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Nikon is getting in trouble with the shortage of the kit lens 18-70Dx.
No stock around the globe, that why they delay in shipping of the D70s with kit lens.

Maybe they need to take a lesson from Harvey Norman and stock it with the less superior but cheaper 28-80.

There is absolutely no excuse for that... Nikon run one of the most sophisticated manufacturing planning systems in the world - SAP...

Someone cocked up!!! Probably marketing not talking to production again!!!

Likewise, US consumers on the whole are still awaiting the official release of the D70s into their markets, while their Canadian cousins have had limited stocks filter through to some dealers.

If they can't control the price, they control the supply...
Those wishing to offload their 18-70 kit lenses currently are in a good position to demand decent 2nd hand values IMO.

Mines up for grabs - if anyone wants one - make an offer

I should feel pretty pleased that I walked into a shop yesterday and got mine with the kit lens then! I did have it on order with someone else but they reported this exact problem.

Ed.

edneeves wrote:I should feel pretty pleased that I walked into a shop yesterday and got mine with the kit lens then! I did have it on order with someone else but they reported this exact problem.

Ed.

You're lucky if you get one with the D70s! or perhaps you got the D70

The D70s has been in every Camera store I've visited with Nikon. didn't check if they had the kit lens though.
Looks Like I'm going to be buying me one. I was thinking of getting the body only and sourcing out the kit lens for cheaper from someone who upgraded to the 24-120 or something. Jordan I'd definitely buy yours if you weren't on the other side of the globe...how much would shipping be anyways?
Anyhoo, what are everyone's thoughts on this? Should I try and find an older cheaper D70 instead? I haven't seen any around lately, should I just get the D70s with kit. I like the cable release, when I played with it in the store the screen didn't really look that much bigger to make much of a difference...and everything else is of course in the firmware upgrade. Am I missing anything?

dooda,
You may only see the D70s body only, though the lens is in severe shortage.
OK, I've found out now, you want the second body instead of going to Down Under for the AA Good choice!

edneeves wrote:I should feel pretty pleased that I walked into a shop yesterday and got mine with the kit lens then! I did have it on order with someone else but they reported this exact problem.

Ed.

Your avatar is soooooooooooo cool...

I just wasted about a minute staring at it!

Yep, very lucky as I definately have a D70s!

Ed.

Does that mean i might miss out as well ?

edneeves wrote:Yep, very lucky as I definately have a D70s!

Ed.

Yes, if stock is in Sydney, it means the D70s is a fresh stock and the the lens is an ex-stock, Maxwell and their resellers still have number of D70 and kit lens, they want to do a quick move of stock by married their ex-stock with the new D70s.

Finally the D70s is cheaper than the D70, and I've been told perhaps few hidden secrets with Nikon: why it's cheaper than the D70.

leek wrote:There is absolutely no excuse for that... Nikon run one of the most sophisticated manufacturing planning systems in the world - SAP...

[cough] they probably use it like most other companies do - badly!

I dunno to be honest. Its all comes in the one box with the 18-70 lens. I'm not too fussed as long as I have my camera and don't have to wait a month.

Please don't tell me that the D70s is an inferior camera!?! I would be gutted to hear that especially after waiting for it to come out!

Go on... give it to me gently

Ed.

edneeves wrote:I dunno to be honest. Its all comes in the one box with the 18-70 lens. I'm not too fussed as long as I have my camera and don't have to wait a month.

Please don't tell me that the D70s is an inferior camera!?! I would be gutted to hear that especially after waiting for it to come out!

Go on... give it to me gently

Ed.

Don't worry about it, I tried it few weeks now, quite happy with it.
Question which many people asked me: it's so cheap than the D70, why? they don't think Nikon is generous in doing it by dropping the prices.
Me too, I also have my same question.

Birddog114 wrote:Finally the D70s is cheaper than the D70, and I've been told perhaps few hidden secrets with Nikon: why it's cheaper than the D70.

Is there anything you can share with us, Birddog???? I'm dying to know this inside scoop that you've picked up. I promise not to tell anybody.

maybe you might need to pull them apart and compare

Catcha wrote:maybe you might need to pull them apart and compare

Ben,
Your dream may not comes true, cos I can't get any lens (18-70Dx) from o/s.

arrghh please don't say that......i've been hanging out this for so long, being doing my research and asking questions from various members to come to a dead end..........

