Compared to...

People's first reaction to the D70, especially existing D100 owners was that it doesn't appear to be a downgrade from the D100. Indeed, this is also my reaction. Yes, the D70's design is simpler than the D100 and the menus have larger type face, there are some custom functions missing and you can't add a vertical hand grip. But in all other respects the D70 is as good as and in some cases better than the D100. This then makes the naming convention a little odd. From a competition point of view the D70 was clearly aimed at nudging the EOS 300D of its perch but is also capable of taking on the EOS 10D which costs quite a bit more.

	Nikon D70	Nikon D100	Canon EOS 300D
Price	$999 (body only)	$1,499 (body only)	$899 (body only)
Body	Plastic	Metal	Plastic
Sensor	6 megapixel CCD (new)	6 megapixel CCD	6 megapixel CMOS
FOV crop	1.5x (Nikon DX)	1.5x (Nikon DX)	1.6x
Modes	Auto, P, S, A, M, 6 scene	P, A, S, M	Auto, P, A, S, M, A-DEP, 6 scene
Image formats	JPEG, RAW	JPEG, RAW,TIFF	JPEG, RAW
RAW+JPEG	One RAW, One JPEG	One RAW, One JPEG	JPEG embedded in RAW
Image params	Auto Sharpness (6 settings) Tone (6 settings) Saturation (3 settings) Hue (7 settings) 7 preset parameter sets	Auto Sharpness (4 settings) Tone (4 settings) Hue (7 settings)	Contast (5 settings) Sharpness (5 settings) Saturation (5 settings) Color tone (5 settings) 3 preset parameter sets
Color	2 x sRGB, Adobe RGB	2 x sRGB, Adobe RGB	1 x sRGB, Adobe RGB
ISO	200 - 1600 (1/3 EV steps)	200 - 1600 (1/3 EV steps) 3200, 6400 via boost	100 - 1600 (1 EV steps)
Exp. compen.	+/- 5 EV 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps	+/- 5 EV 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps	+/- 2 EV 1/3 EV steps
Flash exp compen.	-3 to +1 EV 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps	-3 to +1 EV 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps	No
Metering	3D matrix, 1005 pixel	3D matrix, 10 segment	35 zone
Shutter	30 - 1/8000 sec	30 - 1/4000 sec	30 - 1/4000 sec
Flash X-sync	External: up to 1/500 sec	1/180 sec	1/200 sec
AF mode	Single, Continuous	Single, Continuous	Not manually selectable
AF area mode	Single, Dynamic, Closest	Single, Dynamic, Closest	Single, Dynamic
AF assist	White lamp	White lamp	Flash strobe, must be up
AF system	5-point Multi-CAM900	5-point Multi-CAM900	7-point TTL CMOS sensor
Continuous	JPEG: 3 fps, 12 images *1 RAW: 3 fps, 4 images	JPEG: 3 fps, 6 images RAW: 3 fps, 3 images	JPEG: 2.5 fps, 4 images RAW: 2.5 fps, 4 images
Self-timer	2 - 20 sec	2 - 20 sec	10 sec
WB	Auto, 6 preset, manual Can be fine tuned	Auto, 6 preset, manual Can be fine tuned	Auto, 6 preset, manual
Bracketing	AE, White Balance	AE, White Balance	AE, White Balance
i-TTL flash	Yes	No	n/a
D-TTL flash	Yes	Yes	n/a
Slow sync flash	1st or 2nd Curtain	1st or 2nd Curtain	1st Curtain
Viewfinder	Pentamirror Eyepoint: 18 mm (-1.6 to +0.5 m-1 dioptre)	Pentaprism Eyepoint: 24 mm (-2.0 to +1.0 m-1 dioptre)	Pentaprism Eyepoint: 20 mm (-3.0 to +1.0 m-1 diopter)
LCD	1.8", 130,000 pixels	1.8", 118,000 pixels	1.8", 118,000 pixels
Orientation sensor	Yes	No	Yes
Custom functions	9 or 25 settings	24 settings	None
Memory banks	One	Two	One
Storage	CF, FAT16/FAT32	CF, FAT16/FAT32	CF, FAT16/FAT32
Power	Lithium-Ion EN-EL3 CR2 carrier	Lithium-Ion EN-EL3	Lithium-Ion BP-511
Connectivity	USB 2.0 (only 1.1 speed)	USB 1.1	USB 1.1
Text comment	Yes, embedded in EXIF	Yes, embedded in EXIF	No
PictBridge	Yes	No	Yes
Dimensions	140 x 111 x 78 mm	144 x 116 x 81 mm	142 x 99 x 72 mm
Weight (no batt)	595 g	700 g	560 g
Remote release	Infrared (optional)	Wired (optional)	Wired (optional) Infrared (optional)
Vertical grip	No	Yes, optional	Yes, optional
Status LCD	Top of camera, backlit	Top of camera, backlit	Rear of camera, backlit
Command dials	One rear, One front	One rear, One front	One top
Power on	Virtually instant	Virtually instant	3 seconds
Shutter release	Very fast	Fast	Fast

*1 The D70 buffers the final image rather than the 'RAW data' and at lower image sizes / qualities can shoot hundreds in a single burst.