New member with questions.

[Jamie]

Hi all!

Im about to go and purchase a D70s (tomorrow) and was wondering if there were any accessories that are a must have?

I have a tripod, remote (from my current film Nikon) that is the same as the D70 one, filters and the usual assortment of cleaning items etc.

I have to say im pretty impressed with this forum so far and look forward to being an active member in the future.

Jamie

[stubbsy]

Jamie

Generally buying additional gear at the store is dearer than you can get here once you become a fully fledged member. To do that you need roughly 30 meaningful posts (you've made one already ) and to have posted an image for critique.

A lot depends on what lenses and filters you have already. Only thing I'd say is that if you get a lens with the camera make sure its the 18-70mm not the 18-55mm that is the D50 kit lens. You'll also need a minimum of 1Gb CF card at a speed of 40-45x (better than that is wasted).

[spada]

Hi Jamie

I am a newbie too, but I can answer some of your question.
First camera stuff is expensive so it is depend on how much you want to spend, and what type of shooting ( Ie family, lanscape, ...) you will do most, then base on that to buy what you need.
I think as Stubbsy said the most value lens is the Kit lens that come with D70 ( 18-70 AFS IF ED G), a CF card, then you can start shooting, look at the Bargain section.and buy the best one that you can afford( Gary the site Admin said ).If you in Sydney you can attend the mini meet to try out which one you need.

Hien

[Andyt]

Hi! Jamie

Welcome!, I would suggest that if you do not already have one, a decent bag/backpack, it may be a good opportunity to haggle over price!

And as said before CF cards (large) could be worth arguing over to.

Cheers, Andyt

[christiand]

Hi Jamie,

I would like to suggest that you take some time to discover
what your kind of photography is.
Your needs will be evolving and some time you want to carry little, other times you may need to carry the entire household. (all of your camera gear)
I guess you may have immediate needs such as a bag to carry the camera plus filter plus and an additional lens or two etc.
I started with a small bag: Lowepro EX160 shoulder bag.
I was quite ok for the D70 with the kit lens and a 70-300mm Sigma and cards and filters.
Later I got myself a Lowepro Microtrecker 100 backpack.
I could fit much more stuff into the backpack and it worked quite well for me.
I could carry much more gear such as flash, big fat VR lens etc.
Now my needs have changed, I sold the Microtrecker 100 and got myself a KATA 102.

To cut the long story short, don't rush, take your time and you will discover your needs and we can help you.

Regards,

CD

[Jamie]

Thanks for the replies people, very much appreciated.

stubbsy - I was wondering what lens to get (they have 3 kits on offer as well as just the body), and i forgot all about a CF card altogether! Thanks for the heads up about buying gear here and for the CF card reminder.

spada - Thanks for the model number for the lens, it makes it so much easier for when i go into the shop.

Andyt - I'll see if i can get them to throw in the CF card for free, hey its worth a try.

christiand - Im not really sure i have a 'kind' of photography, nor do i think ill ever have one, i like to shoot a wide range of things atm and have for some time now. I also have a good bag atm (lowepro backpack) that is more than enough for my needs atm, but it may become a little small one day.

Once again, thanks for the replies, it helps alot to know what you are exactly after before you walk into a shop.

Jamie

[stormygirl]

Hi Jamie,

When I bought my D70 with twin lens kit, I got them to throw in a couple of Hoya filters for the lenses (about $19 each). I think they are a must....a great insurance policy against scratching the actual lens. $19 is much easier to replace than a $300 or $2000 lens!

You should probably think about getting a spare bettery too!

[Aussie Dave]

Hi Jamie
all great advice above.

I'd consider MUST HAVE's to be:
- Kit Lens (Nikon AFS 18-70 DX Lens)
- UV Filters for Lens(es)
- Nikon, Sigma or Tamron 70-300 Lens (budget lenses but great to learn with) - will need a lens like this for any telephoto shooting you'll want to do.
- CF Card (Ideally 1Gb - IMHO)
- Patience and lots of experimenting to get used to the camera and lenses.

You will also find yourself soon lusting after:
- SB800 (or SB600) Speedlight
- Nikon 50mm 1.8D (or 1.4D)
- Nikon 70-200 VR Lens (but keep on learning and save those pennies....this baby doesn't come cheap !!!)
- too many other things to mention.....

This forum is an amazing place to learn all you'll ever need to know about photography and your soon to be "new love" - the D70.

Good luck & enjoy

[Jamie]

Well i went and picked up my camera today, very happy with it so far!

stormygirl - I also think a UV filter is a must have and i thought id have one to fit at home so i didnt buy it, got home and looked at the size and its different - doh! Never mind ill go pick one up during the week. I read that the battery life on the D70 was very good so i also skipped on that option for now but may buy one at a later date.

Aussie Dave - I bought the D70s with the AF-S 18-70 DX lens on the advice from stubbsy and spada. I currently have a cheap Nikon 70 - 300mm telephoto lens that i used with my old film camera, that will have to do for now untill, like you said, save up some pennies.

I think everyone is right about the 1Gb CF card! I'm using a 125mb card atm that i also had and with the camera set on JPG - FINE - LARGE i can only take 36 images. I refuse to pay around the $160 mark for a 1Gb card when i have a friend in the computer trade that can get me one for much much less.

Here is my very first picture taken with the D70 taken straight from the box with none of the settings changed at all. Given the conditions (shocking day in Melb as per usual) and the settings it didnt come out bad at all.



Jamie

[gstark]

Jamie,

stubbsy - I was wondering what lens to get (they have 3 kits on offer as well as just the body)

They may call 'em kits, but they're not.

Be very wary, and take care to get quality in exchange for your hard earned.

If the lenses in any of their kits are not Nikkors, reject those kits out of hand.

The ONLY kit lens worthwhile getting is the 18-70DX. If the throw in some other lenses (70-300G, whatever) maybe, depending upon the $$$ being asked.

But don't let them bullshit you about so-called "kits". Know your product.

[stubbsy]

Jamie - Nice first shot, but lacks a little punch which could be fixed in PP with some curves adjustment and a bump in EV. I advise you shoot RAW as your PP options (eg EV, White Balance adjustment) are being made to the image as captured whereas with JPEG you're starting with a modified image (with things like EV and WB destructively applied).

So far as batteries - I suggest you buy a non Nikon one (there are a number of third party ones around) as they're much cheaper and pretty much as good.