! | ||
| Contra | - No depth of field preview (can be overcome) - No multiple exposure (can be overcome) - Flash chews up the batteries - Flash has low output/range | ||
| Thoughts | It took me about fifteen minutes to figure out the user interface. It takes a tad longer to change the settings, yes, but for US$250, you get a LOT of camera for your money. So what are you waiting for? Go out and BUY ONE! | ||
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| Pro | Reliability, no knobs sticking up to hang up on anything, good flash, smooth operation, semi weather-proof, excellent metering, price, LCD panel will make novice shooters slow down and think about what they are doing. There are too many photographers that want to shoot fast,fast and faster!! Not being a pro, I have never wanted to use a camera fast enough where focusing speed and super fast shutters make a big difference. | ||
| Contra | They don't make a battery pack that fits it. I like a heavy camera and the N70 is not quite heavy enough. No vertical grip. Exposure comp. should be easier and quicker to set [too far to the left on the LCD panel]. | ||
| Thoughts | When this camera first came out [I am not sure how long ago that was] a lit LCD panel was unheard of so not having one is more because of the era that Nikon introduced it than because they decided not to include one. For night shoots, a penlight is useful. DOF preview and multiple exposure could be viewed as something lacking in this camera since it was available when they introduced this model. This is a great camera. If you want Dof preview and multiple exposure and the ability to change backs, you are looking for another camera not the N70. The LCD panel is fine if you use the camera frequently. If you are a casual user, you may forget how to access all of the features. Once you use this camera on a regular basis, you will become familiar and start to appreciate just how easy the N70 is to use. I get tired of these photo people that think large knobs that stick up from the camera is what makes a good camera. Once I used this camera regularly I found all those knobs a little cumbersome. | ||
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| Pro | presence of flash (provides excellant fill) options of metering ease of use (whatever people say, i find it very intiutive) has almost everything one needs from a beginner to semi-pro level. | ||
| Contra | lack of multiple-exposure lcd on top should be lit to for night shots from tripod (i wonder which camra has it !!!???) lack of depth of field preview | ||
| Thoughts | the most amazing camera for someone who's starting off and aims high. | ||
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| Pro | The F70 packs in a few more features then the N90 for a little bit less then half the price of the N90. Besides the obvious built-in flash of the N70, the mid-level body also has exposure bracketing for ambient and flash exposures. It has the same matrix meter as the N90 as well as the same 3-D (distance data detection) flash metering system. It also meters AI / AIS MF lenses. | ||
| Contra | The undeserved bad reviews this body has received from the so called experts. | ||
| Thoughts | A real sleeper. You can buy a new N70D as of this date for as little as $250. Let me assure you that for the money this is the best AF / MF body Nikon has ever produced. Buy one. | ||
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| Pro | Meters with manual lenses faster flps than F80 Stronger flash than F80 Quick recall function: save 4 settings Good looker Variprograms: useful in a hurry Spot meter | ||
| Contra | Comparitively lightweight construction Learning curve for layout NO DOF and Multiple exposures (though there are shortcuts) | ||
| Thoughts | A very good camera with excellent results Manual lenses are quite cheap and freely available Basically: no point in buying an F80 instead or moving up to one. Go for an F100 if you want to go up. | ||
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| Pro | Cost effective, resonable solid body, wide area focus it handy, bright viewfinder, easy to use in point and shoot mode | ||
| Contra | no pc contact, it eat batteries crazy about 2 batteries/10 rolls,a lot less than the manual said, no dcf,no ext. batteries pack option | ||
| Thoughts | two reasons that make me to sell this.1. It can't use AA batteries. 2. When use it for work,it takes too many key strokes to change settings. | ||
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| Pro | Cheap, almost does everything, internal flash | ||
| Contra | no backlight on the LCD panel, only few settings seen on the panel inside the camera, strange battery type (it costs a bit too much if you use internal flash), no DOF, setting this camera is not so easy, to few user programs, no connection to PC, | ||
| Thoughts | It is worth this money, really good for the beginning of the photo adventure. Besides all this lacks it is really nice body, will cost a lot with nikkor lenses but ... :-) | ||
