ptkeam

I have two d-70's and have never even opened the CD that came with them. If you use elements 3.0 you'll be just fine.

LOVE the D70. Great camera-- If you do get a D70 make sure you check for firmware update

I have two d70's and I'm REALLY satisfied. I've made excellent 16x20's. You've probably read in forums that there's not a huge difference between images from D70 & D200 (or D80). Going from 6.1 megapixels to 10.2 is not as big a jump as you would think. It's really only about a 30% increase in resolution.

I agree with Peter Hamm - wait for the D70 to break. For another lens I'd suggest the Nikon 28-105D macro. It's a great walking-around lens AND the macro performance is superb-- especially for the price.

People used to keep their F2's for 20 years -- now everyone seems to feel the need to junk a $1500 camera after 18-24 months.

For what it's worth, I had aFuji S2 as my first DSLR. I was pretty happy with it. I bought a D70 as a backup & found myself using the D70 most of the time -- (ergonomics, size & weight). In terms of image comparison I found that the Fuji DID have a broader dynamic range, but for the stuff I do (nature, urban streetscape etc.) I didn't find the Fuji to be THAT much better -- I sold the S2 & got another D70. Still using the D70's today.

I know this isn't exactly on topic, but I thought I'd contribute my Fuju/Nikon real-world experience.

Simon,

Very interesting post. I too have a 28-200G and an 18-70Dx nikon lens. I have not done systematic tests but I too feel that the 28-200G is the better lens. If I had to get rid of one it would definitely be the 18-70. I've actually thought about selling the 18-70 & getting a Nikon 20mm f/2.8 prime lens.

Back to the 28-200G lens. It's a very under-rated lens. Definitely not one of the "sexy" Nikon lenses. (hey, it's got a plastic lens mount). It's affordable, versatile & quite sharp.

I'd avoid the 645e body. I had one before I went digital. It's not got the best build quality. Go for a 645 pro -- or even start out with the older 645 bodies which you can get for a song

GO FOR IT with your Vivitar 285. I have three 283's I used with Mamiya/Nikon equip before I went digital. Now I used them with my two D-70's. I couldn't be happier with their performance. I used them on the hotshoe or with a PC adapter & the flash on a Stroboframe bracket depending on the situation.

Of, course you do have to use them with the camera on manual OR you can set camera to Apeture Preferred, set your f/stop accordingly and allow camera to set shutter speed -- I've often done this outdoors when using the 283 for fill flash -- with great results.

In scanning the responses I don't believe I saw anyone mention the 110mm f/2.8. This is a superb lens. I took literally tens of thousands of pictures with Mamiya 645's and found this useful as a moderate portrait lens. Nice, fast apeture and really sharp. THE sharpest lens I've used in this series is the 150mm f/3.5C lens.

I have a Nikon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5D lens -- It's not one of the "sexy" lenses today, but I think it's a GREAT lens. I use it on my two D70's. Fabulous macro results. Also a great all-around lens.

Hi,

I'm looking at panorama attachments for my ball head. Has anyone used the

panosaurus panorama attachment??? http://gregwired.com/pano/pano.htm If so

I'd appreciate feedback.

Also -- if the tripod head is level, wouldn't an attachment which enables you

to shift the camera back so lens nodal point is over axis of rotation be

sufficient??

Thanks

I simply HAVE to put my two cents' worth in for the humble Mamiya twin lens system.

Bodies built like a tank

Super-sharp lenses

Built-in bellows for excellent closeup work (suggest the paramender)

Readily available

Affordable --

Ya know, when folks discuss prime "normal" lenses for Nikon DSLR's nobody ever mentions the lowly 28mm 2.8 nikkor. I had a 50mm 1.8 -- excellent optics -- but for candid "grab" walking around shots I found the effective 75mm focal length a tad too long. I traded it for a 28mm f/2.8 and I'm really happy with it. Effective 42mm perspective is great for candid-type situations (ie. wedding receptions) and the 2.8 max. apeture is not really that slow -- esp. when you can bump up ISO if needed.

Hi Roberta,

I did this kind of stuff for a living for 20+ years. By all means USE A TRIPOD. And I hope you have an auxiliary flash to use. The one on the camera will absolutely NOT do the job. Use a slow enough shutter speed to balance the flash with the ambient light in the gym. Otherwise, you'll get kids on a black background.

