Excellent Amateur Camera with Room to Grow
Written: May 25 '00 (Updated May 26 '00)
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Pros: Flexibility, easy to transition from point and shoots to SLR, excellent features
Cons: No Depth of Field preview, User interface requires looking away from the viewfinder
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| Baldwyn's Full Review: Nikon N70 Film Camera |
I upgraded from my 5005 for a trip to the Galapagos Islands, last year (http://www.tri-bal.com/ecuador if you're interested). I debated for quite awhile between the N90s, and the Canon Elan IIe. However, because I already had Nikkor lenses, I decided to stick with Nikon. Otherwise, I probably would've chosen the Elan IIe, at the time, because of features such as Depth of Field Preview, and non-leader rewind. The choice boiled down to the N90s, and the N70. For me, I couldn't justify the extra $400-$500 for the N90s; I don't need faster frame-speed, and the money didn't seem worth it for Depth of Field Preview. So I got the N70, and I've shot about 25 rolls on it so far. The much maligned user-interface, isn't really as bad as some people say it is. I would prefer more information in the viewfinder, instead of having to check the LCD, but it really hasn't caused me much grief. Still, if you're in a hurry, having to look away from the viewfinder can make you miss a picture.
The nice thing about the N70, is that it's a good solid camera body, with room to grow, and good to learn on. You have several program modes, such as portrait, and sports, etc that introduce people to the concept of trading off aperture and shutter speed. Some people can just stay with the program modes, if they'd like, or they can use this experience and start playing around with aperture and shutter speed on their own. The spot-meter is nice, and narrower than the Elan IIe, which I think is a great feature. The 3D-Matrix Metering is usually reliable, although I personally find the pictures over exposed (I dial down my exposure by .3 stops, in bright light). There are many excellent features that can explore as you get more experienced.
However, since the N80 is on the horizon, I am immediately thinking about upgrading. The N80 isn't much more than the N70 from what I have read, and offers some excellent features, most notably for me; Depth of Field Preview. I fake out my N70 constantly, by pressing the lens lock button, and twisting the lens slightly, to give me DOF preview, especially doing landscapes or portraits. A button would be much more convenient :) What the N80 drops, however is the program modes, and a slower frame speed (2.5 fps vs 3.7 fps).
So what does that mean for someone shopping now? Well, the N80 strikes me as the premiere Nikon amateur model, and an excellent one with that. Who would choose the N70 over the N80? I think a serious amateur would forgo the program modes for the other features of the N80. However, perhaps someone who is starting out, would benefit from the canned features of the N70, and it's "GUI" interface. Mind you, to justify buying the N70 over a cheaper Nikon, would require that you plan on becoming serious about photography. As for a Canon/Nikon debate, I'm glad I chose Nikon, because of the slightly cheaper lenses, and the excellent flash and matrix-metering technology.
My current plan is to get an N80 as my regular camera body, and use the N70 as a backup, or to carry black-and-white or slide film. Also, when I start skydiving with a camera, my N70'll be my choice, not just because I don't want to risk my N80, but because the program modes might prove more useful since I can't be messing around with settings, aperature, etc.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 399
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Epinions.com ID:
Baldwyn
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Member: Baldwyn Chieh
Location: Castro Valley, CA
Reviews written: 33
Trusted by: 3 members
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