Teh N70 also has the ever popular "Star Wars" video game interface. Avoid
it.

This is religion, mate.

Go buy yourself a Pentax...

Seriously, though, I don't know a lot about those cameras, but I
wouldn't hesitate to buy a used camera. The camera bodies haven't really
evolved that much lately, so used ones tend to offer a lot better value
for money. I'd assume that's also true for the alternatives above.

Someone else mentioned the "Star Wars video game interface" on the N70,
though. I'm not absolutely sure what he meant by that - but perhaps he
was referring to the use of a cumbersone menu system to select exposure
settings etc. - which is something I don't like about cameras a few
years old. It seems to me that the camera producers some years ago went
for menu/LCD screen based setup because, well, you know, this is the
eighties, so we can't have those old-fashioned manual controls.
- While now they have perhaps returned more to the old-style dials,
which are actually easier to use. (Or am I wrong in assuming this is the
general trend? I haven't actually checked that many cameras.)

Hmmm. I'm not sure if this helped a lot ;-/

I just asked virtually the same question and got great feedback on
this list. Refer to the thread "Novice Question about Canon Cameras".
It's a current thread.  I wrestled with the decision of a better
quality used ( I was looking at the Canon Elans) vs a new Ti, and I
decided that for me the Ti was the best bang for my buck.  That's
based on a lot of web research, and some good input here.

Incidently, I found the Rebel Ti with a Canon 28-90 IIM lens,
batteries, caps and strap at buydig.com for $198 plus shipping.  It's
on it's way now. I'll post more when I get it in my hands and take
some pictures.

Matt
singlow@hotmail.com

Hope this will be an okay reply, but do consider the recent Minolta and Pentax
offerings. All these cameras are good enough and some may handle better than a
canon or a nikon to some tastes.

How about a used Canon Elan IIe?  Got one for my wife two years ago and it
goes everywhere with her.  It has more capabilities than either the N70 or
Rebel Ti and goes for $150 from www.keh.com, where you can rest assured the
camera will look like new if it's rated excellent plus condition.  Add to
that a 50mm f1.8, and you'll have a camera capable of most any photographic
situation (other than those requiring telephoto, wide angle or macro!).  All
that can be yours for less than $250.

In my opinion the present Canon AF system is more complete and user
friendly than the Nikon one. Almost everything is compatible.

Of course, if it's sex appeal you want, Nikon is your bitch.

The N70 is a little old, and frankly it's taken Nikon until quite recently
to get it's AF speed up to the standards set by Canon's USM lenses. Plus, as
with all 1980s and early 1990s AF SLRs the design aesthetic is a little...
er, 1980s. All black plastic, sleekish lines and liquid crystal, awkwardly
Atari 2600-esque interface- I half expect the N70 to have a whooshing LED
mouth on the front that calls me "Michael".

On the plus side, many used models have been modified by the A-Team.

Of course, the Rebel Ti is something of an acquired taste visually speaking,
though the interface is okay. It speaks volumes about the state of
contemporary electronics design when the most solid, well-designed SLR body
was derived from what was considered to be a poor man's Nikon F2, but I
digress. Nikon glass is no better than Canon glass, and Canon boasts some
more interesting technology and some niche lenses a former Nikonian like
myself wouldn't have minded seeing on an F5. Go Canon (but skip the 35-80mm-
start with the 50/1.8 EF II and save up for a 28-135mm IS USM. Or consider a
used 35/50/85 outfit).

If memory serves, the N70 will index with non CPU Nikkors.  This means
it will meter with them.  A feature not found on the new bodies until
you get into the F100, D1 or above.  So if you need access to those
older Nikkors, that would be a reason to get the N70.  Like another
poster advised, pass on the 35-80 lens.

Apart from the Nikon vs Canon (chevy vs ford) argument the main
consideration for why anyone would want to buy an N70 is if they had
non-autofocus Nikon lenses that they wanted to use with the camera's built
in meter. None of Nikon's current mid-level line up will do this. The N70
has its quirks but is otherwise an excellent camera and in the long run much
more flexible to use than the Rebel because it is usable with a much wider
range of accesories. There are amazing bargains out there on older
non-autofocus Nkon lenses that in many cases are  superior to their newer
autofocus succesors. If such backwards compatibility is not an issue and you
are a beginner or casual shooter you will probably be happier with the
Canon.

I won't consider N70, used or new.  It lacks the ISO override, I find
it insulting for an "SLR" to be lacking this simply yet extremely
useful function.

Nothing against Nikon of course.  It's a great Camera company.
Seriously!