Hi,

I use two D70s' with Vivitar 283's and have had no problems.

Three cheers for Mamiya TLR. I've gone digital now, but I used Mamiya TLR equipment for 25+ years. It's built like a tank. Lenses are superb. The equip is readily available and reasonably priced. I strongly feel that its simple construction makes it ideal equip to purchase used.

I have an AF 50mm 1.8D made in China -- Love it. Just as good as the old 50mm f/2 AI lens I used to use

I've made extensive use of the Nikon 28-105mm D Macro zoom. Focuses to 1:2, very sharp, inexpensive, readily available used. Admittedly not really useful for Wide Angle-- but if $ were no object, I'd get an 18-200VR

I'll surely have people disagree with me, but I've used a Speedotron 400WS brownline powerpack with M-11 heads & 7" reflectors. Using umbrellas will cause the loss of a LOT of light. Necessitating the use of a much more powerful (and expensive) power source and/or a higher ISO.

I've made my living doing stuff like this for 25 years. Speedotron equipment has NEVER let me down. It's not the "sexiest" lighting equip. out there, but darn it, I think its the best.

Rebecca,

Don't stress out about owning a D-70. I have two of them and have no plans to trade "up" to a D-80 any time soon. The D-70 is a GREAT camera. Don't rush out & trade it for a D-80. I agree with one of the contributors above -- spend some money on good glass instead.

I have add my voice to the chorus. My first D-slr was a Fuji S-2. Great camera. Then I bought a D-70 to use as a backup. I found myself using the D-70 most of the time -- size/weight, 1/500 sec. flash synch. Image quality from the S-2 was somewhat better but not THAT much. I sold the Fuji & got another D-70.

I've made gorgeous 16x20's from the D-70's.

The point that some contributors above have made that you need to GASP actually take a good picture to get a good print is well taken. This has always been the case -- esp. with 35mm film.

Yep, for the forseeable future, if I spend money on equpiment it'll be on glass

Well, it really sounds odd to me to hear former film users complain about noise at high ISO's in digital --- As if you could push Tri-X to 3200 and make flawless 16x20's.

All this complaining about "full-frame" is really a little irritating. I've made my living as a photographer for 25 years. I started out shooting family groups on 4x5. Then switched to 6x7 as film improved. I seldom shot anything on 35mm.

Now I'm entirely digital. (Nikon, by the way). I have absolutely no problem with the DX format. As they say these days, "it is what it is".

Digital is a different animal from film. People seem to be hung up on the fact that we're using SLR bodies that look like 35mm cameras. However they are something entirely different. It used to be that you put film into the camera. . . now the film IS the camera, in effect.

It's as if audio enthusiasts stressed over the fact that CD's were smaller than vinyl LP's. "Oh, if only Sony would produced a 'full-frame' music CD.

Come on people. Get over it. Stop the navel-gazing and get out there & take some pictures.

Whew!

Go for it. Among other lenses I use a 50mm 1.8 lens on my two D-70's. It's very compact, light-weight, sharp and fast. Using zooms all the time can make you lazy as a photog. Just stand there & turn that zoom ring 'til it looks good . . . With a prime lens you have to get more engaged & move around -- exploring shooting distances etc. As for the 1.4 lens -- don't bother. It's not that much faster & you don't need the extra size, weight & cost.

nikon D70

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I have used a mini softbox from Lumiquest & really like it. They have a great family of bounce/diffusion products for on-camera flashes. I've used them in combinations ie. the softbox off-camera w/slave and a bounce/diffuser on-camera as fill.

Eric

If you can only afford one lens at this time, I'd suggest the Nikon 28-200G 3.5--5.6 lens. It's got a polycarbonate lens mount & is not as "beefy" as many Nikon lenses -- ant it's not VR. But it produces GREAT results -- especially for a lens with this zoom range. I shoot with two D-70's and have several lenses -- including the 18-70 Nikon. As some of the other contributors have noted -- if you are REALLY into wide angle you'd probably want the 18-70 but you may find it's telephoto capabilities lacking a little.

Either lens would be great for you. Yes the 18-200 VR lens is superb but so's the price.

Happy shooting

Actually, yes, price is my primary concern -- of course I want top maintain quality. Will non-manufacturer inks affect printer operation over time???