The Nikon D70 - Available For Purchase At B&H
More Than Snaps: Quality Digital Still Cameras on the Set

However, several developments have occurred recently which demand that we rethink the limits of the ideal media-maker's digital still camera. Print work, of course, requires a high resolution digital still camera - about 5 megapixels is standard - and one can never have too many pixels on hand when considering a poster, brochure or magazine cover.

But this has always been the case since digital photography was invented. The new applications for digital still photography include:

High definition video
High definition DVD
Print resolution options for interactive DVDs and CD-ROMs
Video software that employs aspects greater than 720 x 486 at 72 DPI

High definition (HD) video employs frames which are as high as 1920 x 1080 pixels, which yields a resolution over 2 megapixels. Soon, HD DVDs will hit the market, and, while the video sequences will be compressed, clients will require still frames, menus and other elements at resolutions much higher than the low cost, low-resolution cameras I previously recommended.

How About High Resolution Still Phtography?

Obviously, the need for traditional print work supports a continued need for a high resolution still camera, but those of you offering DVD and CD-ROM productions will note that many clients will use the extra space on these media to distributed Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files and other forms of still photography which can employ even higher resolutions than 2 megapixels per photo.

Finally, the growing popularity of such video software as Adobe's After Effects, eyeon's Digital Fusion, discreet's Flame and other compositing and special effects products increases the need for high-resolution digital still photography. Using such software as After Effects and Digital Fusion, a video editor can employ large format digital photos to create sophisticated "pan and scan" effects. These effects, similar to those once requiring a rostrum camera and a mechanical, motorized platform that allowed for controllable X-Y and Zoom axis motions, are now easily created using digital sources which are larger than 720 x 486 pixels - much larger.

The ideal camera that represents a major upgrade in resolution and other photographic qualities, while offering a relatively low cost, is the Nikon D70 SLR camera, introduced in the spring of 2004.

Designed from the ground up as a digital SLR, the Nikon D70 extends Nikon's development of the D series cameras (D1, D1X, D1H, D2H and D100) to provide many advanced features and new innovations. My favorite feature is the Dynamic Buffer technology that allows the D70 to take up to 144 pictures at a speed of 3 pictures per second! There is virtually no "shutter lag" between the time you depress the trigger button and the time the photo is taken. Many users of digital still cameras will note this lag (often as high as 2 seconds) in lower cost ($250-$350) cameras as a major source of product dissatisfaction.

The Dynamic Buffer, coupled with a "double-path bus," also allows the D70 to simultaneously record both JPEG and compressed NEF (RAW) files. This allows economical storage of the highest resolution pictures, while reducing the necessity of converting pictures when transferring into a video system or other media.

Vari-Program Modes for Fast Response

Designed for fast-paced photojournalism, the D70 is ready to shoot the instant you turn it on. Media-makers, who often find themselves in the position of quickly "grabbing a shot," will appreciate the D70's Digital Vari-Program, which allows the owner to pre-select one of seven modes to match the setting of the shot. These modes include Auto, Close-Up, Sports, Landscape, Night Landscape, Portrait and Night Portrait. The Portrait mode, for instance, automatically optimizes the skin tones, sharpens the edges and softens the background focus to highlight the subject.

The Sports mode, on the other hand, exploits the camera's fast shutter, that can render exposures of as little as 1/8,000 of a second to freeze even the fastest motion.

I tend to carry a still camera with me while directing large video shoots. Occasionally, with a moment to spare while the DP sets up the lights, I can whip out the camera and grab a few After Effects backgrounds or a complimentary shot of the Client. The D80 is an excellent choice for such work, since a quick selection of the Digital Vari-Program will deliver superb results with little forethought.

The best reason for a videographer or media-maker to purchase a camera like the D70 is its ability to change lenses. Many young media people were not alive when the 35mm "single lens reflex" (SLR) film cameras dominated the field of still photography, or when the 16mm film cameras dominated the field of documentary and business film making. These cameras all had lenses, which could easily be removed! Imagine that! When you needed a close-up, you didn't use a zoom lens on maximum telephoto, you used a close-up lens. Then, when you wanted to shoot in a small room, you'd switch to a wide-angle lens. Interchangeable lenses disappeared with video cameras and low cost digital still cameras. Well, now, they're back.

Experiment with Changeable Lenses

With the D70, you can enjoy the versatility and quality that only changeable lenses can offer. Buy the D70, and soon you'll see yourself experimenting with specialty lenses, and then taking time to produce stunning photographs that simply were not possible with fixed focal length lenses, or limited-range zooms. Keep in mind, also, that Nikkon's Nikkor lenses are the best "glass" in the industry.

Capture nature (or just super snoop) using the telephoto setting of the AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 18-70mm lens, for instance. Then shift over to the AF-DX Fisheye Nikkor 10.5mm, to capture an incredible 180 degrees of view. Employing Nikon's included Capture software, shots made with the Fisheye can be transferred into ultra wide angle rectilinear images that can be imported into such programs as VRML or Adobe Atmosphere to produce exciting backgrounds for interactive environments like games and "walk through" website environments.

Digital Lighting

Another feature is the camera's new I-TTL flash compatibility, which allows for sync speeds of up to 1/500 second. Coupled with the camera's vivid color sensitivity and white balance controls, the D70 begins to return to the digital photographer all of the tools and features of 35mm film photography, plus all the advantages of digital technology.

The D70's built-in Speedlight proves all the flash support you'll need for night and low light shooting. The light automatically pops up out of the camera body to provide natural lighting whenever your demands exceed the environment. The camera's sophisticated computer algorithms meter the existing light levels of the scene, adjust the flash and then incorporate the results by seamlessly integrating color information, white balance and detail from the system's 1,005 pixel RGB sensor. With an effective resolution of up to 6.1 megapixels, the Nikon D70 offers a picture quality that I found far superior to anything I have reviewed to date.

Of course, with these larger photos, you are going to want a powerful computer. Getting the photo into the computer (either by a Firewire, USB connector or memory chip shuffle), manipulating it in such programs as Adobe Photoshop, and outputting it through a network, the Internet or to a color printer are all functions which require superior computer power. I am currently using the HP XW8000 workstation for all of my graphic needs and the D70 is a perfect match for this computer's brute power. Equipped with Dual Pentium IV CPUs, the computer make manipulation of 6.1 gigapixel photos a breeze.

The D70 camera is offered as both an "outfit" and as a "set." With the outfit, you get a lens, the high-performance AF-S DX Nikkor, 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED. Otherwise, the two offerings are identical, including the camera body, rechargeable battery, charger, Nikon's PictureProject software and a neck strap. The outfit, with the lens, is street priced at $1,299 and the set, without lens, is $999.

Visit B & H Photo and Video to find the Nikon D70 at a significantly
less expensive price, along with full specifications that the B&H site offers.