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| Pro | Solid Nikon-esque camera. Meters with MF lenses. Cost effective. Mine does NOT eat batteries unless you use the flash often.. | ||
| Contra | Interface unique. No DOF. No multiple focus points. | ||
| Thoughts | I really like the camera; it is quite cost effective, presumably because its interface has a bad rep and esp. now that F80 is out. I find the interface unusual, but quite logical and easy to learn - 5 min. with the manual. One tip if you get this camera is to use the three preset settings to always get back to your favorite modes (mine is spot, manual metering, AF-S smallest region, another is AE center weighted +0.7EV, AF-S smallest region, so on), since otherwise, it would take you too much time to adjust all the settings. F80 is lighter, has more features but doesn't meter with MF lenses and the film advance is slower. Often feel that F80 is more like a competitor's model :-) (No insult intended.) F70 is a well kept secret! | ||
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| Pro | Solid Nikon-esque camera. Meters with MF lenses. Cost effective. Mine does NOT eat batteries unless you use the flash often.. | ||
| Contra | Interface unique. No DOF. No multiple focus points. | ||
| Thoughts | I really like the camera; it is quite cost effective, presumably because its interface has a bad rep and esp. now that F80 is out. I find the interface unusual, but quite logical and easy to learn - 5 min. with the manual. One tip if you get this camera is to use the three preset settings to always get back to your favorite modes (mine is spot, manual metering, AF-S smallest region, another is AE center weighted +0.7EV, AF-S smallest region, so on), since otherwise, it would take you too much time to adjust all the settings. F80 is lighter, has more features but doesn't meter with MF lenses and the film advance is slower. Often feel that F80 is more like a competitor's model :-) (No insult intended.) F70 is a well kept secret! | ||
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| Pro | Good solid camera, easy to use and handle. For the dollars spent it's a bargain By the time I would add a winder and flash to my old system, I would have had more money invested. | ||
| Contra | More features that I don't and won't use. Takes a while to learn the controls but once done not too bad. | ||
| Thoughts | I've been using an Olympus OM-1n for a long time and it's taking a while to get adjusted. The camera is lighter than previous Nikons I have used and ergonomically comfortable even with small hands. The flash system is great! The built in works for most situations and when it doesn't my Sunpak handles the rest. | ||
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| Pro | Good solid camera, easy to use and handle. For the dollars spent it's a bargain By the time I would add a winder and flash to my old system, I would have had more money invested. | ||
| Contra | More features that I don't and won't use. Takes a while to learn the controls but once done not too bad. | ||
| Thoughts | I've been using an Olympus OM-1n for a long time and it's taking a while to get adjusted. The camera is lighter than previous Nikons I have used and ergonomically comfortable even with small hands. The flash system is great! The built in works for most situations and when it doesn't my Sunpak handles the rest. | ||
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| Pro | Everything but the interface, but I can live with it. | ||
| Contra | No DOF, flash sync at 1/125. | ||
| Thoughts | The interface is really goofy, but it's simple to navigate when you get the hang of it. Although I generally just use the camera's spot meter, the matrix metering has never let me down, and I mean never. | ||
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| Pro | Quiet, vibrationless, excellently damped operation. Buit in flash with red eye reduction. Good sensitivity of metering & AF. Compatible with MF and older lenses. Full of professional features. Good operator interface - once mastered. | ||
| Contra | Lack of depth of field prewiew. Lack of top of camera display illumination. No PC terminal. No mirror lock-up. | ||
| Thoughts | I have 11 different Nikon bodies, starting from the classic F bougt in 1964. My two F-70 bodies are the favorites. They are so conveniently useful, i can't practically stop clicking the shutter button, and all pictures are excellent! | ||
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| Pro | Metering (ambient and flash) very reliable, good compromise of stability and weight, autofocus not the fastest, but very exact, takes MF lenses. Compact. Thumbwheel instead of forefinger wheel. And, often overlooked: very short shutter-delay (much faster then my previous EOS5). | ||
| Contra | No DOF, sync at 1/125 | ||
