How I secretly used the Nikon D70

I took the header photo of my test report on the Nikon Z 8 with the almost 20 year old Nikon D70. And some other photos showing the Z 8. I haven't told anyone about it so far, not even the two colleagues who reviewed the article before publishing it. There has been no criticism, not even sceptical questions about what these images are.

This is not to say that these images are great. But they don't stand out negatively. Still, the D70 is from a different era. It has six megapixels and five autofocus points. The stamp-sized screen is ridiculous from today's perspective. I can't judge the images with it. With the viewfinder either, because on an SLR camera, the viewfinder doesn't display the photos taken. The Nikon D70 can't produce video either.

But taking acceptable photos is possible. You don't need any special tricks for that. I proceed in the same way as with other cameras even if there are two or three particularities to take into account.

Photos of products with the D70

For product shots, I set the D70 to ISO 200. This is the lowest possible setting. This keeps image noise to a minimum. Long exposure times are necessary, but this isn't a problem for product photos: the product doesn't move. All I need is a tripod.

Even with a tripod, there can be little shakes. That's why I use the self-timer. The five to ten seconds between taking the shot and the last contact with the camera ensures that nothing moves. That's what I do with every camera. With the D70, it's more laborious than with other cameras, because the self-timer has to be reactivated after each shot. Several times, I forget and get annoyed.

Unlike later SLR cameras, the D70 doesn't have a mirror pre-trigger. This function is also used to prevent blur. On an SLR camera, the mirror is raised just before the shot is taken, and at high speed. This causes a small jolt, which can result in a slightly blurred image, even with a tripod. The mirror pre-trigger is nothing more than a small pause between the mirror returning and the shot being taken, usually one or two seconds.

For short or very long exposure times, mirror return is generally not a problem. During my tests, I'm lucky: the photos are sharp.

As I wasn't sure at the outset whether the quality of the D70 was good enough, I also took some product shots with the Nikon D7500. The D7500 dates from 2017.

The image of the card compartment is from the D7500. The one from the D70 wasn't good enough. But that has nothing to do with the camera. For the photo taken with the D7500, I chose a better exposure and a better perspective. In other words: I took a better photo. Not the camera.

The "selfie"

Often, I work alone and I don't have anyone to take my picture. So I take photos of myself alone. The same goes for the Nikon Z 8 test report.

With the self-timer, most cameras no longer adjust the focus once you've started the timer. That's why it only works for group shots, selfies are blurry. The D70 is no exception.

With the D70, the smartphone app 'Snapbridge', which I usually use for remote control, doesn't work. In 2004, smartphones didn't even exist. I get by with manual focusing, but it's imprecise. So that the focus doesn't necessarily have to be centimetre accurate, I reduce the aperture a little to f/2.5. This worked. It's only afterwards that I remember that I still have a suitable infrared remote trigger. That would simplify and improve things.

This article is not a plea for older cameras. There are many things you can't do with a Nikon D70, for example sports and wildlife photography. Other things aren't possible, such as video. I'm glad I no longer have to work with such an old-fashioned camera

However, it's worth remembering from time to time that camera technique isn't everything. Most of the time, what's more important is what you photograph and how you photograph it.