Nikon D70

[Coconut Profile Private message]

My friend just gave me her Nikon D70. She never really learned how to use the camera and decided to get something easier to use. (she said the pictures always came out blurry, even with a tripod)

I always carry a camera with me and take tons of pictures...so she knew I would use it, I am very excited!
I downloaded the instruction manual...wow! a lot to learn.

I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with the D70, is it a good camera??

I would appreciate any advice you have to offer!

Thank You!
Leslie

[HunnyB Profile Private message]

Ask Al - he is a Nikon man.

[gpsmikey Profile Private message]

Yes, the D70 is a very nice camera - I have the D70s (the newer version of it as well as the D300s). I believe there is a firmware upgrade for the D70 - you might want to check which version you have and see if it is the latest. Definitely take the time to read the manual. You might also want to buy either Thom Hogan's ebook on the D70 or one of the other books out there like "Nikon D70 Digital Field Guide" by David Busch (I have his D300s book and it is good although I have found a couple of errors in it). Thom Hogan's ebook can be found at http://www.bythom.com/d70guide.htm

D70 Firmware information:
http://support.nikontech.com/app/answer ... ---windows
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0504/05042 ... rmware.asp
http://www.digitalreview.ca/cams/NikonD ... ware.shtml

Note that one of the things mentioned in the new firmware is improved autofocus

mikey

[texan Profile Private message]

You're going to love this camera........I have a D40, a D50, and a D90 and have over the years found Nikon cameras to be superior in many respects......to all of it's competitors.....

One thing you should take advantage of is the 24 Hours a day Technical support line (800-645-6689)

Also Bookmark this link:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d70.htm

Ken Rockwell provides a web site dedicated to most Nikon professional cameras.
These sites are better than most manuals......

Enjoy........

[Coconut Profile Private message]

Thanks Mikey, I will check that out....I didn't get the usb cables or any other accessories that may have come with the camera (she couldn't find them). I did get the battery and charger, but that's it. I will have to purchase all that before I can do the upgrade...thanks for the info!!

I will definitely get the books, thank you so much for the links.

Thanks Texan, I will most likely be needing some technical support! thank you for the Ken Rockwell link, sounds great, I will check it out.

Can't wait to start taking some great pictures!!

Leslie

[sheldonk Profile Private message]

Hi Leslie,

I have been shooting with a Nikon D70 for 5 years.

Look in the menu and see if you have firmware 2.0. If not, do the upgrade as Mikey described. I suggest you buy a usb compact flash card reader. Below is a link for a Kingston card reader at Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820134753

It costs $13.99 with free shipping.

The best guide I have seen on the D70 is from Ken Rockwell.

Here is the link:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d70/d70-settings.htm

The only concern I see is with your friends statement that the camera always took blurry pictures, even on a tripod. Hopefully this was user error versus something being wrong with the camera.

Let us know how things work out!

Sheldon

[gpsmikey Profile Private message]

You don't need the USB cables or any of that (I'm not sure where mine are - never use them). To do the upgrade, (if it needs the new firmware), you download the firmware from Nikon, put it on a CF card in the root directory (top level) and follow the directions on the Nikon site. No special stuff is needed other than a card reader for your computer which is what I use anyway - I never connect the camera directly to the computer. I do agree with Sheldon's comment about being worried by the observation from your friend that it "always took blurry pictures" - the D70 generally takes great pictures. I love my D70s (well, my D300s more , but the D70s is still a great camera and takes great pictures)

mikey

[Coconut Profile Private message]

Thank you Sheldon and Mikey...
I will be spending the weekend getting my camera all figured out...and taking pictures!
I am hoping too the "blurry pictures" were user error...but I know it has been in once for repairs, but not sure what the problem was, I will have to find out.

Thanks for your help!
Leslie

[sheldonk Profile Private message]

Good luck Leslie!

What lens is on the camera? If you find that it still takes blurry pictures, it could be a defective lens. To find out for sure, you could drop by a photo shop and try another lens on the camera and see if that fixes the problem. Hopefully, worst case is you have a bad lens. A Nikon 18-55mm brand new only costs about $150 and it now has VR (vibtration reduction).

BTW, I see you are in southwest Florida. I am very jealous. It snowed again in Connecticut today. I am already sick of winter and it is still early January!

Sheldon

[rcsteimer Profile Private message]

I have a D70, currently it is my back-up (second camera), my primary is a D90.

I enjoyed the D70 . One thing you want to do is to update the firmware in the camera. It is located at
http://support.nikontech.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/13783/session/L2F2LzEvc2lkLy1XUFNjd1Jq#Anchor-DSLR-3800

Bob S

[Coconut Profile Private message]

Sheldon, The lens is a AF-S NIKKOR 18-70mm. I would like to get a wide angle lens, any suggestions?
oh, it is 43 degrees today! Brrrrrr.....that is freezing to me! Probably a nice day for you!! LOL!

Bob S, I am going to upgrade the firmware right now, on the camera it reads current firmware is A. 1.00 B. 1.01.
I bought a new CompactFlash Card, it is 2GB- not sure if it will work since the highest recommended is 1GB in the manual.

It doesn't look like the download will work on Vista....do you know?

Thanks again everyone for your help!!
Leslie

[Jan*D*Photography Profile Private message]

Leslie,
I was Nikon all my life until two years ago when I switched over to the Canon5D...was mad at Nikon because they were not coming out with any new pro level Nikons at the time..blah blah blah....
But long story, short...I also shoot alot of sports (mainly baseball) along with my portrait business and I hate my 5D for shooting sports.....I still use my old trusty Nikon D70 ...usually with a 70-300 lens..which with the crop factor gets me even longer than 300. I still love Nikon color and the D70 has always served me well.
A great lens for not alot of money for portraits and general use is the 50 1.4...very sharp lens...great in low light and won't break the pocket book:)
Enjoy !

Jan
(a bi-shooter Canon and Nikon)

[sheldonk Profile Private message]

Hi Leslie,

The 18-70 is a wide angle telephoto. Any lens that is wider than 18mm is going to cost a pretty penny. 18mm is equivalent to 28mm on a full frame 35mm camera.

Ignore what the manual says about compact flash cards. I have successfully used 8gb cards in the camera.

The download should work fine in Vista. It will greatly improve the functionality of the camera!

Sheldon

[Coconut Profile Private message]

I have successfully upgraded the firmware!

Now the fun begins!

Leslie

[sheldonk Profile Private message]

Congratulations Leslie!

BTW, one of the great features about the D70 is battery life. It just keeps going and going. I am still using the original and a spare I bought way back when I bought the camera. They seem as good as the day I got them!

Have fun,

Sheldon