would you buy a use D70 today?

[robert_hohlfelder]

<p>The D70 is obviously an old model, but it will support remote TTL flash with an SB600/800/etc, and it'll autofocus with the old-style AF-D lenses. Those are two useful features that the present-day D40 lacks. The ability of some bodies (like the D200) to meter with manual-focus lenses is not as useful as it sounds, since none of the DX SLRs have viewfinders that are even close to those of the old manual film bodies. I'd rather use a D70 with AF lenses than a D200 with manual focus lenses. (For shooting anything that might move, anyway...)</p>

[john schroeder]

<p>I just bought one for $250.00 with a 50mm f1.8 lens. I have to send mine in for service and I lucked into a second body.</p>

[alan_moriarty]

<p>Hi Jeff I think the price for the d70 is a bit much seen there are camera such as the d200 for around the same money and better features, you dont say the type of glass either so there can be money waisted there, you can use some of your older equipment with these cameras but in regard to using a flash be careful, the older ones have a trigger voltage of around 14.7 to 15 volts and the new digital are around 4.7 to 5 volts so the older will cause you major problems in time, this is a question you need to ask when buying a second hand camera, in a way to find out what flash they have used. not everyone is upfront in admiting they have used older ones.</p>

<p>Good luck<br>

Alan</p>

[melinda_kerr]

<p>I started my digital journey with a D70 and it was great. I soon found or at least had the need to get something more extensive in its offering so upgraded to the D200. Like you I started off with film so I had 'some' knowledge. I supect you have more knowledge than I did so I recommend the D200 if you can afford it. I think you will get more millege from it. If you can find one cheap enough - the D300 will be better in low light than the D200.</p>

[anders_andersson2]

<p>Jeff, which are the two included lenses?<br>

To me that is the only thing that really matters. The D70 is a fine but not perfect camera. The only thing that can tell us if the package is worth the price, is if we get to know what lenses are included.</p>

[carlos_rodriguez3]

<p>Brian Lee is right:<br>

Dont buy the Nikon D70. Mine went to service repair two times in 3 years. It had LCD problem and the famous BGLOAD and CHA errors. The memory card went crazy at times. The problem was that some Nikon D70 had a problematic card reader. So, if you buy one, you cant know for sure if it has this kind of card reader</p>

[oskar_ojala]

<p>I used my D70 for years. For general photography I wouldn't buy a used one right now. You can get pretty good deals on entry level DSLR kits now. An old D70 might fail and the image quality is not up to par with the latest cameras (although $650 won't buy you a D90...) I could consider it for special applications like IR, though. But for general photography a used D70 is just not that a good deal right now.</p>

[shuo_zhao]

<p>Jeff, I think you'll be better served with a newer camera (a new generation of electronics technology), even though you might have to go over your budget or devote more of your budget on the body. </p>

<p>A new D80 (if you can still find them) would cost around $550. This should be significantly better camera than the D70 (for the most part). The D200 was on sale not too long ago at Best Buy for not much more than that; it's also a good choice. A D40 would be a excellent minimalist choice. It's very simple, and capable of good results. It's currently priced at $450. (In this case, you'll have some money for lenses.)</p>

<p>If you want a huge step up in terms of image quality and/or high ISO noise control performance, then the D90 probably worth your every penny. It's pretty much the best you can get, unless you want to step up to the D700 or other FX cameras. (The D300 is just as good if not a little better in terms of image quality; its superiority over the D90 has to do with other things, such as built quality, controls, and so on...)</p>

[larry_s1]

<p>You are leaping generations. Maybe consider an autofocus film camera. They are cheap and one step from what you are using. Sometimes people don't like digital. Also, apart from a camera you will also need compter stuff. Your flash wont work fully with the digital cameras if at all. And no crop factor.<br>

As for noise, I went from shooting ballet on pushed film (800 to 1600 or 3200) to digital. I found the 70 better than film. Pretty good when correctly or slightly over exposed. Dark areas suffer. You do need noise reduction software. With that said newer technology (newer camers) offer lower noise. Rember dynamic range is lower. You will get burned out highlights.<br>

The D70 is a bit old. While I am happy with it, there have been technology advances. My choice, a compromise between cost and fuction, would probably be a D90.<br>

