Nikon D70 & D70s
I really love this little camera! It was my first DSLR, and at the time it was truly amazing. I have a D70 that I bought brand new, and two D70s(es) (How the heck do you make that plural anyhow?) They are my go to cameras for all my outdoor activities. If I kill one it’s not to outrageous to replace with another used one. I’ve given a D70s to my daughter and daughter-in-law. and they are all working great.
That said, there are much better cameras available to those who need added features. 
Most of the extra features these cameras add are unimportant fluff to me. But I’ll list the reasons I like this camera, and the things that other cameras do better that matter to me.
Why I love the D70 and D70s
1. Flash sync speed.
This baby will sync the onboard flash, shoe mounted flash, or off camera CLS flash at 1/500 second! This allows you to have more control of ambient light when using the flash. I use flash outside in daylight and the extra stop of shutter speed really does make a difference. Ken Rockwell explains it all better than I could. Check out the paragraphs at the bottom of the page about getting unlimited sync speed. I haven’t tried that yet, but if I do I’ll let you all know how it works in the real world.
Update: Jan. 28, 2012 After I wrote this, I got to thinking (a dangerous pastime, I know) a little bit more about flash sync. After a little experimentation I was able to get my D70s to sync with my Nikon SB80DX at 1/8000 second, off camera and wirelessly! That’s an additional 5, ya, count em, Five more stops of light to play with. I’m thinking f2.0 outside in full sun at hi noon. I will write a post later after I have some time to organize my thoughts about it a bit more.
2. The optional MS-D70 Battery Holder
This allows you to run the camera on three CR2 lithium batteries. Why, you ask, is that 
a big deal? Well, I live in Montana, and I work and play outside all year around. Just look at the temperature ratings of any digital camera. Most of them say they are OK to use in 0° to 40° Celsius. That means Nikon or Cannon says “Don’t use your camera below 32° Fahrenheit”. That means don’t take your camera outside for half of the year up here!!! Well the problem isn’t the cameras, its the batteries that fail in cold temps. I’ve used this little $10.00 adapter down to -20°F with no problems.
And, if your batteries go dead and you’ve got no way to recharge them (this has actually never happened to me), you can usually buy CR2s at drug or convenience stores out in the boondocks. They are expensive, but a good option.
I’ve also had good luck with regular li-ion camera batteries in winter by taping a hand warmer packet to the side of the camera with the battery. This isn’t always practical, but if weight and size aren’t an issue, use em.
If size, weight,and cost aren’t an issue, buy a newer camera and a battery pack grip, fill it up with Energizer AA Lithium batteries and the batteries will work at -40°F
3. Battery life
These batteries last longer in this camera then any other camera/battery combo that I have ever owed. Expect over 2000 shots per charge if your not using the popup flash. Turn off the automatic review after each shot to increase battery life. expect 500 to 800 shots per charge using the popup flash. I’ve left the power “on” for weeks and have never had a battery go dead in the camera bag.
4. Remote control ML-L3
I’ts cheap and it works! Get one from Amazon, or try the $4.00 generic one?
5. Price
You can get these for a fraction of a new camera. If you can live with the limitations described below, This is the camera to get. Save your money and buy better lenses, lenses make a bigger difference than cameras.
6. Works with almost any lens
The older manual focus lenses can be found used at bargain prices, and the optics are superb! I have a D70s that pretty much lives with my 55mm Micro AI attached. I shoot most of my product pictures with it. It’s my favorite lens for flowers and garden pictures. This camera auto focuses with any AF lens, Many of the newer cameras will only autofocus with AF-S lenses. (The new D4 will work great with the old AI lenses, it will only cost $6,000 when you can get it!)
Things newer cameras do better
1. Quicker auto focus
I have mine on manual focus half the time, so this really doesn’t matter to me!
2. More intuitive auto focus
Ditto for #1. The newer cameras do look for peoples eyes to focus on, just like I do.
3. More available color settings
This is real, and subtle. Most people would never notice the differences on screen or in print. Most people edit photos so much in Photoshop that you can’t tell what you started out with anyway. The differences aren’t enough for me to justify dumping my D70s. If your a person who deals with images all day, this might be a big deal to you.
4. Bigger, Brighter LCD
OK you win, I love the LCD on my D300
5. Better low light performance
Yes, the newer cameras definitely do a much better job in low light.
6. More Pixels
The new ones have 12 to 14 MP vs D70′s 6 MP.
7. Quicker, Better, Faster
I actually picked up a new D7000 at Costco and brought it home for some testing. It’s an amazing camera. But not amazing enough to junk my D300. Or get rid of my D70s. I can buy 6 or 7 used D70s for the price of the D7000.
And The Winner Is…….
If you make your living with a camera, then you need several top of the line cameras and thousands of dollars worth of lenses. Better equipment makes you more productive and more competitive. You will also need thousands of dollars worth of lighting, modifiers, software, hardware, assistants, models, and the list is endless. If you just want to take great photos at your own pace, these cameras will do it.
If I could only have one DSLR, I would have to choose a newer model. Since I can have several, I’ll keep using these for the things they excel at, and use my D300 for the rest.
Go here for Ken Rockwells online D70 user guide. He really goes in depth into these cameras on this page, make sure you check out the “Performance and Tricks” link at the bottom of the page
The photos in this page were taken with a D70s and a Micro-Nikkor 55mm AI lens, Basic quality, and Medium size (3.3 Mpixels). Click on a picture to see the approx 1 Mpixel size that I uploaded.