A few things I "felt" pretty disappointed with the Nikon D70s was that...;
It doesn't features a true prismatic/pentaprism TTL viewfinder which could easily provide a brighter and bigger viewfinder view...Instead, it uses a light sapping pentamirror version that absorbs precious light rays (As the light rays have to deflect five times in order to provide you with the scene through the lens in the
correct orientation). As a result, the viewfinder will be dimmer and have to be made smaller in order to save as much light as possible. (Magnifying more will only cause more light to be lost...)
Secondly, it doesn't features a true mechanical vertical focal plane run on shutter assembly. Instead, it uses a combined CCD plus mechanical shutter since a true mechanical shutter assembly that goes all the way up to 1/4000 - 1/8000 secs will be very expensive and hard to make (As of that time). As a result, the Nikon D70s have one famous CCD blooming/CCD charge overflow issue at anything from 1/4000 secs and above...The results can be very awful. (See imaging-resource's review of the Nikon D80 and see how a true mechanical shutter can solve the problem, compared to a CCD combined mechanical shutter...)
Thirdly, I was also disappointed to know that the Nikon D70s also does not have the mirror lock up (vibration reduction) feature which would be crucial for long exposure landscapes done in the evening or in the early morning (Or even for macro photography in this case).
The last time I read a review of the Nikon D50 (Which was stated to be the younger brother/cut version of the Nikon D70s), there were 3 cons addressed to it; and they were exactly what I have stated just above. I then expected the older brother/more advance Nikon D70s to address the above 3 issues, since the D70s was also much more expensive than the Nikon D50 during that time; at US$1100 compared to the US$545 of the Nikon D50 (that time). So obviously, the Nikon D70s have given me the impression of being a more superior/advance dSLR camera to the Nikon D50; which was stated to have cut down features by Nikon to make it more affordable to the newbies going up from their P&S cameras...
In the end, you can see why I am disappointed now; that the Nikon D70s have not addressed the 3 cons of the Nikon D50. (Stated at the beginning)
Today, the Nikon D70s is still more expensive than the new Nikon D40 + the kit lens. (Though other than the focus motor, I can't see the D70s being better than the Nikon D40; which does have a slightly larger viewfinder, 2.5" TFT LCD with 230,000 pixels, splendid in camera RAW development, a new modern & sophisticated menu user interface with interchangeable themes, ISO 3200, and a new improved imaging processing algorithm (Solved the "Moire" problem already".)
I don't mean to bring the Nikon D70s down...It was the dSLR that I have praised the most last time, so much that people begin to get fed up with me. So they told me the problems with the Nikon D70s, and I begin to listen to them instead of arguing back.
I often mentioned that the Nikon D70s have the BEST of the BEST high ISO performance around, since it DOESN'T uses ANY or much noise reduction at all at high ISO levels (Even at ISO 1600). I also mentioned that the noise characteristics of the Nikon D70s are "Film like grain" or "Mono-chromic/colorless", instead of having an awful
chroma mottle like appearance which looks very electronic and is of the most objectionable of all. I also mentioned that the Nikon D70s maintains the most image details of all at high ISO levels (Including ISO 1600 where it performs the best out there), and that its image at ISO 1600 are the most well defined and natural out there as well. However besides saying all of this already many times, people out there still continued to state that the Nikon D70s has one of the worse high ISO performance of all, and that it's images are noisy and blah blah blah...They slated me as lack of experienced and lack of actual knowledge, they asked me to shut my mouth; basically they just get affected every time I start saying how good the Nikon D70s actually is (Among all the misconceptions of it out there).
So today, I have decided to play the "neutral party role", and just listen to what other people have got to say, and also just inform them on what I have been hearing from the other parties side that's all; such as in this very post of mine now, instead of informing on my discoveries, findings, and (or) research.
Coming back to the topic;
What do you guys think about the Nikon D70s? Are its images really that bad as people have been saying out there? (Be honest) (I personally think they are the best among all; I liked the natural and non processed outputs of it, compared to the other people.) I liked the natural sharpness of the Nikon D70s images as well, due to the fact that it features a thin low pass filter. I liked the fact that the Nikon D70s doesn't uses much or any N.R. to remove all its noise at high ISO levels (Even at ISO 1600). I liked the film like grain noise characteristics of the Nikon D70s. Is the viewfinder such a big deal as people have been making it to be? (When the Nikon D80 was launched, people say that its viewfinder was light years ahead of the D70s). How about the rest? People keep saying that the auto focus of the Nikon D80 is also MUCH improved, is that true?
I have got all the "cons" of the Nikon D70s (in this post) from "
other people", or else I wouldn't have known or be lead to believed in them...(The discussion magnitude of the Nikon D70s' cons out there has hesitated my decisions to get it, and furthermore, they have also dampened the high position of the Nikon D70s in my mind, to something
questionable.)
Sorry for renting; somehow it all just came out in successions as my past memory unfolds itself!!
(OMG, next time I better control myself!)
Sorry.
(Now, that would certainly be the most important!)
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