Nikon N70 Camera Review

The Nikon N70 was the first “real” camera I bought, back in 1997. It worked well, however as I quickly grew my knowledge and experience I ran into its limitations and outgrew it in just a few years.

As noted below, the primary reason I outgrew the N70 was the slow interface. If any settings had to be changed on the camera (besides shutter and aperture), you had to take the camera away from your eye. This made working quickly impossible!

I stumbled upon some old reviews I had posted on photographyreview.com, and thought I might repost the N70 review here. I shared this on November 12, 1999 (which would have been just after I bought the F100).

I don’t understand how people can find this interface confusing. It’s not. Press one button to change function, press another to change settings of that function. That’s all there is to it. How can that be complicated or unintuitive?

The interface is terribly slow, however (you need to take the camera away from your eye to change much). Too slow for me—in hindsight, I should have bought a 6006 or tried to swing an N90s.

The 3D Matrix Metering system is amazingly accurate for most shots, but not perfect. Learn to use the center and spot meter—in addition to the 3DMM—and you’ll be set.

The camera is quite feature-packed and allows for loads of creativity. A great value for the $$$, too.

Strengths:

• Comfortable to hold
• Fast autofocus, accurate metering
• Weighty (I’m uncomfortable using lightweights like the EOS Rebel—too light!)

Weaknesses:

• Slow interface
• No DOF preview