Nikon D70

Shutterbug · Sep 16, 2004

Nobody seems to want to answer this question in advice/reviews, so I'm going to ask this here.

Where is the BEST and CHEAPEST place to buy a D70 body? Where is the cheapest place to buy the D70 with the DX lens?

Also, is there a hotshoe adaptor for older norman light boxes? One end with a hotshow connection and the other with what looks like a two pronged extention cord?

Thanks

Chase · Sep 16, 2004

Adorama is an affiliate of this site (we get credit for your purchase if you use the link at the bottom of the page) and their price & service is pretty good.

B&H is another good resource.

Those are two I have personally used and been very happy with. I'm not sure if they are the absolute cheapest, but most of the ones that really are the cheapest may be a little questionable.

Hope that helps a little at least.

Shutterbug · Sep 16, 2004

Yikes. I don't consider 999 for just the body cheap. I mean, I've seen the body for sale for 850 at the nearest Wolf Camera.

Chase · Sep 17, 2004

Here is the problem, if you're looking for "best and "cheapest" place, you're probably not going to find it. You're more likely to find one or the other in any given reseller, finding both together is rare.

And, as I clearly stated in my message above, the two that I named both have good reputations and I have personal experience with them, but they likely aren't the cheapest. If you had only asked for cheapest, I'm sure there are some significantly less expensive places, but what level of service will they give you, will you get a full warranty, is it a gray market item, etc? If you are looking to spend close to $1,000 on something, I'd be equally interested in the reputation of the seller as the lowest possible cost.

danalec99 · Sep 17, 2004

I have purchased from B&H and Ritz and I'm happy with both of them. But I would recommend Ritz because they waive off the shipping charge if the order is above $100.

Chase · Sep 17, 2004

I've heard good things about Ritz. I initially ordered my D70 with them, but they kept delaying the ship date. I ended up cancelling my order and reordering with B&H and I had my camera in my hands 2 days later.

crystalview · Sep 17, 2004

Hey there,

I got my D70 from Ritz with the kit lens for $1160. Thats a pretty decent price from a reputable vendor. I got the camera in 5 days from order date. They did a price match for me as well. So if you can find a "lowball" price on the body/kit or whatever you're looking for, they should match it. If not, hang up, and try again. I called and talked to 3 different people. First person said "no", second gave me a price of $1269, and the third gave me $1160, price matched and shipping free of charge.

Just a little FYI. Hope it works out, let me know if you have any questions.

And like chaseman said, you can find them pretty cheap at terrible non-reputable companies, but the service and back-ordering as well as the "hard sell" they give you for purchasing "extra" items is nothing but a pain.

So my advice, take advantage of the low price from these "shady" vendors and give Ritz or whoever, the price for a pricematch.

danalec99 · Sep 17, 2004

Chase said:
I've heard good things about Ritz. I initially ordered my D70 with them, but they kept delaying the ship date. I ended up cancelling my order and reordering with B&H and I had my camera in my hands 2 days later.

Did they charge you a cancellation fee or something?

B&H is my preferred store. I bought most of my gear from there. But its the free shipping offer that made me check out Ritz.

How is Adorama's delivery time and service?

Chase · Sep 17, 2004

No cancellation fee, or else I would have been complaining like crazy. In the end, they basically told me that they couldn't confirm a ship date for me, which is what finally made me cancel.

Free shipping is definitely nice.

I've heard mostly good reviews on Adorama. I've never had a problem with them and always had great service, but a couple of people claimed that shipping took longer than expected (which, based on my Ritz experience doesn't surprise me).

danalec99 · Sep 17, 2004

Cool, thx.

Shutterbug · Sep 17, 2004

Can someone tell me if this:

http://www.sunlightics.net/nikon_d70.html

Site is Legit or not? If it is, $899 isn't a bad price for the starter kit. Ritz wants $1,300 for it.

voodoocat · Sep 17, 2004

I personally only go with reputable dealers. And the price is the same with all of them since there is a minimum retail price that is set on this camera. Anything lower and you should be suspicious.

voodoocat · Sep 17, 2004

Oh another thing... Retailers are not making much of a profit, if any, on the D70's at the full retail price.

mattvillano · Sep 17, 2004

Shutterbug said:
Can someone tell me if this:

http://www.sunlightics.net/nikon_d70.html

Site is Legit or not? If it is, $899 isn't a bad price for the starter kit. Ritz wants $1,300 for it.

there seems to be something shady about their payment methods. You might be better off going with a trusted dealer and saving yourself some trouble.