I realize cost is an issue, but you do save tons on film and developing. I wouldn't buy something like this on ebay.</p>

<p> </p>

[daverhaas]

<p>Jeff -</p>

<p>In your situation I'd go for one of the D40 / D60 kits that are out there. They won't AF with your older lenses but otherwise will work (opps...forgot about metering issues)</p>

<p>Would I buy a D70? Yes - either as a collector item or as a camera to get my kids introduced to the feel of Nikon's metering / Menus and Handling. Don't get me wrong - It's a great camera and there are a lot them still in daily use, but in terms of technology it's kind of like going back to an Apple II from a new Mac. It still works fine and does a lot of things, but it's been bypassed several times over.</p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

[josephbraun]

<p>the d70 is a sweet camera.. it can sync at 1/500. if you do a lot of flash photography i'd go for it! Just make sure you crop in camera :)</p>

[aladennis]

<p>Hey all you guys that think the D70 is great - I have one I'll sell cheap. No not really. I have a conscience It has lived its life, gets CHA and FOR warnings all the time. I have to turn off the camera, take out the card and reinsert it and turn the camera back on 2-3 times a day. I really like the photos it takes when it is working, but I'd be skeptical of buying a used one. Digital stuff doesn't have the life span of the old stuff. Only buy it if it is really CHEAP. Think of yourself buying a throwaway camera and you won't be so sad when it goes in the trash.</p>

[andrew_gale]

<p>I would prefer a D70 over both the D40 and the D60.</p>

<p>A D200 would be better, but not if you want the two lenses that come with the D70.</p>

<p>Consider KEH as well, they have many used cameras at GREAT prices.</p>

<p> </p>

[michael_kuhne]

<p>I have an old friend who'se been shooting Nikon for many years and just added digital a couple of months ago. He picked up a great deal on the recently discontinued D80 from B&H, with the little 18-55mm VR lens. He is absolutely delighted with the quality he is getting, and the ease of use. It takes all his older Nikon and 3rd party AF lenses just fine, where the D40x and D60 do not. His next move will be for the Nikon 70-300mm VR lens. Image quality is great, noise very low even at ISO 800, and still quite decent at ISO 1600. Don't forget there are very good denoising software programs too, if desired. That kit is gone, but I see that B&H still has a fabulous deal on a D80 kit with the Nikon 18-135mm lens at $750! That's a great price for such a setup, and you get a fine, brand new camera and lens, with Nikon waranty. That camera alone sold for about $1,000 for a couple of years.</p>

<p>B&H is closed Saturday, but open Sunday, I think from 10am-5pm.</p>

<p>There's a very detailed review of the D80 from dpreview, in the archives, so go down to more, then click on alphabetical.</p>

[dynoflyer]

<p>I recently bought used D70 cameras for my two kids; $175 for one D70 body and $200 for another with the AF-S 18-70 kit lens. We already had several Nikkor lenses from the film cameras that work perfectly with the D70 bodies. Each D70 is under 10K actuations and so far, so good. They're happy and once in awhile they let me use them. Being able to continue to use the Nikkor lenses we already had is a real plus. </p>

[nelly]

<p>I have been using D70 since it was released and it costed me the current D90 price then. It is a very good camera. However, I would suggest you to buy the D40 and the two kit lens (17-55mm and 55 to 200mm). D40 has updated electronics and for your budget, they are bargains already.<br>

To be honest, your manual lens are virtually useless on DSLR. With the mordern DSLR, you will be using VR, SWM, AF-S, 'G' lens and specially coated lens designed for digital sensors. In practice, it is diffcult to focus manually with the DSLR viewfinder. Who will if the camera can do it silently for you in milliseconds? I put all my old gears away and relearned digital photography. For example, I would only took one photo at a time. My friend kept the finger on until the memory card was full.<br>

Never buy secondhanded electronics! especially the DSLR. There will be a new model with better electronics next year. Unfortunately, there is no shortcut in digital world. Soon, your secondhanded D70 will fail and Nikon will not even bother to repair it as there will not have parts and the labour cost can buy you a brand new one.<br>

I hope this clear your mind. You should spend your time and energy shooting with DSLR (virtually free on processing and instant pictures) rather than searching for a solution for nostalgia. </p>

[brians.]

