OT - Buying a Nikon D70 - what lenses do I need?

[marinkitty]

We are taking the plunge on a digital SLR and have decided on the Nikon D70. I've found some packages on ebay that seem like a better deal pricewise than the B&M stores or other online retailers. But, before I buy - those of you who have a D70 or know cameras (helene? vicki? others?) - what lenses do I need? I'm assuming I want an everyday workhorse and a zoom. Are there other accessories that are a must have right away?

I want to buy in the next couple of weeks so I can figure out how to use the camera before heading to Portugal in mid-September.

Thanks!

Holly
Mom to Mia (3.17.03) and baby brother Jack (3.23.05)

[californiagirl]

Camera sellers can be *really* abusive in how they package things. Like, a 'package' that says it has the body & a lens, and means exactly that -- the seller has unbundled the software, the battery, the charger and so on that are normally boxed with the body, and guess what, those they're charging premium prices for. Or a package that looks like a standard Nikon package -- the lens has the same specs -- but it turns out it's not a Nikon lens. There's nothing wrong with buying a Sigma lens on purpose, but you wouldn't want to get one thinking it was a Nikon lens.

Lenses are always a hard question. Too many tradeoffs. Even if you had infinite amounts of money, they still weigh a lot and you have to change them. And mine are 5 years old now, so the choices are different. For around-the-house, I tend to use Nikon's second-best 50mm. Lets in lots of light, weighs nothing, costs not much. But it's not necessarily a convenient length. For out and about, I use a Nikon 28-105 zoom with macro capability (important to me because I like taking pictures of bugs and flowers and things) and a Sigma 70-200 zoom, also with macro. For tourism, you really need a zoom, in my experience, and often the long zoom is better. I waver between carrying one (usually the 28-105 which is a better portrait lens and a more flexible range) and carrying both. DH in particular is often frustrated at the range of the 28-105. Still and all, I think my next lens will be one of the digital wide-angles, because big views are nice too when you're travelling. Or maybe DH will splash out on a long zoom with stabilization.

[McQ]

Let me ask DH and I'll come back and post. He has a bunch of different lenses. I know he'll say to start with the kit. He still uses some of the lenses he had for the F100. But I think has bought a couple more. No idea why we need so many. I know he bought a new flash too.

Allison
~ mama to Declan and Meghan

[calebsmama03]

I am still very much beginning in this photography adventure but thought I"d chime in to say you will love the D 70. It is very easy and does nice work even in the auto settings. I'd also beware of the ebay route. THat is what I THOUGHT I'd decided to do but was warned as californiagirl said and it turned out to be true :( We ended up chosing a local shop to ensure local repair service, etc. I also found that some ebay dealers weren't Nikon authorized so your warranty is void should you have a problem. Our shop offered a price match for any authorized dealer so we were able to get a great deal with local convenience. You might check - even Wolf/Ritz offers a price match. FWIW, B&H photo online often has good deals and they are a highly reputable company. This was who we used for our price match reference. When we priced everything through them it ended up costing only about $100 more for the major components than the ebay deal we were considering.

If you haven't yet, check out nikonians.com. Beth recommended it to me and there was a lot of great info there - especially in the forums (have one specifically for d70 and all were willing to answer my very dumb beginner questions ;) )

Get a good memory card for sure. I forget the specific brand we have but it's a high speed 1GB card and it will fit about 350 pics in JPEG fine at the largest file setting. As to lenses we just have the kit lens for now. From what I've researched it's a great lens for a great price when you get the kit.
Lynne
Mommy to C 3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
And Miss Purple, 5/05

[BillK]

As others have said - be very leary of some of the Ebay sellers - have a look at this link for some of the more shady online camera and camcorder resellers - complete with pictures of some of the "stores" with the big fancy websites - it's pretty amusing.

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/t109127.html

[californiagirl]

B & H and Adorama are both good, reputable companies, with good prices. I've returned to B & H with no problem (and it was my error, not theirs, too).

