The D70 uses a DX Format CCD — 23.7 x 15.6 mm — with
6.1 million effective pixels which produce a maximum image
size of 3008 x 2000 pixels. The smaller size of the CCD has
the effect of increasing the apparent focal length of 35mm
lenses by a factor of 1.5X.
The CCD has a starting sensitivity of 200 ISO but which can be increased
to 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, and 1600 ISO. A Low-Pass
Filter covers the CCD to reduce moiré patterns and protect the
fragile surface of the CCD.
The D70 provides a shutter speed range of 30 seconds to
1/8000 second in all modes; and an unlimited Bulb
mode in the Manual Mode.
The Nikon F lens mount of the D70 accepts the vast majority of Nikkor
lenses, with the exception of lenses made for the F3 AF and IX Nikkor
lenses. With Nikkor G or D AF type lenses which have a
CPU, all camera functions including Depth of Field Preview — activated
by the small button on the lower left of the lens mount in the photo
above — are supported. Similarly, the vast majority of camera functions,
with the exception of 3D metering, are available with other Nikkor lenses.
However, CPU lenses — those able to provide distance information
to the camera — and in particular the DX series lenses, designed
for digital SLR cameras, are recommended.
Three resolutions settings are available with the D70:
3008 x 2000 (Large)
2240 x 1488 (Medium)
1504 x 1000 (Small)
And images can be stored in either JPEG or Nikon's proprietary RAW format, NEF.
The NEF format (Nikon Electronic Format)
saves the unprocessed 12-bit data captured by the CCD, and
includes as part of the image file's header all the current
camera settings. The image file itself is compressed using
a non-lossy compression algorithm to reduce the amount of
space it occupies in the memory card.
Once the files are transferred to a computer, the camera settings information
that is included with the RAW file can either be applied, or modified,
prior to the image being converted to a more widely supported format.
The software to read and work with NEF files is included with the camera (see
the Interface and Software section of the review for more information).
The format options of the D70 are:
RAW (NEF format)
JPEG Fine (compression ratio of 1:4)
JPEG Normal (compression ratio of 1:8)
JPEG Basic (compression ratio of 1:16)
RAW + JPEG Basic
Image quality and settings are two of six options that are
offered in the Shooting menu of the D70. The menu
itself is composed of 4 sections:
Playback menu (see further down)
Shooting menu (next)
Custom settings (see below)
Setup menu (See the Interface and Software section
of the review)
As noted, the Shooting menu consists of a total
of six options, four of which are options that can be readily
accessed directly on the body at the press of a button and
a turn of the Main command dial:
Optimize Image: In P, S, A, and M modes image
enhancement options can be selected from:
Normal: the default.
Vivid: enhances saturation and sharpness.
Sharp: sharpens outlines.
Soft: softens outlines.
Direct Print: optimizes images for printing
directly to a printer via the USB connection.
Portrait: lowers contrast.
Landscape: enhances saturation for greens
and blues and sharpness.
Custom: allows customizing sharpening, contrast,
colour reproduction, saturation, and hue.
Long Exp. NR: On or Off. Applies noise reduction
to exposures 1 second or longer.
Image Quality: as outlined above.
Image Size: as outlined above.
White Balance: Auto, Incandescent, Fluorescent,
Direct sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, Preset.
Many more settings are contained
in the Custom Settings menu. The Custom Settings menu
can be seen in a Simple view, displaying only 9 options,
or a Detailed view that shows all 25 customizable items
plus a reset:
R
Menu Reset: returns the
settings contained in Custom Settings menu to their original
settings.
AF-Area Mode: Single
area (user selects focus area manually with the
Multi-selector. Dynamic area, user selects focus
area but the D70 uses information from other focus
areas to determine focus. Closest subject, lets
the D70 select the focus area automatically.
04
AF Assist: On or Off.
Controls whether or not the D70 uses its AF assist lamp
when the ambient light is too soft for the autofocus
to work reliably.
05
ISO Auto: On or Off.
Turns on Auto ISO. Set to Auto ISO, the D70 can automatically
increase CCD sensitivity from 200 to 1600 ISO.
06
No CF Card?: Decides
how the D70 responds when the shutter release is pressed
without a memory card being present in the camera. Lock
release, or Enable release.
07
Image Review: On or Off.
Determines whether photos are automatically displayed
in the monitor after shooting
08
Grid Display: On or Off.
Decides whether or not the composition grid is visible
in the viewfinder.
09
EV Step: decides whether
EV increments will be in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps.
10
Exp Comp: by default
setting any exposure compensation requires pressing the button
while rotating the Main command dial. This option allows
using the Main or Sub dials only in the P/A/S/M modes.
11
Centre-weighted: decides
the diameter of the circle to use for centre-weighted
metering (6, 8, 10 or 12mm).
12
BKT Set:
controls the type of bracketing to be done: AE and Flash,
AE only, Flash only, White Balance.
13
BKT Order: provides
2 choices for the sequence of the exposures (metered, under, over;
or under, metered, over).
