Buying a DSLR - need advice

[cumi]

Hi,

I am planing for some time to buy a DSLR. I am almost decided, to go for Nikon D70s (the second option was Canon D350). Now I need some help/feedback/advice for the lenses. This would be my idea:

AF 70-300 G 4-5.6- I would need this actually for fun, (family-)sport actions and maybe for portaits under good light conditions. I read, that many peaple prefer this instead the D ED version (the cheaper doesn't heas to be the worse one). Here are some infos about the lens: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/70300g.htm An option instead of this would be a Sigma one with macro, like DG APO Macro or the APO Macro Super II... I am not sure if the macro option only is worth to go for Sigma instead of Nikon. Any ideas?

AF 50 1.8D - I need this under bad light conditions (indoor) and for (family-)portaits. I expect from this lens to deliver the best quality for my photos. I have a 50mm 1.8 for my (20yrs) old MF Canon SLR camera and I like it very much, so I would like to have a such one for my new DSLR. Is it worth to buy the 1.4D instead of this? Which on eyou prefer? It also costs 3x more than this one... Some infos here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/5018daf.htm.

AF-S DX 18-70 3.5-4.6 - I am not sure if I need this at all. Maybe as an all-round lens and it's wide lens (18 x 1,5 = 27mm). Some of you told me via private message, that this lens is very good, but I still don't know, if the 50 1.8D would be enough... Or should I buy this one instead of the 50 1.8D one? What do you think? What I don't want is to buy a cheap, low quality kit-lens... I would use the 50mm 1.8D instead of it... Infos here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/1870.htm

Sigma 17-70 2.8-4.5 - this would be an option to the Nikon 18-70 one. It beginns with 2/3 stop lower and has a macro. But it's Sigma... Any experiences? Would you prefer this to Nikon one?

Actually, Canon has almost identical lens, so if I decide to go for Canon, there is a Canon replacement for these...

Any ideas or comments warmly welcome!

Thanks,

 

[dsp921]

I have both the 18-70mm Nikkor and the 50mm 1.8 Nikkor. I think that the 18-70 is a very good lens, and not a cheap low quality "kit" lens by any means. There are certainly kit lenses that fall into that category, but the 18-70 is not one of those, in my opinion. The 50mm is a great lens for the money, it is very sharp and works great in low light and for indoor gatherings and such. For me the 50 would not cover enough to use as a general purpose lens. I keep the 18-70 on my camera most of the time. It really depends on your personal style and needs. I also have the 70-300ED, I orginally bought the G, based on Rockwell's site, but I did not agree that the "G" was as good. The build quality on the ED is much better than the plastic G. I found that the images from the ED were better than the G. I ended up giving away the G version to get the ED. These 3 lenses pretty much cover what I need at the moment, once my D200 shows up, I'll have to start looking at better glass.

 

[cumi]

Thanks dsp921! Do you use these lens with D70? About the G vs. ED, you think it's worth the 2,5x prise? Did you had any specific problem with G?

 

[dsp921]

Yeah, I'm using a D70s right now. For me the ED was worth the extra money, I can't say if that would be the case for everyone. I think the pictures are sharper, not a huge difference, though. The build quality is substantially better on the ED lens. The G is plastic, including the mount. I would suggest going to a local shop and actually holding the lenses you are thinking about. Put them on your camera and take a few test shots. Something else to consider would be the new 18-200 VR lens. That would cover just about everything. I'd probably still keep my 50mm/1.8, though. That's my plan when I go to the D200, get the 18-200 VR, keep the 50 and eventually add some fast primes.

 

[cumi]

What are you using for macro-shoots?

Any comments to the Sigma 17-70?

 

[dsp921]

I don't do much macro stuff. I can get decent close-ups with the 70-300 if I need to. It focuses at around 5 feet and at 200 - 300 that gets you pretty close in.
I don't have any experience with the Sigma, but given the choice I prefer Nikkor glass. The Nikkor 18-70 is a very nice lens, I had no reason to look for something else in that range.