Customer Reviews

Nikon CF-D70 Semi Soft Case for D70 Digital SLR with 18-70mm Nikkor Lens

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The D70 is my first venture into digital cameras. I use a 35mm slr and a 35mm auto-focus rangefinder. Both cameras have cases which hold the camera, and allow you merely to flip open the top half of the case to take a photo.

Not so with the CF-D70 case. All this does is to hold the camera and must be fully removed to take a photograph. I do a lot of outdoor photography and like protection for my cameras while taking a shot. Nikon apparently figures that most users of the camera are going to keep them indoors and not need a true ever-ready case.

A search of the various web sites turned up the fact some photographers in the United Kingdom were using the D100 leather case which is an ever-ready type. Although the D70 is slightly smaller than the D100, I took the change and orderered on. Hopefully this will be the answer. I also purchased a gadget bag type of case to hold the camera and it's accessories, including flash cards, recharger, filter, etc.

I'm hoping everthing is going to work per my plans.

I bought this case sight unseen and was quite disappointed when it arrived. The material is quite thin and to call it semi-soft is generous, as the case has no real protective value. I could almost mush the thing up and put it in my pocket. A far cry from the Nikon semi-soft cases of old. It has a 1 inch square velcro patch to keep the lid closed. I bought another case (non-Nikon) of much higher quality that fits my D70 perfectly. Look around and you'll find much better cases for 1/2 the price.

Yes, the case is soft and not very thick. But I find it very useful when walking with just the camera on my shoulder. It helps a lot to protect from banging the camera against the walls, from scratching it or getting it wet accidentaly.

The old cases were rigid, they offered more protection, but they were quite uncomfortable. I often was leaving them at home when travelling lightweight. This case for D70 I take it anywhere. And it has many scratches that otherwise would have been on the camera...

The fact that it can be folded is an advantage! When you are using the camera you can put the case folded in your pocket. This is what I do when I do not carry any large photo bag or backpack.

Bottom line: it is expensive, but I recommend it.

I am used to the ever ready style leather camera cases on my film SLR cameras. This so called case gives no protection except from dust. Save your money and buy an SLR size camera bag instead.

This case is good for a very specific usage, in my mind. You have ANOTHER case to pack all your photo gear, and want some lightweight set you can use going to social event etc.? this case provides a good solution.
This is one of the very few compact cases that allows carrying the camera with shoulder strap attached. The only alternative I'm aware of are the Zing neoprene cases. You can toss these cases aside for a few moments and go shoot with just the camera and shoulder strap. Or you may shove the D70 with this case into your carry on bag for an overnight trip.
If you don't like using the camera with shoulder strap attached, there are many and far better other cases.

I'd recommend it as an addition to a more serious carrying solution, definitely not as a replacement.

Pros: lightweight protection that's easy to quickly remove and leave aside. lets you leave camera's shoulder strap attached.

Cons: medium to low protection to your camera. No pockets for memory card or batteries. Insufficient as a sole solution.

If a lightweight solution to fight scratches is primarily what you're after, this case will most likely fit that bill. Don't expect the sort of protection given by an old-fashioned leather hard case, the genotype that's capable of absorbing and protecting against mild to hard impacts (then again, who does for any amount of money these days; those types of cases are for the most part long lost). That sort of abuse won't go over well when using the CF-D70. This case is really all about protecting against relatively minor bumps and scrapes, and generally it does that task well enough.

That said, life does abound with more than just gentle bumps and mild glancing nudges and soft springtime drizzles. For those instances, Nikon doesn't offer a good on-camera solution for the D70s; even the now-discontinued D100 semi-soft case I switched to for a period (thinking it might afford noticeably superior protection) is at best only a middling better solution against sudden downpours and accidental whacks against the sort of things that could leave you wishing that you had left the D70s at home in the first place (or cursing aloud at Nikon for not offering one of those aformentioned, old fashioned leather hard cases). Or, as in my circumstance, switching to a Lowepro SlingShot quick access pack.

I certainly KNOW I can be hard on my gear; one look at any of my 35mm film cameras can testify to that. For me, the Nikon semi-soft solutions just don't offer the sort of protection I need. Moreover, I can get at my D70s just as fast with my Lowepro pack as I could with either Nikon case, and the piece of mind the thick padded sides of the SlingShot is well worth the inconvenience of a little more bulk (plus I get the benefit of the two padded slots for additional lenses or equipment). Yet for the casual photographer who only wants some light protection for their D70/D70s, even I have to admit that the CD-D70 does do that job reasonably well.

But frankly, I'd rather have that piece of mind.

One star for its ability to meet my more demanding needs, five stars for meeting the needs of someone only interested in sparing their D70 from the indignity of surface scuffs: an average 'average' of three, which only seems fair considering there's plenty of us D70 users in both camps.

Case generally needs to be removed completely in order to use the camera, resulting in "hand carrying", or potential loss if left nearby.

this is totally useless. I got this to supplement my D70s. Thought that it would work like a ever ready case. It does not. Is even slower to remove the camera, and its design does not provide any protection from knocks or dust.

For my D200 I got a generic zoomster case, which has been a much better buy.

This is the perfect cover to protect my camera. I didn't need a big bulky bag for extra lens or flashes or "film." So this is exactly what I needed.