| Aperture: f8, shutter speed: 1/250, 200 ISO +1EV. |
|
The first thing one notices about
the Nikon D70 is that it is instantly ready to shoot once the
power switch is pushed to the On position. While all digital
SLRs are quick to start, the D70 is still faster, giving the
impression that its never really turned off, only dormant.
The D70 is also fast to write images, be it RAW or JPEG, and has an impressive
burst mode that will capture 9 or 10 Fine quality JPEG images before starting
to slow down slightly. |
| In no small measure however, as with every other SLR, the image
quality of the D70 hinges on the lens used. In its "kit" form,
the D70 is sold with an AF-S Nikkor 18 to 70mm F3.5/4.5 G ED
lens. |
This lengthy designation identifies
the lens as having a Silent Wave autofocus system (very fast);
a focal length of 18 to 70mm (which when used on the D70 is comparable
to a 27 to 105mm); and a lens composition that includes the use
of ED (Extra low Dispersion) glass to improve contrast, sharpness
and prevent chromatic aberration.
The 18 to 70mm lens is a good match with the D70, as it provides a useful
focal length range for most users. |
Aperture: f16 , shutter speed: 1/100 sec,
200 ISO, Aperture Priority mode. +0.3EV. |
|
| The lens yields clean images, and
shows no serious distortion throughout its focal range. Like
many other zoom lenses, it does exhibit a bit of vignetting — a
darkening of the image at the four corners of the frame — at
the widest angle (18mm) and the largest aperture (f3.5). |
Aperture: f6.3, shutter speed: 1/800 sec,
200 ISO, Aperture Priority mode, +0.3EV. |
|
The Nikon D70 is priced to be
a direct competitor to Canon's Digital Rebel (EOS 300D). And,
in our opinion, the D70 more than meets the challenge as it offers
a number of features that are absent on its competitor.
Starting with its TTL viewfinder, the D70 offers on-demand grid lines,
similar to those available on the D100 and the Fujifilm S2 Pro. The guidelines
are unobtrusive and are an excellent tool to ensure that image elements
are correctly aligned. In addition, the viewfinder's AF points are more
visible than those of the Digital Rebel. |
Another advantage the D70 offers
is its extensive selection of Custom Settings, each assisted
by its own help screen, called up by pressing the  button.
The Custom modes offer controls over a host of items, including
some particularly important ones such as the diameter of the
circle used for centre-weighted metering.
Although the D70 is equipped with Nikon's well-reputed Matrix metering,
centre-weighted patterns provide a very useful alternative. |
| Aperture: f4.5, shutter speed: 1/640, 200 ISO. |
|
| Aperture: f9 , shutter speed: 1/250,
200 ISO +0.7EV. |
|
Indeed, like other averaging
metering patterns, the D70's matrix system is ideal with subjects
that contain great variations of bright and shadow areas as it
will unerringly avoid overexposing the brighter areas of the
frame. This is important since when an image is overexposed the
information in the overexposed areas is irretrievably lost. But,
in turn it can also mean that with some subjects, directly-lit
white areas can be a touch underexposed, and might require adjustments
with software. |
Alternatively, these types of subjects
can be metered to reproduce bright whites using the centre-weighted
pattern and some experience with the camera.
Over the last few weeks we've received a large number of e-mail requests
for a review of the D70, and a sprinkling of these specifically asked us
to look for the appearance of moiré patterns in the D70's image,
a phenomenon that has been noted in some reviews. |
| Moiré patterns are created when two patterns
overlap each other, creating a third pattern. With digital cameras
the phenomenon can occur when the CCD's horizontal and vertical
rows of sensors image a subject that also contains a repeating
pattern such as can be the case with fabric, or even a chain
link fence. When the patterns interfere — a rare occurrence— the
image can show the interference pattern as a rainbow effect. |
| The wavy lines in the image
above are the result of interference between the weave
of the bag and the CCD. In reality the bag is a smooth
grey. To produce this image we used a 60mm Micro Nikkor
and photographed the bag from a distance of approximately
2 metres (7 feet). To replicate the phenomenon, as sharp
a lens as possible is better to reproduce the effect.
The appearance of a moiré pattern can be avoided
by changing the position of the camera or its distance
from the subject. |
|
| In the course of the photos we took
with the D70 we did not experience any moiré patterns.
This is not surprising since the subjects that can cause such
an interference are rare and for the phenomenon to occur, their
pattern needs to become comparable in size to the size of the
photosites on the CCD when they are imaged and at an angle to
cause the interference. The phenomenon (see above) is
not limited to the D70 and can be replicated with other digital
cameras. In our opinion, it should not be a source of concern. |
Aperture: f4.5 , shutter speed: 1/5
sec.,
Aperture Priority mode, 200 ISO. |
|
In terms of image quality,
the advantage of the D70 over the Digital Rebel is not obvious
to our eyes. Equipped with good quality lenses, both cameras
yield excellent photos that leave little to envy over those
produced by significantly more expensive cameras.
Still, there is probably one area where the Digital Rebel may possibly
outperform the D70. At higher ISO settings the D70's CCD seem to be very
slightly noisier than comparable images produced with the CMOS used in
the Digital Rebel.
|
Last but definitely not least,
flash images — close-ups, portraits etc. — turn out
extremely well with the pop-up flash, and without any particular
effort on the part of the user.
Invariably, flash photos yield subtle and very accurate flesh tones and
photos are perfectly exposed thanks to Nikon's very effective 3D flash
metering system. |
Aperture: f4.5 , shutter speed: 1/60
sec., Flash, Program mode, 200 ISO.
(Olivier's 3-month old daughter) |
|
|
|
So, at a bit higher price, the
D70 offers more features than are available on the Digital Rebel,
and it seems Nikon has upped the ante.
Whether or not the D70's additional features warrant its higher price in
comparison to its competition will be a decision its potential purchasers
will have to make. But more than likely, a lot of the D70's success will
be due to the fact that for the first time, it offers a digital option
to existing Nikon users who were unwilling to spend the money necessary
to acquire a professional digital SLR which would be compatible with their
existing lenses. |
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Image Quality