diff --git a/.azure-pipelines/windows.yml b/.azure-pipelines/windows.yml
index 0cda80d6ee..826c7ddc41 100644
--- a/.azure-pipelines/windows.yml
+++ b/.azure-pipelines/windows.yml
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ jobs:
     - script: |
         python -m pip install --find-links %EXTRA_WHEELS% %DEPENDS%
         python -m pip install nose mock coverage codecov
+        python -m pip install pytest
       displayName: 'Install dependencies'
     - script: |
         python -m pip install .
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ jobs:
         cd for_testing
         cp ../.coveragerc .
         nosetests --with-doctest --with-coverage --cover-package nibabel nibabel
+        pytest -v ../nibabel/tests/test_affines.py
       displayName: 'Nose tests'
     - script: |
         cd for_testing
diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 1b81ba296c..39f1a14a45 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@ script:
           cd for_testing
           cp ../.coveragerc .
           nosetests --with-doctest --with-coverage --cover-package nibabel nibabel
+          pytest -v ../nibabel/tests/test_affines.py
       else
           false
       fi
diff --git a/nibabel/tests/test_affines.py b/nibabel/tests/test_affines.py
index 13b554c5a8..6fd2f59fab 100644
--- a/nibabel/tests/test_affines.py
+++ b/nibabel/tests/test_affines.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
                        from_matvec, dot_reduce, voxel_sizes, obliquity)
 
 
-from nose.tools import assert_equal, assert_raises
+import pytest
 from numpy.testing import assert_array_equal, assert_almost_equal, \
     assert_array_almost_equal
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ def test_matrix_vector():
         vec = xform[:-1, -1]
         assert_array_equal(newmat, mat)
         assert_array_equal(newvec, vec)
-        assert_equal(newvec.shape, (M - 1,))
+        assert newvec.shape == (M - 1,)
         assert_array_equal(from_matvec(mat, vec), xform)
         # Check default translation works
         xform_not = xform[:]
@@ -126,17 +126,19 @@ def test_append_diag():
                         [0, 0, 0, 5, 9],
                         [0, 0, 0, 0, 1]])
     # Length of starts has to match length of steps
-    assert_raises(AffineError, append_diag, aff, [5, 6], [9])
+    with pytest.raises(AffineError):
+        append_diag(aff, [5, 6], [9])
 
 
 def test_dot_reduce():
     # Chaining numpy dot
     # Error for no arguments
-    assert_raises(TypeError, dot_reduce)
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError):
+        dot_reduce()
     # Anything at all on its own, passes through
-    assert_equal(dot_reduce(1), 1)
-    assert_equal(dot_reduce(None), None)
-    assert_equal(dot_reduce([1, 2, 3]), [1, 2, 3])
+    assert dot_reduce(1) == 1
+    assert dot_reduce(None) is None
+    assert dot_reduce([1, 2, 3]) == [1, 2, 3]
     # Two or more -> dot product
     vec = [1, 2, 3]
     mat = np.arange(4, 13).reshape((3, 3))
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 5630921dd9..3b5bddae19 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ install_requires =
     numpy >=1.12
 tests_require =
     nose >=0.11
+    pytest
     mock
 test_suite = nose.collector
 zip_safe = False
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ test =
     coverage
     mock
     nose >=0.11
+    pytest
 all =
     %(dicom)s
     %(doc)s