Solid, reliable prosumer SLR (Nikon F70)

Member Name: timtagel

Product:	Nikon F70
Date:	08/02/02 (1021 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well-specced, Build, metering

Disadvantages: No autofocus area selection, No Depth of feild preview, LCD no backlit

The F70 gets a lot of stick for being a difficult camera to use. Granted the user interface harks back to a time when push button control was favoured over the now standard top plate dials seen on many SLRs. But spend some time getting to know your F70 and you'll fall in love with its vast range of photograpic options which dazzled the camera market when it was first unveiled back in 1994. Despite its age many of these features are still impressive. The camera has only just been replaced by the F80 which is gives some indication of how reliable and solid a performer the F70 has become. What's more, its build is equally solid and you get a reassurance from handling it that this camera will stand up to the weather and wear and tear. It certainly feels a lot more sturdy than the f80.
Equipped with more exposure modes than you can shake a stick at, and a fast 4000/sec top shutter speed, and array of flash modes for the in-built Speedlight, one niggling omission is the lack of Depth of Field preview, although the HyperFocal exposure mode does go some way to help you get maximum depth of field. I own the dateback version which also sports a panorama mode. This exposes a portion of the film to give the effect of a panoramic view, It works well, but you need to tell the developing lab before you get the panoramic photos processed. All in all a great camera. Have some fun getting used to the space-age interface and array of buttons and you'll be in control of a capable beast that will last you for years. Never fails me.

Summary: