Introducing the Nikon D70

Hopefully, this will be the last camera I buy for a long, long time. Given that I dropped $1,000 just for the body, I can't really afford anything else, plus what would I really need another camera for now that I have the best of both worlds: a digital SLR.

I bought this for one reason: it's fast. As I noted elsewhere, my main problem with the Canon Powershot I owned - which was otherwise a wonderful camera - was that it took too long to compose a picture and then shoot it. That split second delay makes all the difference unless you're shooting landscapes and I tend to shoot people. The D70, like any good SLR, works instantly: you get your shot in focus (and usually, the auto-focus will do this in a wink), press the shutter and click, you're done. Nothing to wait on and if you're lucky, the moment you were aiming for is now captured for posterity (that or until you hit the delete key).

There other compelling factor behind his purchase is the fact that I already own three Nikon F-mount lenses, all of which I use with my Nikon N90S 35mm film camera. Had I not already owned my lenses, I highly doubt I would have spent the $1300 it would have taken to buy the D70 with a lens.

All personal reasons aside though, the D70 is, in professional terms, kick ass. Don't just take my word for it, read dpreview.org's extensive analysis/review. Not that many cameras get their "highly recommended" rating but this scored there easily, especially over the more expensive D100 and over its nearest competition, Canon's EOS 300D. For the smart prosumer, this has everything you'd want: 6 megapixels, smart features, fast shutter, a good "feel" (important in a camera of this size), etc. If you've ever shot with a Nikon 35MM SLR, this retains that familiar feel and heft. It's light because the body is made from plastic, but this doesn't feel remotely "cheap" unlike the Canon which does feel kind of like a toy. The D70 feels much like my N90S though it is lighter: both just come off as "substantial" if that makes any sense. In other words, it feels like a real camera.

I also need to credit two people who really helped convince me to take the $ plunge. One is Philip Sherburne, who, until recently, owned the very similar (and older) Nikon D100 and raved about how great it was (apparently though, his was broken in an accident). The other is my friend Vina who bought the D70 a few months before me and has been a huge fan of it. Both of their praise of the camera really sold me on it.