| Thoughts | In my opinion, the best mid-class Nikon: better AF and more silent then F601/801, bracketing and flash compensation included (not on the costly databack like the F90), takes manual lenses (F80 does not), which is a huge bonus if you like primes (much more MFs available secondhand). Sadly, this great little camera was slaughterd by silly writers in the photo press, who were not able to relearn from their EOSes. Important tip to some users: not the camera eats batteries, it's the flash if kept popped up all the time. | ||
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| Pro | I am a professional photographer and use the F70 as a reportage tool. I also use it for portait & landscape, candid and fast action.Yes I agree that at first the many settings and functions are unusual, but once mastered it is a camera that you can trust to obtain top-class results. I use a sigma 28-105mm asperical and I believe this combination to be supreme. | ||
| Contra | No dpeth of field preview. | ||
| Thoughts | An experienced photographer should be able to accurately assess this. I have really not missed this function. | ||
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| Pro | autofocus problem with D-type lens | ||
| Contra | using non-D-type lens | ||
| Thoughts | I bought nikon n70 3 years ago. I have never been satisfied with that machine. I also bought nikkor 28-80 3.5-5.6D AF lens. Slow autofocusing and high batery consumption are really made me sad about this machine. Using non-D type lens maybe the solution of these problem but if it so why we pay extra money for the 3D matrix metering. | ||
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| Pro | Minature N90 Accepts manual and AF nikon lenses Good metering. Built in flash | ||
| Contra | No DOF User interface could slow one down at times Doesnt use AA batterys | ||
| Thoughts | Great little camera. Makes a good partner to my N80. I personally found the interface very easy to learn. | ||
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| Pro | METERING, FILM ADVANCE SPEED, AF SPEED, BRIGHT VIEWFINDER | ||
| Contra | ERGONOMY! | ||
| Thoughts | I bought F 70 last year, and I have been very satisfied with it, I stil am. It has extraordinary metering, bright viewfinder, respectable AF and film advance speed, ... The lack of DOF and MULTIEXPOSURE don`t bother me ( you can make your own elementary DOF charts; for the most often shots, you can do ME in a lab; better composition). What bothers me is the ergonomy of the F 70 (sometimes quite anoying. It should have had easier access to spot metering, easier switch from M settings to A or S priority settings, simpler AF/MF switch, the display should have been backlighted, consumption of the energy should´ve been lower. | ||
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| Pro | Fast and reliable AF, even in low light. Pretty sturdy. Quite bright viewfinder. | ||
| Contra | Bizarre ergonomic layout. High-speed sync. would be nice but what do you expect from a mid class camera ... | ||
| Thoughts | All in all not the greatest Nikon body. Good potential but the user interface isn't just the right thing. | ||
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| Thoughts | I've had the N70 for 4 1/2 years and find it to be an excellent camera, albeit with some limitations previously mentioned (lack of DOF and no backlit display). However, the camera will meter with manual Ai and Ai-s lenses, something that the N80 will not do, and is in a sense more compatible. For my style of photography (architecture, portraits, landscape) I do not need the dynamic focus offered by the N80, F100 or F5. An excellent camera. BTW, I find the QR feature extremely useful, the flash system excellent, and the Vari-Programs usesless. | ||
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| Thoughts | I really like this camera. The exposures in all metering modes are accurate. I handles well & does NOT eat batteries. The camera is resonabley easy to use but not quick! The N/F70 drawbacks are...Too slow flash sync, lack of D.O.F preview & lack of illuminated top panel. The built in flash is good for flash fill but not much else. All together a good travel camera especially when coupled to a 24-120mm Nikkor. Before I forget!! its biggest feature is that I can use all of my AI manual lenses with it. All told; an underated camera | ||
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| Thoughts | A very great camera ,i love it.But the batteries are "gone in 15 films" Advise: dont use the builtin flash , buy a good and bigger one (ex Sigma 430 super) , it does the same as a nikon SB 28 but fore half the money.Try out the new 75-240mm zoom its a great lense at a fair price and a "original nikon".I still have my old Nikon FG20 and i will keep it as extra (when batt goes dead in the field) | ||
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| Thoughts | I have 2 F70. He is good in all of conditions, rainy, low or high temperature. He is easy to use, to configure, he has a lot of functions that helpful for me (in this case). for an amateur photography like me he is more than enough. | ||