And I like nikonians, too -- haven't been hanging out there lately as then I get too gear hungry, but DH is starting to want a camera more like mine (I have a D100) so I may have a good excuse. You do run into people on Nikonians who are lens snobs, but there are enough realists to keep them in check. It's like anything; once you know how good a stroller can be, it's hard to imagine that I'm actually happy with a low-end Graco. But that's all I need. Once you know how good a lens can be, it's hard to imagine that there are people who are satisfied with mid-range lenses, but there are lots of situations where they do just fine.

[BillK]

Love B & H Photo! Best online camera/camcorder retailer ever! :)

[missliss55]

I don't know too much about Nikons, as I have a Canon DSLR, so I can't give specifics, but before buying lenses, you should ask yourself what you want to shoot, as all lenses are not ideally suited to all conditions. Lenses are all about tradeoffs.

If you want to shoot indoors or in low light, that means you'll have to have a fast (i.e. wide aperture/low "f-number") lens, unless you want to use a flash. The tradeoff is that you'll have a shallow depth of field (area that is in focus) so your focus has to be dead on. If you do want to use flash, it's not a bad idea to invest in a good flash as the on-camera ones usually aren't the greatest.

If you want to shoot indoors or shoot landscapes, you'll want a good wide-angle lens.

Zoom lens vs. primes (non-zooms)--zooms are definitely more convenient, but optically primes usually give better image quality.

Here's what I have for my Canon:
18-55mm f3.5-5.6: This is the kit lens. I use this for wide angle shots and for landscapes.

35mm f2 & 50mm f1.8: I use these for natural light photos indoors. They are fast lenses and are on the wider end for use indoors, as the kit lens was too slow.

85mm f1.8: A fabulous portrait lens. A bit on the long side for use indoors, but great for low light and when you want a shallow depth of field

70-200mm f4: telephoto zoom lens for taking pics of the kid outdoors/sports/etc.

So, you can see that I've got a few lenses, but each has their own use. I didn't go for the "all-in-one" zoom as they usually aren't truly all in one and aren't as high quality optically.

A good site to check out is www.dpreview.com, and click on forums (which seem to be down right now). They've got a bunch of different forums that are brand specific and cover things from cameras to lenses to lighting to post-processing. The people there are very friendly and helpful.

Please let me know if you have any questions...sorry I don't know Nikon specifically, but hopefully this helps a little bit! I don't think our email is working so post here if you have any questions.

Dave (Melissa's husband)

[missliss55]

And yes...I'll second B&H as well. I've found their prices to be significantly lower than all the local camera shops. All the local shops claim that B&H's prices are lower than their cost and won't match.

www.17photo.com, www.adorama.com, www.canogacamera.com are also pretty good.

Dave

[pb&j]

I'll third B&H. DH is a professional photographer and has ordered lots and lots of equipment from them, and has always been totally satisfied. DH actually started out as a hobbyist turned pro on the D70, and really loved that camera. He's since moved up to very high-end pro equipment, but misses the D70.

As for what lenses you need, I had to laugh - I think DH had about $8000 worth of lenses for his. Definitely overkill for you. I'm a strict point-and-shooter, so I'm no help there. Somewhere between point and shoot and $8000 is the lens combo you need. ;)


-Paige,
mom to Emma, s/b 11/04/04
and Max, edd 01/15/06 - it's a BOY!

http://lilypie.com/days/060115/3/25/1/-5/.png[/img] ([img)

[mainepotato]

I don't have much to add to the wonderful advice you've already been given, but wanted to weigh in anyway! I don't have the D70, but I have the N80 which takes the same lenses. All of the lenses I have have already been mentioned by previous posters...

For general purpose photography, I use the Nikkor 50mm f1.4, but the Nikkor 50mm f1.8 is an excellent lens for a lot less $. The difference is that the f1.4 will do marginally better in low light. People really seem to love the f1.8 and I'd probably save the $ and go with that one if I had to do it again.

I have the Nikkor 85mm f1.8 for a portrait lens. Beautiful!

And I only have one zoom, the Nikkor 28-105 w/macro. I can get by with it, but it would be nice to have a longer range zoom as well.

I also did my research at nikonians.com and photo.net, and I've made all of my major purchases (and most of my minor purchases) at B&H photo! I've had wonderful experiences with them for the camera body, lenses, camera bag, different types of film, accessories, photo album pages, etc.

Have fun!