Need Help Deciding.....Nikon D70

[Mad About Cichlids]

Should I go with the:

Nikon D70 Digital Camera Body

Nikon 28-105mm Auto Focus Lens

Nikon 70-300mm Auto Focus Lens

512MB Memory Card

Deluxe Case

Deluxe Lens Cleaning Kit

Pack of LCD Screen Protectors
Tripod

High Speed Card Reader

CapKeeper


or

Nikon D70 Digital Camera Body

New! 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Auto Focus Lens

128MB Memory Card

Deluxe Case

Deluxe Lens Cleaning Kit

Pack of LCD Screen Protectors

Flash Card Reader

CapKeeper

Don't know anything about lenses only know I want a Nikon D70 :P

Thanks

[JerseyJay]

Hello,

I just recently invested in Nikon D70. From what I see you are trying to pick combo from X website. Please link us to that place because you are not telling us the price difference and not giving specifics which lens model you are talking about (f stop, G/D etc).

Also don't get trapped in those "combos". They are giving you great camera and then trying to pack "shit" along with the combo. 128MB is nothing when you are going to shot at 3000 resolution with highest quality. You are looking at ~30 pictures. With my 1G card I get 300. Same goes for tripod. I have 2 "crappy" ones which I purchased few years ago and just last week I bought another one, good one this time.

Let us know and we will help you with your choice. BTW, you will love the camera, I do.

[benny]

Given the 1.5 X magnification factor on the camera, I think it's best that you go for a basic set with the kit lens and build it up from there instead of a "starter's kit". You rarely save anything on these kits as you'll out grow them very quickly.

Cheers,

Yes, I will third that, the sets are a waste of money. Decide whether you want the kit lens, we can help you, then spend the money on the body (w/ or w/out the lens) and buy a good memory chip. I would almost suggest Amazon for chips, they have great memory prices sometimes, and always have coupons for $20 off or something if you sign up for their Visa. YOu can always check e-pinion.com for the best DELIVERED price for the camera, and also for the memory, research the quality of the memory cards too, there is a bit of difference. I got myself a Viking for an amazing price on Amazon. 512mb became about $50 after discount and their free shipping.

[Mad About Cichlids]

Thanks for responses, I was thinking about ordering from here http://www.expresscameras.com/cart/prodetails.asp?prodid=102119&start=1&OVRAW=nikon%20d70&OVKEY=d70%20nikon&OVMTC=standard

[meriadoc]

you may want to try another store :
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1805.html

always, always ALWAYS look at reseller ratings before dropping huge amounts of money. As soon as I saw that price, big ol' red flags were a wavin'

get the camera - forget about the sets that they try and scam you with. slowly build up the lenses - and get the ones you WANT, not the ones that come in the kit.

and unless you're gonna shoot on a lower quality mode, that 128mb card won't get you too far. Get at least a 512, or in a pinch, a 256.

-- L

[Mad About Cichlids]

Thanks for the link to resellerratings site.


Any reliable places I can purchase from?

[meriadoc]

b+h photo out of new york
adorama out of new york
ritz camera (free shipping)
wolf camera (free shipping)

They're really the only people i deal with - bh more than anyone

[JerseyJay]

Any reliable places I can purchase from?

Any place that meriadoc mentioned is good and legit place. I would strongly recommend purchasing THE KIT instead of 3 rd party products. You will love the camera and stock lens it comes with. I'm very satisfied with the combo and do not regreat spending all that money.

Save money for good Memory Card. Do not buy anything less then 512 MB b/c you will be looking for 2nd card sooner or later. I have 1G Ultra 2 and I'm very pleased. I have spare 256 MB if there is ever need for one. So far I was able to stay within limits.

Do not buy crappy tripod unless you want to have few laying around the house. Many professionals would tell you not to spend less than $500 on good tripod but I can't justify that expense. I purchased $250 combo and I'm pleased with it.

Look into external flashes. Good flash is a MUST when it comes to nature/people photography as well as aquatic. You can get SB600 model but if you feel brave enough go for SB800 (I did).

If you have additional questions, let us know.

[ccplim]

I second meriadoc on those few places. Even we from overseas are ordering stuff from them :)

[meriadoc]

i get cautious about ordering from certain places online, especially when a deal is too good to be true.

[ccplim]

As Jay has mentioned, the kit lens is a good general purpose lens and there's no harm in getting one.

As for the memory card, 1GB will be a better option since you get double the storage capacity and the price will be much cheaper. And that should last you awhile unless you are a heavy shooter like me. I currently owned 2x 1GB card and my 2GB is on its way :cheesy:

With regards to the tripod, bring down your heaviest gear and try it out at the store if they allow so as to find out which one suits you the best. A few more things to consider will be your budget and the weight if you need to move about alot with the tripod.