JordanP wrote:Mines up for grabs - if anyone wants one - make an offer

So is mine

Catcha wrote:arrghh please don't say that......i've been hanging out this for so long, being doing my research and asking questions from various members to come to a dead end..........

Get the D70s body and buy the lens from members or switch to the 24-120VR.
Most members they sell their 18-70Dx cos they have the 24-120VR or other lens.

Birddog114 wrote:

Catcha wrote:arrghh please don't say that......i've been hanging out this for so long, being doing my research and asking questions from various members to come to a dead end..........

Get the D70s body and buy the lens from members or switch to the 24-120VR.
Most members they sell their 18-70Dx cos they have the 24-120VR or other lens.

Ok well it's a delay of shortage. How long?, i'm willing to wait it out till the middle of June.

Sorry, no ETA

sheepie wrote:

leek wrote:There is absolutely no excuse for that... Nikon run one of the most sophisticated manufacturing planning systems in the world - SAP...

[cough] they probably use it like most other companies do - badly!

Sad, but true...

For people on this site, what are they wanting to get; and what do they think they'll get realistically and still be happy.

I got told from an Australian distributor that they expected to receive the Kit Lenses for the D70s at the end of the month. I'm not sure how reliable this is but you would have thought that Nikon would be reasonably swift at resolving this issue.

Ed.

Maxwell is a sole distributor of Nikon products in Australia and New Zealand. No other.

I had a camera on order with a store and when I went it to collect they said that the lenses weren't available for a limited time. They called their distributor (maybe it was Maxwell?) and the person on the end of the phone told the store that the lenses would be in by the end of the month.

This is either a statement from someone that isn't sure about the facts at this distribution company or maybe their is hope for those that are waiting for the D70s Kit.

Ed.

edneeves wrote:I had a camera on order with a store and when I went it to collect they said that the lenses weren't available for a limited time. They called their distributor (maybe it was Maxwell?) and the person on the end of the phone told the store that the lenses would be in by the end of the month.

This is either a statement from someone that isn't sure about the facts at this distribution company or maybe their is hope for those that are waiting for the D70s Kit.

Ed.

So, you were lucky to get one kit yesterday in the same store.

Oh no I didn't get mine there for the aforementioned reasons. I went down the road to another camera store to see if they had any instock. It just so happens that they got just one in that morning.

Needles to say I took it

Ed.

Hi guys ,Im new here and i have been looking around at a new camera.I didnt even know what a slr meant until two weeks ago .I got my old camera stolen (fujifnepix) and i have been looking at the d70 or the canon350???,i think.I have read that the d70 has a better standard lens but from what you guys are saying i would be better to just buy the camera and buy a lens separetely???????.Is there a website that unravels the camera jargon into plain english as i have read a lot of the posts on here to learn before i post something really stupid but i cant seem to understand a lot of it Many thanks stephen

stephen wrote:Hi guys ,Im new here and i have been looking around at a new camera.I didnt even know what a slr meant until two weeks ago .I got my old camera stolen (fujifnepix) and i have been looking at the d70 or the canon350???,i think.I have read that the d70 has a better standard lens but from what you guys are saying i would be better to just buy the camera and buy a lens separetely???????.Is there a website that unravels the camera jargon into plain english as i have read a lot of the posts on here to learn before i post something really stupid but i cant seem to understand a lot of it Many thanks stephen

Hi Stephen -
welcome. You've come to a good place with a lot of friendly helpful people. If you use the search engine on the left side of the home page of this site you'll find lots of answers to your questions. If you search for more than one word, choose search options, enter the words and choose search all terms. That will get better results. You'll also find more in the Absolute Beginners Questions section. Don't be shy about asking things, but try and do a search first. Again, welcome.

Try this link below for starters. The first part applies to film SLR's and Digital and at the bottom is a link for more on Digital. Obviously we are partial to Nikon and feel it offers the best value.

http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/feelnikon/kumon/

Stephen,

The first thing I'd encourage you to do is to place your location into your profile. We'll be able to help you a hell of a lot more with that information.