 

<p >The D70 is an excellent body that will do all the basics very well. However, it is fast becoming obsolete and only good for a temporary fix until you can get into a D90 or better. That said, D40/D50/D70 owners who upgraded to the D90 complained about a less intense image that needed tweeking to equal their older bodies (but they always come around eventually). When looking at samples in Flicker clubs, the D90 out performs the older bodies hands down, in my opinion. Also, the D90 shares the same sensor as the D300 so unless you need pro features or a larger sensor the D90 seems to be a "pinnacle" body (like the D70 was). One last thought: Most D70 owners actually own a D70S – the original D70 had mechanical problems, so heads up on that if you go that way.</p>

<p >I went from a D50 (same sensor as the D70) to the D90 for all the reasons talked about everyone else here, but mainly for higher resolution so I could crop down more without loosing quality. I recommend the D90 if you can find the extra bucks, but the D70 is a great body too. Oh, if you can, check the number of shutter releases – I wouldn't buy anything over 50k-60k unless the price is low. </p>

 

[bradfarlow]

<p>I have a D200 and I still use my D70s. In fact I took it out today. I love it for infrared shooting since it is much more sensitive to IR with out having to have it converted for $500.</p>

 

[bradfarlow]

<p>In fact, here's one from today with the D70s and the 20mm AI f/4 with a B+W 093 filter.</p><div></div>

[rustys pics]

<p>The D70 is still a great camera. I got one new in 2004 and honestly I'm underwhelmed by the replacements! the D90 no doubt has better noise reduction at higher ISO, but the D70 is fine up to 800 and software like adobe lightroom has great noise reduction. If you're shooting with the light and sweet FM2 the D200 is going to seem like lugging around a view camera. It may look impressive to your friends, but the D200 is not much better than the D70. Same age sensor technology. The main advantage of the D200 is metering with AI and AIS lenses along with a brighter manual screen. The D70 has excellent flash capabilities with the SB600 and SB800. You can control if off camera with no special equpment.<br>

The 18-70mm kit zoom is one of the rare examples of a kit zoom being a good optic rather than a lens cap....<br>

You can probably talk this guy down at least 100 bucks. I would not hesitate to buy another D70 and am looking to pick up a 2nd body.</p>

[harvey_edelstein1]

<p>If you use noise ninja you can get 2 stops better iso, if you use Genuine Fractals you can get 4x the pixels so yeah its a good enough camera when back stopped with good software for those times you need to go into low lighting situation but you could get a used SB800 for low light.<br>

If you go larger than 8x10 software can bulk up a file without notice. That is why it made no sense to really go above 10mp. What we need is great dynamic range, low noise and accurate white balance.</p>

[rustys pics]

<p>Attached is a recent studio shot at ISO 400. No problem with excessive noise. Even 800 can be controlled. I have no idea what other people are talkling about unless they are drastically underexposing and then pushing up the shadow and highlight filter in Photoshop. I try to get my exposures right the first time.</p><div></div>

[rascal64]

<p>I just upgraded my camera after shooting with a D70 for years. I am holding onto the D70 for a variety of reasons. One thing that I discovered that the D70 does, is that you can dial in any number for flash sync. Maybe not everyone thinks that is important, but I was a little surprised that the D300 (and I would imagine the D200) does not let you select your flash sync speed.</p>

[e_b7]

<p>I would consider a D70S, but not a D70 because of the addition of the Adobe RGB color mode. However, for $650, no way, unless you've got $400 worth of lenses in the package, and somehow, I doubt that.</p>

[rustys pics]

<blockquote>

<p>I would consider a D70S, but not a D70 because of the addition of the Adobe RGB color mode.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Uhm, I've had my D70 since 2004 and it HAS adobe RGB color mode. I rarely use it because Adobe RGB has problems rendering reds. sRGB will match any monitor, and more importantly most commercial photo labs use sRGB color space so it matches prints better. As someone pointed out, the D70 and D70s both rock at flash photography. They have a fast synch speed of 1/500 shutter speed. The D80 dropped synch to 1/250. So the D70 is perfect to use for fill flash outdoors. There is very little difference between the D70 and D70s. </p><div></div>