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  1. #1
    My name is Alex, not Eric ;)
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    Question D70s with DX lens kit from B&H?

    I'm finally going to be able to afford a D70s in a few weeks and was thinking of getting the kit from B&H that has 2 Nikkor DX lenses with it. This is the kit I was thinking of getting. Are the DX lenses that come in that kit decent for the price they are?

  2. #2
    Captain of the Ship Photo-John's Avatar
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    Re: D70s with DX lens kit from B&H?

    Those lenses will work well with the D70s and cover a good range. And the price looks fine. That said, they aren't the greatest lenses. Note the slow, variable apertures. A lot of us would recommend you skip the kit and buy just the body and one really good lens. The problem with less expensive lenses is that serious photographers quickly become unhappy with the image quality and want to upgrade. If this happens, you end up spending more money than if you just bought one pro lens to start with.

    You might want to do a little lens research and ask for some lens recommendations on the Nikon forum. What do you plan to be shooting, anyway? From your handle, I'm guessing you might want to take some BMW photos
    Photo-John

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  3. #3
    Be serious Franglais's Avatar
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    Do your maths

    Quote Originally Posted by BMWJNKY
    I'm finally going to be able to afford a D70s in a few weeks and was thinking of getting the kit from B&H that has 2 Nikkor DX lenses with it. This is the kit I was thinking of getting. Are the DX lenses that come in that kit decent for the price they are?
    The D70s with the 18-70 = no problem. This is a classic combination. The lens is well-built, versatile and a great performer. It doesn't perform quite as well as the high-end pro lenses that PJ is recommending but these lenses are vastly more expensive.

    The problem is the 55-200. This is a plastic kit lens made for the D50. The reviews I've read say that it works quite well but the autofocus is rather sluggish.

    Now let's look closely at the B&H site:

    D70s+18-70+55-200 = $1449
    D70s+18-70 = $1099
    55-200 by itself = $199

    The 55-200 is $350 if you buy it in the kit and only $199 of you buy it by itself??

    I advise you to look rather at the 70-300 ED lens (not the 70-300 "G"). This is only $309 and has a good reputation.

    Charles

  4. #4
    My name is Alex, not Eric ;)
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    Re: D70s with DX lens kit from B&H?

    The reason I'm looking at that kit is I like to do some landscape stuff which the 18-70 will cover well and 55-200 will cover what I need at the track. Also, when you add the kit to your cart and go to check out it is only $1250 not the $14XX. I've though about buying one good lens but I don't want to be limited like I am with my N75 with one 28-80 lens. I'm on a budget so I though the kit would be the best bang for the buck to get me going. When I orginally wanted to get this kit they still had the regular D70 avalible which would of saved me a little cash but I didn't have the money in time before they stopped making the D70. 90% of the stuff I'm going to be taking pictures of is going to be outside durring the day, somtimes I'll take some twilight photos and on ocasion I'll take pics inside.

  5. #5
    Senior Member freygr's Avatar
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    Re: D70s with DX lens kit from B&H?

    Quote Originally Posted by BMWJNKY
    The reason I'm looking at that kit is I like to do some landscape stuff which the 18-70 will cover well and 55-200 will cover what I need at the track. Also, when you add the kit to your cart and go to check out it is only $1250 not the $14XX. I've though about buying one good lens but I don't want to be limited like I am with my N75 with one 28-80 lens. I'm on a budget so I though the kit would be the best bang for the buck to get me going. When I orginally wanted to get this kit they still had the regular D70 avalible which would of saved me a little cash but I didn't have the money in time before they stopped making the D70. 90% of the stuff I'm going to be taking pictures of is going to be outside durring the day, somtimes I'll take some twilight photos and on ocasion I'll take pics inside.
    I would just purchase the basic D70 kit. I've did purchase locally from a PRO store my D70 for under $1200, I didn't have to pay any shipping ;) Then I purchased a 70 to 300 Tarom Micro Lense. The cost was little more than the kit your looking at but it's a much better lense than whats in that kit.