The second thing I'd is invite you to visit a camera store and have a hands on play with both the 350 and D70. While they're both capable of helping you to make very good images, they're each very different cameras, with the 350 targeted more down-market at the P&S shooter, whereas the feature set on the D70 won't be as restrictive as and when (if) you move into the more creative aspects of photography.

As to lenses, yes, the kit lens on the 350 is generally acknowledged to be crap - consider the kit lens from the 20D (or even the 20D as a further alternate camera) which is a much better lens.

The Nikkor 18-70 is an exceptional lens and great value for money, but many of us have switched to the 24-120VR, which is an absolute bargain lens considering its quality and the technology involved. Be wary of dealers offering lenses other than the Nikkor 18-70 as the 'kit" lens; for the D70, nothing else is, and while they may be trying to sell you a "kit", other lenses are not the "kit" lens.

Bottom line .... D70 w/kit lens, 20D w/kit lens, or 350D w/20D kit lens.

Thanks for the repies guys,I have been to a shop and looked and played with both the 350d And the D70 and i personally liked the D70 better .My girlfriend liked the canon better for looking through the eyepiece at but she is not buying it so thats that sorted haha.
What benefits would the 24-120v have over the standard lens and what kind of price would a lens like that cost.If i am going into the camera shops at the moment would they be showing me the D70 or the D70s as i believe one of them needs a software upgrade????,i would obviously want to avoid that cost if possible.
I will go into the beginners section and read a lot as i am probably posting in the wrong forumn,but thankyou for the help and i will hopefully learn fast,Cheers Stephen

Stephen,
I would recommend that if you can get a D70 at the right price, grab it, otherwise get a D70s. The 2 cameras are virtually identical. Don't worry about the firmware upgrade if you get a D70, it takes 5 minutes and if you have enough computer literacy to post here, you have enough smarts to do the upgrade

I started with the 18-70 kit lens and yes, I did get a 24-120, however I've kept my 18-70 as it is an excellent lens and comes in handy for a wider angle. I would recommend getting the kit lens and learning how to use the camera with that, it won't let you down. Later on you can expand your lens collection as you work out what you like to photograph. For example, a 12-24 if your find yourself attracted to landscapes or maybe 70-200 for fast action sports or even the 80-400 or a long zoom prime if you like taking pics of small birds from the other side of the continent

As far as lens prices go, if you become an active member of this community, you may find there is some pleasant suprises coming your way  PS: Even if you do a Darth Vader and embrace the dark side (Canon), you are still welcome here

Stephen,
Hardly to find a D70 now, if it's still available then it's old stock.
The D70s is the ones to go, you'll in love with it as soon as you take into your ownership.

While i was at the footy saturday i noticed this fella taking a few pics of the players and low and behold he was using the D70s, he came up and said hello and i said he should have fun but wandered off before i could tell him about us. Anyhow i think he might have been a bit put off that the fact was i was taking pictures of the action at the other end of the oval while standing at the opposit end.

Jhondec Or anyone for that matter.What kind of price should the camera shops be selling the D70s for.And in the kit should they be supplying anything else,batteries, flash, case???.Thankyou Stephen

Hi! Stephen,

Welcome to the forum!

I won't repeat the good advice already given, but here in Perth there are not many camera shops that sell the D70(s). I would suggest you make a decision as to what one (camera) suits you, and then put your "business" hat on and do the rounds of the shops available here. Don't forget to wheel & deal, the BIGGEST CF card(s) you can afford (Sandisk IMHO).

I have noticed the D70 stocked by Harvey Normals, if you can get a kit there at a competitive price?. And yes the 18-70 kit lense is an excellant one to start with.

Happy Hunting!

