Here's a link that you might find useful when your D70 arrives. It's entitled: Nikon D70: Lessons for Digital Newbies.

http://members.aol.com/bhaber/D70/setup.htm

The following was excepted from the beginning:

The author indicates that the D70 shoots it's images slightly to the dark side. This is something that find is very noticeable. The author suggests (he's living in California light) that you bump up the exposure a third of a stop to compensate for this. I did a few tests and find this to be a good way to go. When I compared the two images (no compensation vs one third stop brighter) side by side and tried to manipulate the dark one back to the one that had been lightened by a third, I found that I lacked the precision of the cameras original third stop compensation.

The other suggested setting he offers will have to be tested out individually over time.

Can you post these images, Mike?

Also, is there a setting where you can boost the exposure on every shot, so the camera does it all the time?

What I was trying to say is -- I lacked the precision, with my software, to know how much to lighten the image in order to bring it to the cameras one third stop brighter image. When I do this brightening routine, and I find that I do it with every image I shoot, I am just eyeballing until I see what I like. I think I would rather the camera start with the better exposure. Anyway, I'm going to try this for a while. I understand that it's trying to preserve the highlights.

Michele,

I've ditched the images. The differences were very subtle (moving back and forth between a third of a stop) and I don't think you could appreciate them here. The third did seem very slightly noticeable. Which is where I was trying to end up anyway.

You can set the camera to lighten a third stop all the time:

In the "Pink Pencil" Icon menu, scroll down to 09 "EV step" and set it to 1/3 or 1/2 increments depending on your preference.

On the top of the camera by the on / off switch there is a (+-) button, if you depress this and scroll with the dial you can set for over or under exposure that should remain.

I'm going to try lightening up by a third and see how that feels for a while.

Thanks, Mike.

Actually I will probably stick with the standard D70 settings since once highlights are blasted out there's no way to get the information back. I can always lighten the image later, but if the highlights are gone... too late! I've been experimenting with some very high contrast, almost chiaroscuro, compositions and keeping the information in the highlights is already a problem.

A third of a stop is not very much.

Also, when you shoot with spot metering on the face you will tend to get some distant ranges on the perimeter.