Need a lens for Nikon D70s
 

I am ordering a Nikon D70s DSLR with the 800 flash.

At this time I am purchasing only (1) lens for everyday carrying around. Mostly we take pics of our 2 year old. More lenses will follow.

Which is the best Nikor lens to capture indoor portraits, toddlers in action and general fun pics? Next lens will be a zoom telephoto. I am looking for the best lens - not best value.

Any Nikon guys out there?

Something in that will go up to 100-150mm. f28 f35. AFS (fast auto focus) VR

Dave

Dave,
Have you heard anything good about the new 18-200 DX VR2?

I have been using the Nikon 28-105 1:3.5-4.5D Macro a lot on mine, I have a wide selection of Nikon lenses; 80-200mm 2.8, 85mm 1.4, 60mm 2.8 macro, 50mm 1.4 and a 24mm 2.8, but the 28-105mm has been on the D70 more than all of those conbined.

Jim

I got the info from my dad. He has the D100 and D2x bodies. I don't have a clue...

addictionMS seems to know what he is taking about though.

Dave

my info is a little dated, the lenses are older than the body, so take a good look at any new lenses, but a good zoom is really nice to have.

Jim

Nikon/Nikor lenses will be the best choice for a Nikon body. If you can spend the money on the newest lense, then the VR2 will probably be a good choice. VR lenses are good for getting clean shots without a tri-pod, but remember to turn the feature off if you mount the camera on a tri-pod.

Dave

This should answer your questions - 18-70mm Nikon is a great lens (equates to a 35mm lens of 27-105mm so its all the lens you need for general photography) and comes as part of the camera kit from a lot of suppliers at a bargain price.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/nikon_d70s.html

I 'll second the kit lens. 18-70mm. It comes with the D70-outfit. I have the SB-800 too. Great flash.

Why the D70s vs. the new D50?

Not knocking the D70, but I just compared the two and bought the D50: the specs were almost the same.

The kit lens for the d70 is a very good lens. I have a d70 and a d2x. The only drawback with the kit lens is that it is slow. I would recommend a fast lens - fixed aperature of 2.8 or so. This makes it much easier to get indoor/poor light pictures. It makes the flash easier to use and look good- as with the wider aperature you can still get some background lighting. It also lets you shot with a shallow DOF which will help in your baby shots. Downside of fast glass is it costs more and is larger/heavier. If cost becomes an issue don't be afraid to look at tamron and sigma. Some of thier glass is very good- and at 4x6 snapshot size I can't tell them apart.
Enjoy
Gary

Thanks for the help guys.

The big features of the D70 over the D50 is the ability to use multiple wireless remote flashes and it is fully functional with the new VR lenses.

any of you guys have issues with the CCD in the D70 getting dirty really fast? I had one that out of the box had crap on the CCD. From reading the boards it seems you have to clean it regularly...I switched to a Panasonic with a really good permanent lens and haven't used the D70 much at all...

I've done the Lemans race (95 degrees and dusty), Italy, France, Goodwood track days and general photography over the last year with no problems. Care, a good camera bag and
choosing my spot to lens change are all I have done.

Todd,

Check out the following site for dust.

Does it just show up in the view finder or on your pictures?


Did you guys do the battery recall yet? Nikon did a great job of turning this around quickly. The link can be found on this page.

Almost all you ned to know:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm

I have been reading Ken Rockwell's site for a couple of years now and he seems to offer good advise - of course if you continue to research equipment you will find contradicting opinions - much like on PP.

Mark,
Have you followed and found Ken's advise to be reliable?

Randy,
Agree about the different opinions. He knows a lot more that I ever will. I bought a 70-210 Nikkor that he recommended and he was spot on. Very quick to AF and takes good pics.

I read about that lens as well - was thinking of ordering one until I heard about the new 18-200. Decided to place an order today for the new 18-200. I'll let you know what I think after a few weeks of playing with it.