An affordable and excellent DSLR for beginners and other creative person

Since the price of DSLR became affordable, I was debating for a long time whether I should purchase a new mirror-less SLR or an old-fashioned DSLR. I did not have any DSLR lens to speak of, so, I needed to start from scratch. In the end, I purchased Olympus Pen E-PL3, because of its small size and features. (I have been a huge fan of a tilting screen)

My E-PL3 takes very good pictures, and it's very light indeed. I took it to several trips and I have been satisfied with what it offers. However, the more I take my pictures, the more I felt that I wanted to have a viewfinder. I don't think this applies to everybody, but some people see things better through a viewfinder, and I guess I am one of them. (note: I still take pictures with film cameras every so often.) You could purchase a digital viewfinder for E-PL3; however, it is rather expensive. With the same amount of money, you could purchase a decent used DSLR, like D70s!

Compared with a new model, such as E-PL3, D70s' picture size is small, and D70s won't even give you a live view or movie mode. But, you know what, surprisingly, the pictures I have taken with D70s are more of what I wanted to take. I think the viewfinder helps me to concentrate on what I want to take out from the scene. Also, although 6 MP is small compared with a current standard, I rarely use the whole 6 MP since none of my screens are big enough anyway. It is considerably heavier than E-PL3, but even with E-PL3, you end up having it around the neck, so, in either way, it is bothering you and make you look dorky. Personally, I'd rather have a big DSLR around my neck than a small one.

So, despite of the size and lower picture resolution, I ended up using D70s more than E-PL3 for my "creative" photo shoot. I still use E-PL3 for snapshots and also taking movies, though. So, if you are looking for an affordable DSLR, and you want to have a viewfinder, I highly recommend D70s. If you need other features, such as movie, or live view LCD, I would recommend looking for newer models.

Pros: A viewfinder! A-better-than-you-think picture quality, RAW format (now a days you can get a free software for RAW format, and Apple's iPhoto takes RAW too!), A good price (as of Jan 2013, you can find a decent one below $150), A lot's of control options, Wide selection of lens, an excellent battery life!

Cons: Big and heavy, no live view nor movie mode, no tilting screen (you won't need it without live view, though!), CF card, Nikon lens are expensive!

Awesome Nikon D70

The Nikon D70s has all the award-winning features that made its predecessor so popular - 6.1 effective megapixels for clear, sharp resolution; top shutter speed of 1/8000 second and 1/500 second flash sync; near-instant power-up of 0.2 seconds for incredible responsiveness - and more. The D70s features an advanced AF system; its exceptional subject acquisition, focus tracking and focus precision functions ensure that your action shots will be even crisper and sharper. Built-in i-TTL Speedlight automatically pops up when lighting is inadequate and provides fill flash when necessary. Extra wide peripheral illumination supports lenses up to 18mm, for beautiful wide angle shots. The large 2.0-inch LCD monitor is easy to view and use, with plain-language menus and help dialogs presented clearly. For better results when shooting close-ups and long exposures, use the optional Remote Cord (MC-DC1). Add to all of this the incredible performance of the rechargeable lithium-ion battery, powering up to 2500 shots per charge, and you have a superb digital SLR camera, always ready for action.

A great infrared converted camera.

I dabbled in infrared photography years ago with my 35mm cameras, but was frustrated by several factors including the time to get film back from the processors and the varied results. I have owned a Nikon D70 since the year they were introduced (2004 I think), and have read various reviews regarding its suitability for infrared photography. So, I bought several IR filters and obtained reasonable results even with the long exposure times required.

Wanting better results still I made numerous enquiries about getting my D70 converted, but the costs involved with me living in Australia and no local firms doing the conversion were exorbitant.

I was really delighted to be able to purchase an already converted Nikon D70s at a very reasonable price and with lots of beaut extras including infrared photography books and other documentation.

The camera arrived only this morning, but I have spent the last couple of hours giving it a "test drive" and am very pleased with its performance.

Nikon D70s

The Nikon D70s is as good an excuse as any to dip your toe in the water and join the DSLR revolution. It provides almost everything that most photographers will ever need in a camera (digital or otherwise), whilst delivering fantastic ease of use and very impressive image quality. The Nikon D70s offers a wealth of features, fast and accurate operation and solid build quality at a price point that would have been difficult to believe only a couple of years ago. Negative points are few - it "only" has 6 megapixels (although this is more of a marketing thing than anything else), the Multi Selector arrow-pad is spongy and unresponsive, and the shutter release mechanism is on the noisy side. I thoroughly enjoyed using the Nikon D70s and would have no hesitation in buying this camera, if I didn't already have a substantial vested interest in Canon lenses! Highly recommended for advanced amateurs who are looking for more functionality than the cheaper entry-level DSLRs provide, or for the professional who requires a durable and hard-wearing back-up body.

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