I got a Nikon Camera . . .
Written: May 06 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use, terrific for most amateur shooters
Cons: Not as flexible as I'd like, argumentative
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| Trawma's Full Review: Nikon N70 Film Camera |
A long time ago, I was given a cheapo Ricoh camera. Fully manual, clunky, the antithesis of modern photography equipment. So when I got my Nikon N70, I was thrilled. I sang, I cheered, I danced through the house with it. Then I started to use it, and realized that all the bells and whistles didn't make up for the fact that this camera would not let me do what I wanted to do. It argued with me incessantly, even on fully manual settings. Heck, sometimes it argued with itself when set to fully auto everything! It would flag me to use the flash, then, when the flash was up, it would tell me it didn't need the flash! It told me it was too dark, it told me it was too light, and sometimes refused to take pictures when I tried to make my own decisions concerning exposure and depth of field. Does it take pretty pictures when you let it make all the decisions for you? Usually, yes--but it may not take the pictures you want, especially if you're a weirdo like me.
Now I don't want to dog the N70--it's a very nice camera with some terrific features:
*Lightweight, easy to handle body
*Auto film loading
*Easy feature selection using the command dial in conjunction with function and set buttons.
*Easy to read LCD Panel.
*3D Matrix metering--basically this is supposed to split the screen into eight metering sections, read the light patterns from each section, and calculate the perfect exposure. I do have to say that this never worked for me--many of my shots, especially "busy" shots with variable light conditions, were underexposed using this feature.
*Built in 3D Multisensor fill flash--in-lens sensors (D-type AF lenses) send subject-to-camera information to the N70's computer, which then sends out "miniflashes" or "pre-flashes" from the built in flash to determine light conditions, distance, main subject, etc. This information is used to tell the flash what amount of light is needed. A good feature that worked well for me. Does wonders for eliminating red-eye and ghostly white faces.
*Multiple exposure options
Auto multi program--perfect for basic shooting--auto shutter, auto aperture.
Shutter priority--auto sets the aperture, but allows fine tuning of the shutter speed without affecting exposure.
Aperture priority--auto sets shutter speed, but allows for fine tuning of aperture for increasing/decreasing depth of field.
Flexible program--allegedly allows for fiddling with both shutter speed and aperture setting without affecting exposure--another feature that argued with me, but never really worked.
Auto exposure lock--which locks in or "memorizes" metered exposure value. Good for rearranging shots, moving subjects around within the field, etc.
*Silent rewind
*Multiple choices for focusing
Fully manual--pretty self explanatory--you call all the shots.
Wide area or spot autofocus--great for choosing one subject in a crowd.
Locking focus--locks focus on moving subject, then releases the shutter.
Automatic tracking focus--keeps the subject in focus regardless of the autofocus mode chosen.
Another bonus is the N70's compatibility with just about any Nikkor F-mount/AF/Al-P lens. However, to take advantage of some of the metering/flash features, Nikkor AF-D series lenses are required.
With all these terrific features, I think you can see why I chose this camera. I am not a professional (as evidenced by this review, I'm sure), I'm just a women who took a few college photography courses, and wants a camera that can do more than the basic "point and shoot" Kodak numbers are capable of. I thought this camera would meet my needs. It didn't.
After almost a year of battling with this very nice looking camera, I put it back in its case, broke out my scuffed Ricoh dinosaur and got back to doing what I love best--taking the pictures I want to take. I wouldn't recommend this camera to those who want to have a good measure of control over the type of pictures they take. This is a great camera for folks who want solid, high quality pictures and don't mind letting the camera make most decisions--decisions that are, more often than not, terrific ones. If you are a novice photographer who wants to take pictures that will knock the socks off the competition, this is the camera for you. If you are the more innovative, make your own mistakes, experimental type photographer, I'd skip the N70.
I'm giving the N70 four stars because it's a good camera--it just wasn't the camera I needed.
Recommended:
Yes
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