Regards, Andyt

stephen wrote:Jhondec Or anyone for that matter.What kind of price should the camera shops be selling the D70s for.And in the kit should they be supplying anything else,batteries, flash, case???.Thankyou Stephen

I can't answer the price question unfortunately, but probably some price checking/negotiation with local camera stores and harvey norman should give you a good idea. Ebay is an option as well. You will get the camera battery with the camera. As far as a case goes, some retailers might chuck in a cheap bag to get the sale. Flash: The D70 comes with an "adequate" inbuilt pop up flash, for a "proper" flash, you will need an SB-600 or SB-800 and for them you are talking several hundred dollars

stephen wrote:What benefits would the 24-120v have over the standard lens and what kind of price would a lens like that cost.If i am going into the camera shops at the moment would they be showing me the D70 or the D70s as i believe one of them needs a software upgrade????,i would obviously want to avoid that cost if possible.
I will go into the beginners section and read a lot as i am probably posting in the wrong forumn,but thankyou for the help and i will hopefully learn fast,Cheers Stephen

Stephen,

If you can find a D70, look for it at a very attractive price; it's old stock, it's superceded, it's last year's model - all of which should bring about a serious price drop - and it loses nothing in functionality to the D70s.

The software upgrade is a non-issue. The download is free, and it's a five minute job to install.

Basically, whichever body is the cheaper is what you should look at getting.

The 24-120 gains you 40mm of reach at the long end, but loses you 6mm at the wide end. That may (or may not) be important to you, depending upon the sort of shooting that you do.

The VR technology can give you up to an extra three stops of low-light shooting capability through the vibration reduction technology, and I think that while the kit lens is quite sharp, the 24-120 is significantly moreso.

Price-wise, yes, it's more expensive, but there can be some deals to be found.

Suffice to say that there are a significant number of D70 users (myself included) that have abandoned the kit lens and replaced it with the 24-120VR.

Finally, remember too to budget for a decent sized CF card. look for a good price on a 1G 40x card; that will help you get the best out of the camera.

In shooting the wedding this weekend I found myself wanting the 24-120. As photojournalist style is in these days, I find myself wanting to be as inconspicuous as possible, and the the 24-120 would afford me that luxury while shooting at the long end not worrying about shake. However, until that wedding I've had no need for 24-120, or atleast my need wasn't really great enough to necessitate actually buying one. Now however if I pursue Wedding photography more seriously I will soon look into getting one, and also a 12-24 for the wide end rendering the kit totally useless, but that's a lot of money in the future...money that I don't exactly have right now.
Good luck in finding a D70, they're pretty rare these days unfortunately, because I'd gladly grab one (body only) and it wouldn't put me out a whole lot. As for now I'll make do until the D70s price comes down a bit or I find a better deal. If you're a casual shooter, don't do any pro stuff, don't find a need for major tele stuff, I'd recommend the kit, then save up and get a 70-300 G or ED (I have the ED and find the results quite good). This will give you all the length and width that most of us need for just getting great shots. Now if you plan on pursuing a career type thing out of this, well you might consider investing a little in nicer glass.
The 24-120 gets some controversial reviews on the net, but I think it's scientists with microscopes that can't be noticed to the human eye. Nikkor doesn't put out bad glass, even their budget stuff isn't bad.

Here in the States all the legitimate Nikon reseller sell the D70's for within a couple dollars of same price to stay on Nikon's goodside. (This "Fair Trade" was outlawed in the 1970's but continues. Bose is an excellent example.) They can throw in accessorie and stuff to get around the issue (Bose is a bad example here, they won't even allow there dealers to do that).

Last month a friend of mine bought a D70 at Samy's Camera in LA (gary and birddog are familiar with it) and they automatically gave him a box with a (cheap) tripod and soft case, plus a 1Gb (no name) CF card. Fine for him right now.

I bought a D70 backup body the same day and they were going to give me the same package. I took a 67mm Hoya UV filter and 1Gb card instead. I probably could have done better, but I sure didn't want that G-damn tripod!

SoCal Steve wrote:I bought a D70 backup body the same day and they were going to give me the same package. I took a 67mm Hoya UV filter and 1Gb card instead. I probably could have done better, but I sure didn't want that G-damn tripod!

While in the LA region at the start of the year, I bought a new camcorder at Circus City, and the deal they wanted to offer me included a bag and tripod. I refused to accept that, instead offering to accept from them some MiniDV tapes. I in fact made it very clear what I thought of their "free" tripod, and that they were insulting my intelligence by even offerring it to me.

You should have seen the fun and games that caused them; they couldn't do it, and didn't want to do it. As I'm (a) one who rarely lets the word "never' become an issue, and (b) the customer, I challenged that, to the point of calling the corporate office the next morning and having senior management point out to the store sales manager the error of his ways.

Some people are just so damn stupid!