INTRODUCTION
It was way back in 1994 when Nikon announced this N70 (Widely known as F70 also) mid range SLR camera, on top of a budget N50 (Widely known as F50 also) , and a professional N90s (Widely known as F90x also).
I was still very new to photography at the time of release, about 2 years. I am using the Minolta 3xi together with Sigma 28-200mm lens at that time. I am dissatisfied with the Minolta for quite some time, and was planning to upgrade to a mid range SLR or maybe a better SLR like in the like of the N90.
I eventually did not do my upgrade due to financial reasons, and only do so 2 years later when my Minolta 3xi got damaged in a trip to Liverpool in 1996, but the Canon Elan IIe was my substitution instead of any of the Nikons.
I managed to get hold of one unit a few months back, when one of the new members in my photography club bought a used unit in the Internet for a good price of $250.
BUILD
The build of the N70 is average, sharing the same type of casing like the cheaper N50. It does look solid, but it is really plastic when you get hold of it.
The grip of the body is good, providing good and firm hold on the body at all types of shooting angle and condition.
Weighing about 585g, it does feel heavy and firm, the young girl who bought it was complaining mainly about the weight, especially when you have a lens attached on.
FOCUSING
Rather similar to the cheaper N50, the N70 offers both Auto focus and Manual focus.
The Manual focus mode comes with electronic rangefinder. I am not too sure how effective it is for focusing purposes. I focus based on my own vision in the viewfinder and it was effective.
In the Auto focus mode, it offers Single Servo AF and Continuous Servo AF. At Single Servo AF mode, objects are focus easily and accurately, with not much difficulty. As for the Continuous Servo AF, I am not sure if there are any differences between that in N50 and in N70. The N70 that I tested was effective in tracking moving objects, and maintaining in focus continuously. The only problem is with very fast moving objects where its autofocusing is not fast enough to maintain focus.
EXPOSURE
The N70 offers 3 types of metering systems, namely,
1) Matrix
2) Centre Weighted
3) Spot
Exposure done was accurate for a variety of situations with the Matrix Metering, when compared to a hand held Minolta meter. We have also done a few shots with the Centre-Weighted and Spot meterings. Effects are okay, but are often not satisfactory in tricky situation, like sunlight into a dark room and low sun situation. I believe all this settings will be useful for mature photographer who is used to such metering systems. I have been in photography for close to a decade now, and I must admit I am not too familiar with the correct trick to get correct and accurate exposure settings with the Centre-Weighted and Spot meterings.
It offers 8 build in vari programs modes for casual users, as in
1) Hyperfocal
2) Portraits
3) Landscape
4) Close-up
5) Sports
6) Silhouette
7) Night Scene
8) Motion Effects
As well as 4 Advance mode, as in
1) Program
2) Shutter Priority
3) Aperture Priority
4) Manual
FEATURES
The N50 also provides the following features
1) Build in TTL Flash
2) Timer
3) Quick Recall for Original or Favourite Settings
4) Exposure Compensation
5) Auto Exposure Bracketing
6) Build in Viewfinder Information
7) 3.7 fps
LENS
The N70 accept a wide range of high quality AF lenses from the Nikkor range as well as good quality third party lenses maker like the popular low cost Sigma, Tokina, Tamron... etc.
To achieve high picture quality and most important sharpness, none of this cheap lenses maker is comparable to the original Nikkor lenses. I always believe that that extra cost spent on the optics is worthy.
QUALITY TEST
Like the N50, the N70 is very easy to understand and use. From beginners to professional, you will not have any problem trying to figure out every buttons and controls found on the body. But you will need to spend some time going through the manual once to appreciate it better.
The N70 offers a range of shutter speed from 1/4000s to 30s, plus bulb. It is useful for a wide range of photography opportunities. All shutter speed is still accurate after so many years of services, as confirmed by the camera workshop.
The build in flash, with a ISO guide number of 14, is too weak for good uses. I would recommend an external unit like the cheap SB-22s. I have bought one off the used market for only $50. It offers bounced flash, which is very useful for indoor photography to eliminate the unwanted shadows caused by the flashes.
We tested the N70 with a roll of Kodak Supra 400, body mounted with a Nikon 28-70 AF-S F2.8 lens. The pictures came out sharp and good. Exposure done by the Matrix metering was accurate.
It's a pity that the N70 does not feature Multiple Exposure capability. It will provide more creativity to users who are interested in such photography. Canon, on the other hand, provides such function for it's mid-range SLR.
SUMMARY
I am not sure if you can still find this camera new in the market, as it is replaced by a better and more capable N80 (also know as F80 in other part of the world). There are plenty of used N70 in the market, and paying about $250 for this camera is a bargain.
Good for anyone who are interested to get a SLR camera, and does not want to spend a fortune on a new unit.