14
Command Dial: reverses
the functions assigned to the Main and Sub command
dials in the A, S and M modes. (Default: Main command
sets shutter speed, Sub command dial sets aperture.)
15
AE-L/AF-L:
sets the function for the AE-L/AF-L button (AE/AF
Lock, AE Lock only, AF Lock only, AE
Lock hold, AF On, FV Lock).
16
AE Lock: controls
whether the exposure is locked when the shutter release
is pressed halfway. AE-L button (exposure can only be
locked when the AE-L/AF-L button is pressed); +Release
button allows either the shutter release or the button
to be used.
17
Focus area: decides
whether or not the focus area selection will wrap back
to the opposite side or the top or bottom when the Multi
selector button is pressed past the furthest AF point
(No wrap, Wrap).
18
AF Area Illumination:
controls whether or not the active focus point is highlighted
in red in the viewfinder, (Auto, On, or Off).
19
Flash Mode: Controls
the pop-up flash:
TTL: (default) adjusts flash output automatically
according to conditions.
Manual (P/S/A/M mode only): provides control
over output Full, 1/2 power, 1/4 power, 1/8 power,
1/16 power.
Commander mode (P/S/A/M modes only): serves
to control wireless SB-800 and SB-600 Nikon Speedlights.
20
Flash Sign: in P/S/A/M
modes the built-in Speedlight does not pop up automatically.
This option determines whether or not an indicator will
be shown in the viewfinder if flash is required for additional
lighting.
21
Shutter Speed: This
option determines the slowest shutter speed possible
when using a flash with the mode dial set to P or A.
Options range from 1/60 sec. (default) to 30 sec.
22
Monitor Off: controls
how long the monitor remains on when no operations are
performed: 10, 20 seconds (default), 1, 5, or 10 minutes.
23
Meter-off: controls
how long the camera continues to meter exposure when
no operations are performed: 4, 6 (default), 8, 16 seconds,
or 30 minutes.
24
Self-Timer: sets the
self-timer delay (2, 5, 10 or 20 seconds).
25
Remote: controls how
long the camera will continue to wait for a signal from
the remote control when no operations are performed in
delayed remote or quick-response remote modes (1, 5,
10 or 15 minutes).
The Playback section of the menu, like the Shooting menu, contains 6 options:
Delete: provides 2 options, Selected (for
images within the designated folder) and All.
Playback Folder: has 2 options, Current or All.
Rotate Tall: determines whether images framed
vertically will be presented the same way upon playback.
Slide Show: is used to display images sequentially.
A time interval between each image can be selected.
Hide Image: allows making some images invisible
in the Playback mode.
Print Set: serves to create a Print Order, images
that will be printed by a DPOF (Digital Print Order Format)
compliant printer or service. Photos can be selected one
at a time, or all, and whether or not the date is imprinted
on the image can be specified.
The D70 is PictBridge compatible which makes it possible
to print images directly from the camera to a PictBridge
compatible printer using the USB connection.
In Playback the D70 images
can be displayed as thumbnails, either 4 or 9 to a screen;
or one at a time, or with a histogram overlaid on the image,
or with the highlights — potentially overexposed areas
of the image — blinking. In addition, 2 pages of shooting
data are available, and can be displayed atop the photo.
Switching from one image to another is controlled with the up and down
arrows of the Multi selector, and the type of information displayed with
each photo is controlled with the right and left arrows.
The D70's CompactFlash Type
II slot is on the right side of the camera's back, behind
a solid, spring-loaded, plastic door that latches securely.
The camera is compatible with
a wide variety of cards from Lexar Media and Sandisk in addition
to Microdrives (512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB and 4 GB).
The D70 is not sold with a specific memory card, but as a guide, the chart
below shows the number of photos that can be stored at various resolutions
and formats with a 512MB CompactFlash card:
JPEG
RAW
+
Basic
Resolution
RAW
Fine
Normal
Basic
3008 x 2000
47
145
286
556
43
2240 x 1488
—
259
505
959
—
1504 x 1000
—
556
1000
1800
—
Last, the USB port, is labelled: USB 2.0 full speed, a confusing
designation that might lead some to assume that this is a High Speed USB
connection. However, Full Speed USB is only capable of 12 Mbits/second
whereas Hi-Speed USB is capable of 480 Mbits/second.
The D70 is powered by a single Lithium Ion battery pack
(EN-EL3), the same as is used in the Nikon D100. The battery
is inserted into the grip and handles all the power requirements
of the D70.
As part of the camera's accessories, Nikon includes a CR2 lithium battery
holder (MS-D70 battery holder) which makes it possible to run the camera
on three CR2 lithium batteries.
A vertical grip/shutter release is not available for the D70, unlike
the D100.
Finally, a tiny reset switch — in
case the camera locks up — is discreetly positioned underneath.
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Characteristics
button
while rotating the Main command dial. This option allows
using the Main or Sub dials only in the P/A/S/M modes.
