Who wants to see me burn money?

[AlexColeman]

Ok, so 24-70, 11-16, 105 VR, and a gitzo 'pod?

 

[Samanax]

Do you want another carbon leg tripod? How heavy duty?

Are you going to reuse the Manfrotto 222 head or do you want another head? Arca-Swiss?

 

[Overread]

sounds good - landscape (plus those "creative" closups of horses and dogs ) - good studio and general zoom lens - and a longer portrate and macro lens

But don't forget the flash - if have one that is fine - but if you don't consider dropping of the lenses (I would say the landscape possibly - or the macro - the middle I think is a certain for you unless you want to go primes for those focal lengths covered)

 

[TUX424]

you dont have enough money for the 24-70, 11-16, 105 VR and tripod the lens by themselves equals $3200 not counting money spent on a tripod the 35-70 2.8 is $1100 less then the 24-70 2.8

 

[sultan]

Send the money to me and some day I shall reward you...

Now, I suggest just buying the tripod and keeping the rest of the money for future use. You seem to have all the important gear. If you insist on spending, how about a D700 instead? If you buy a D700, then sell the 16-85 and replace it with a 24-70 f/2.8.

 

[Overread]

you dont have enough money for the 24-70, 11-16, 105 VR and tripod the lens by themselves equals $3200 not counting money spent on a tripod the 35-70 2.8 is $1100 less then the 24-70 2.8

why go for the 25-70mm? granted its covering the same range, but I would expect its image quality to be lesser than the 24-70mm (noticably so). Provided that this is a range the OP will use freaquently (and I am guessing it is) they really should look to the best lenses they can get - good glass willl give a much bigger boost to image quality than a new camera body will

 

[AlexColeman]

Sam- Yes, I love how light they are. General purpose. Prefereably new head, I am interested in a ball head.

Over- Two SB 600s. I feel pretty comfortable lens wise.

The biggest thing will be the tripod.

Also, $3,000 is a guide, it is closer to 4, but just to give you an idea of a budget. And glass will last longer then a D700.

 

[kundalini]

Portrait lens - either the 105 f/2.8 VR or the 85mm f/1.4.

Zoom lens - either the 17-55mm f/2.8 or the 24-70mm f/2.8

 

[AlexColeman]

Yeah, now I just gotta pick! Any help as to the tripod? I am thinking about going with the 105, and the 17-55. Any thoughts?

 

[Tolyk]

Nikkor 24-70 2.8 (1700ish US)
vs
Nikkor 17-55 2.8 (1300ish US)
vs
Sigma 24-70 2.8 (430ish US)

If you plan on going full frame, the 24-70 is a better choice. The 17-55 is a very nice lens, but is a DX lens after all. The 24-70 is a beautiful lens, no matter what size sensor you put it in front of. Or there's the Sigma, for considerably less, it's a pretty decent lens, and you'd be able to spend more on the other stuff.

Nikkor 85 1.4 (1200ish US)

Great portrait lens, probably the best you can get!

So, if you went with the 85 and the 17-55, that's 2500 already, 500 left for tripod. Do you need just the legs or a head as well? The legs I recommend from Gitzo would be GM1931 or 1932, around 320 bucks from what I could find.

(pricing based off what I found quickly on Adorama, didn't shop around)

 

[AlexColeman]

Good point, I am thinking 17-55, with 105 VR, I need to get a new head as well.

 

[Tolyk]

Good point, I am thinking 17-55, with 105 VR, I need to get a new head as well.

The 105 is nice, but the depth of field control on the 85 is much nicer. Though, if you want to get into macro work, the 105 is definitely the best choice, it really is an amazing lens.

As far as a head goes, what kind do you like? Off-center ball head, long lens head, full action ball head? Etc.. Need more details there. Heads really come down to preference and function. If you mostly do sports where you pan for instance, a 3-way head is often better.

 

[AlexColeman]

Not alot of sports, landscapes and architecture are probably the main uses, night photos as well. As for the 105, I would appreciate the flexibility alot more. Should I add a ring flash as well?

 

[usayit]

should be enough for some lighting.

 

[Dao]

i will vote for a 85mm 1.8 or 1.4