    GRF

  6. #6
    Be serious Franglais's Avatar
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    That sounds OK

    Quote Originally Posted by BMWJNKY
    The reason I'm looking at that kit is I like to do some landscape stuff which the 18-70 will cover well and 55-200 will cover what I need at the track. Also, when you add the kit to your cart and go to check out it is only $1250 not the $14XX. I've though about buying one good lens but I don't want to be limited like I am with my N75 with one 28-80 lens. I'm on a budget so I though the kit would be the best bang for the buck to get me going. When I orginally wanted to get this kit they still had the regular D70 avalible which would of saved me a little cash but I didn't have the money in time before they stopped making the D70. 90% of the stuff I'm going to be taking pictures of is going to be outside durring the day, somtimes I'll take some twilight photos and on ocasion I'll take pics inside.
    I have the N75 and I used to have the 28-80 as well. I think you're going to find that the D70s and the 18-70 are quite a step forward in terms of feel and mechanical presence. I use this kit for my semi-pro jobs at the moment.

    The 18-70 is your "one good lens". For $1250 that brings the 55-200 down to $151. I would go for it. It will feel like your 28-80 but for that price who's worried? Best to put your money aside to buy a SB600 flash anyway.

    Charles

  7. #7
    My name is Alex, not Eric ;)
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    Re: D70s with DX lens kit from B&H?

    Thanks for the input guys, and yes the flash is going to be the next purchase. I'm not worried about shipping its only $30 for 3 day. I was going to go with the D70 and buy the lenses separatley to save a little cash but they don't sell the D70 new anymore and I dont want to buy used for something like this.

    The main reason I want to go DSLR is I like seeing the results instantly. I've never taken a photo class so I don't know exactly what I'm doing when I change settings on the camera. I have a good idea of what is going to happen but I have to wait for the film to come back to see if I'm right with what I changed and by the time I get the film back I've forgotten what the settings were on the camera to get the desired result. This way with the DSLR I can make a change see what happnes then try something else if it doesn't work.

  8. #8
    Captain of the Ship Photo-John's Avatar
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    The track

    I was wondering if you were going to be shooting at the track. Now I have to suggest that you also post on the sports forum. We've got some very good track photographers there. I actually used to do a lot of motorcycle roadracing photography. The first lens I bought was a Canon 300mm f/4L. For motorosports, your lenses can never be good enough. It's one of the most demanding types of photography you can do. Franglais mentioned that the long lens you're considering has a reputation for slow auto focus. That's a recipe for some serious frustration at the track. Auto focus speed and accuracy are critical for motorsports photography.

    Now I'm not sure what to tell you to do. It might be best for you to skip th telephoto altogether, work on learning to use the camera and taking good pictures, and then buy a good lens when you have the money. I would be very concerned that you will be let down and frustrated with the kit lens. The only way you'll really be able to get good photos with is is by prefocusing and timing your shots well. Since you're in Lincoln, I'm guessing the track you'll be at most is Thunder Hill. You can shoot corners with short lenses. But for the long shots you want at least a 200mm. The lens I'd recommend costs more than the whole kit you're considering, the Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 AF-S VR: http://www.photographyreview.com/cat...6_3128crx.aspx

    As an alternative you might consider the Sigma equivalent. It gets very good reviews on this site.
    Photo-John

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  9. #9
    My name is Alex, not Eric ;)
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    Re: D70s with DX lens kit from B&H?

    My problem is that I'm on a budget and this kit is all I can really afford right now. I look at like this, this kit is going to be a huge upgrade from CoolPix 775 and get me started in DSLR's. The tracks I usually go to are Laguna Seca and Sears Point. Thunderhill is nice but unless I'm racing it isn't much fun to go there. But I only go to the races a couple times a year and at this point spending more than $1200 on a lens just isn't in the cards for me. The majority of use this camera will see is going to be outdoor still life.

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