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| Thoughts | I am using the F70 for two years now. I am really satisfied with this body, especially the speed of nearly 4 frames per second is very convenient for me while picturing airplanes. The only dissonant is the lack of backlight for the multifunction display. The camera offers all the possibilities for someone who is not using it for his/her living. | ||
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| Thoughts | I am a NIKON user from ENGLAND. My cameras are F301 M/F and F70 A/F I find both cameras are capable of excellent results using good lenses,if they are used properly. I like my F70 for its fast accurate A/F great metering matrix C/W or spot,built in flash-very handy. Also the viewfinder is superb .I have large hands and the camera handles well for me .The position of the shutter release and the light weight of the release point are particularly good,making it easier to get shake free images when shutter speeds are low .Having a mix of AIS and A/F lenses its ability to use both is another good point. As is the capable focus tracking and motor drive speed.Lower noise levels than earlier nikons yet another bonus. The much criticized user interface is not a problem for me. True quicker access to spot meter and exposure compensation would have been better and it should have had DOF preview . THAT SAID ITS STILL A VERY CAPABLE CAMERA. | ||
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| Thoughts | I have had my N70 for about 5 years and I think it is a great camera. I also have an F5. In practical terms, the N70 can do nearly everthing the F5 does. It is a great camera. You can see my photos at http://members.aol.com/jhbanda/index.html. | ||
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| Thoughts | Have had my n70 for two months now and am very happy with it. I was put off by the user interface, but after a little study, it has become a quick way to manipulate the camera. I too would like a DOF preview, well maybe next time... | ||
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| Thoughts | Solid camera - has all the features that an intermediate users needs except for DEP. Had an Nikon FE2 before but the results from my F70 surpass previous achievements! | ||
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| Thoughts | My first Nikon. I like it alot. Nice build quality. A bit expensive! Have heard a lot of complains about the user-interface, but I find it very intuitive. This camera lacks a multiple exposure feature. A back-lit LCD display would be handy too (like the SB-28 has but I don't like the LCD of the SB-28 because it's small viewing angle). Team this F70 with a Nikkor 24-120 zoom lens and the SB-28 flash-light and you end up having a nice system to start your 'amateur-career'. | ||
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| Thoughts | I have had many Nikons. I purchased one of these and took it to New England... Never have I been so impressed by what features and quality are built into the N70 for the money. Manual and AF (fool-proof) modes worked very well. Just bought another for a friend! | ||
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| Thoughts | Superb camera. Every bit as capable as the N90s, without the price, and with a built-in flash. | ||
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| Thoughts | Very good camera. Only DEP is missing. Because i'll be needing a data-back like for the F90x, i'll keep it as a backup-camera when buying a higher model (F100, F5,F90x). Also a first price for the Nikkor lenses. Real quality. | ||
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| Thoughts | the user interface is a bit complicated at the beginning ( compared to the cannon / minolta models of the same range ) .. but it's a matter of getting used to it. good metering.. and u get a wider choice of good lenses for a nikon. | ||
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| Thoughts | It is a good camera for those who want to start nikon from the beginner. It is also a good tool to achieve good pictures as all major functions are including in this camera- same as Pronea 6i. | ||
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| Thoughts | Nice camera - has all of Nikon's latest major technology without the bells and whistles (or price tag) of the pro bodies. Ruggedly built. Weaknesses: it lacks multi-exposure capability, flash sync speed is only average (1/125), single wide AF sensor can be easily fooled by some situations ro fast-moving subjects. Good camera for serious shooters on a budget. | ||
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| Thoughts | I have this small toy, and I really LOVE it. The only part I dislike is the missing multi exposure feature.... Everything else is just like heaven :) | ||