This is a review of the Nikon F70. I base this review on the couple of weeks I spent with this camera and the film I shot with it.
The Nikon F70 went into production in 1994 and it was a mid-tier model, aiming to bridge the gap between the hi-spec F90 and the rather basic F50. For both the F70 and F50, Nikon went for an unusual user interface that did not seem to please the Nikonians. Indeed, the F70 was met with criticism over the user interface, although as we will see later on, it is not really that bad. Subsequently, this model wasn't a big success for Nikon - Dixon's back at the time were selling the Canon 500N for peanuts, so unless you were a dedicated Nikonian (most of who opted anyway for the F90), i doubt you you would ever end up buying it.
And this is such a shame really, the F70 is a very well made SLR, typical Nikon of that period. Fit and finish is excellent, the hand grip is quite chunky and comfortable to hold and all buttons seem to fall right under the right fingers. Looking through the viewfinder you see one of the differences compared to the F90, the viewfinder is not as big or bright but i doubt it will disappoint you. Autofocus is quick and assertive - maybe not that responsive in AF-C compared to the F90x but i would say that it is just as good in AF-S - anyway, i couldn't spot a difference really. A good thing about the F70 is that it is more quite than the F90x and produces less vibrations. Also the F70 has a silent rewind mode which unfortunately i didn't use but Nikon says that it is "very quiet".
Ok, now the warts. According to most (I am not one of them) the biggest problem of this camera is the user interface. Well, yes and no at the same time. True, it is a big departure from previous Nikons but it is not as bad as you think. First of all, you need to sit down with the manual on one hand and the camera on the other and go through all the different functions. Then things become much clearer. The LCD panel on the right of the camera seems so confusing but actually it does not display any more or less information than any other
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| Left: Duh? Right: Duh?? x2 |
camera. It's just the fact that it projects it on that colorful background. So, don't worry about the LCD panel - the problem with the interface is that Nikon has abandoned the dedicated buttons for functions and instead they replaced it with two buttons that do pretty much everything. For example, if you want to change from Programme to Aperture priority you need to: Press the function button, rotate the dial until you select the Mode on the LCD panel and then press the Set button and rotate the dial until you change mode. This is how you change all settings. So Nikon has actually added an extra step when changing any mode in the camera and that was something that didn't go down very well with the reviewers. It is not that big deal really, you get used to it.
There is something very interesting with this camera though. It is the fact that it allows you to customise the camera and store up to three different settings. This is done via the "In" and "Out" buttons on the right. Here it is how it works. Pressing "Out" and rotating the dial it goes through 0,1,2,3 on the side of the LCD panel that reads "QR" (Quick Recall). Setting "0" is the factory reset. If you enjoy using Programme mode, with spot AF and AF-C, then you select these, press "In" and rotate the dial to "1". This is now stored. It also allow you to alter the standard programmes. This is how i have saved mine:
Setting 0: Factory default
Setting 1: Programme, Spot AF, Single frame advance
Setting 2: Portrait Mode, Spot AF, Single advance frame, exposure compensation +0.3
Setting 3: Landscape Mode, Wide AF, Single frame advance, exposure compensation +0.7
All I need to do is press "Out" and rotate the dial to swap between different modes. Easy and very useful, no need to go through the complicated interface to change modes in the camera, you set your 3 favorite and off you go. This is something that the more expensive F90x does not offer.
The F70 together with other Nikon models (F90, F100) suffer from the sticky back syndrome, it took me 30 minutes to clean it with a baby wipe. It is not as bad as the F90 but still it was quite sticky.
Overall, the Nikon F70 performed well. All pictures came out well exposed and accurately focused. On a side-by-side comparison with the F90x, both cameras give exactly the same exposure values - that is very good, i hold the F90x's meter in high regards.
Conclusion
So, what's wrong with this camera? Not much really. There are things missing like depth preview button or a big and bright viewfinder a la F90x. But the biggest problem for me is that this camera suffers from some sort of an identity crisis. Who is this camera made for? It is definitely not a family camera for the amateur as it is more complicated than expected (maybe the F50 was fulfilling that role) but on the other hand the specifications clearly do not place this camera in the Pro category. Not that this is something that you wonder about once you are out and about taking pictures but now that the secondhand AF-SLR market is flooded with all sort of different models, the F70 will struggle for attention. I think it is a massively under-rated camera, it proved to be very reliable and offers a very good range of features but with so many cameras around, it will catch the attention of the photographer on a budget that wants to try film but does not want to spend too much money on a AF-SLR body. On the internet, you can get this camera for around £15 body only in good condition which is almost 1/3rd of the price that a F90x usually fetches. Get two of them and some film.
Recommended!