The minute you pick up the Nikon D70, you’ll start believing you’re a great photographer. With a solid and well-designed body, intelligently implemented features, speedy performance, and impressive photo quality, this 6-megapixel dSLR delivers an as yet unmatched digital-photography experience for the enthusiast. Sure, the camera has its share of bewildering omissions and annoying quirks, but they don’t seriously detract from its appeal. A sub-$1, 000 list price places this Nikon in direct competition with the Canon EOS Digital Rebel, the D70 is really going up against models such as the Canon D100 and the canon eos 10d. The D70 outshoots them all. We loaded the Nikon D70 with a CompactFlash card, a lithium-ion battery, and an optional 18mm-to-70mm lens ( equivalent to a 35mm model’s 27mm-to-105mm lens) . All that made for a total shooting weight of slightly less than 2.5 pounds. The camera is a handful, but it’s not really heavy by dSLR standards, and its molded-plastic, solid-feeling body offers a very comfortable grip.