# Is this a good deal....1300 bucks



## JerseyScape (Nov 18, 2005)

Well, I'm tempted to buy this camera with all the goodies included. Is this deal worth it, especially since I'll be taking aquarium pics most of the time?

Let me know what you think. I'm not good with cameras so I am unsure as to what half of the stuff in that package does. 

Thanks for the help.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-D70S-D70-S-Digital-SLR-USA-Camera-3300-PKG-NEW_W0QQitemZ7594522477QQcategoryZ43456QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## JaySilverman (Jun 19, 2005)

You're asking a bunch of fish and plant people about cameras? If I were you I would go to a photography board for the best results.


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Kamil,

#1 Are you into aquarium ONLY photography or you plan to use this for other "family" type purposes ?

#2. Are you set on D70s vs. D70 ? Both are excellent cameras with not much of a difference. Price should be noticeably lower for D70 (*check ebay)
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0504/05042003nikond70s.asp#compared - see differences between Sversion vs. NonS

Do not jump on "kit" wagon.

My honest feedback about the package:

1. Camera / body - D70s is excellent camera
2. 18-70mm lens - excellent choice for walk-around purposes. This one was non-officially "announced" as an excellent Nikon lens for the price compare to other brands.
3. Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF - nothing special
4. Titanium .45x Wide Angle Lens - "garbage". Wide angle is wide angle. Unless you get 12-24mm or wider, I wouldn't even pay attention to that.
5. 3 Piece HIGH Resolution Filter Kit - some cheap filter. Wouldn't bother
6. Sandisk 1GB Extreme III CompactFlash - excellent card ! I would start looking into 2GB especially if you start using RAW format
7. USB Compact Flash Card Reader - not bad
8. Heavy Duty Aluminum Hard Case w/Dividers - not bad
9. Deluxe All Weather Proof Carrying Case - not bad
10. Deluxe Video & Photo Tripod - cheap tripod

As you can see, companies try to "throw" things in to make it look "WOW". Your typical marketing move. If you are serious about aquatic photography I would look into true macro lens 1:1 - either Nikon 105mm or 60mm as well as external flash. Look into body ONLY deal, get 18-70mm as your everyday lens, 105 or 60mm as macro and SB-600 or SB-800 external flash.

Let me know if you have additional questions.


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## JerseyScape (Nov 18, 2005)

Jay, 

Great advice, thanks. I will start looking into the various things that you recommended.


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## fish7days (Jul 30, 2005)

I just got a D70s and 18-70 from Cameta Camera on Ebay for $1,034. I agree with Jay's post. I have some other lenses, so I'm okay and had a memory card. They did however throw in a Nikon bag, which is really only worth $20 or 30, but I liked the fact that they accepted money orders as I did not want to use a credit card. It was not the very cheapest, but I felt confident that I would not be scammed, and I was not. I did not feel the same way about some other sellers claiming to have the same item in stock for way under $1K. They often drop ship and you'll wait for weeks !!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-D70s-Digital-SLR-Camera-18-70mm-Lens-Kit-NEW-USA_W0QQitemZ7594000709QQcategoryZ107912QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## [email protected] (May 12, 2005)

Jay really knows what he is talking about-- so...listen to him on this 

There are many here who know a lot about fish, plants, AND cameras, Jay chiefly among them-- especially Nikon.


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Andre is right ....

Please don't forget to check http://www.resellerratings.com/ and search for specific store !!!

I agree with Andre - Cometa is a good and trustworthy place !


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> Jay really knows what he is talking about-- so...listen to him on this
> 
> There are many here who know a lot about fish, plants, AND cameras, Jay chiefly among them-- especially Nikon.


Jeff,

You are too much !

*There are many here who know a lot about substrate AND PowerSand, Jeff chiefly among them.* - inside joke :clap2:


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## JerseyScape (Nov 18, 2005)

Do you think that it's a good time to buy one now or are these things getting cheaper week by week? Sometimes I am hesitant to buy very expensive things as I'm afraid that in 6 months it will be half price. Is this the case here?

I looked up the camera through the various sites you posted and found it at around 1000 bucks, flash was ~180, and 105mm lens can be had for ~500. Would that be all I would need if I decided to bite the bullet and buy one?


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

JerseyScape said:


> Do you think that it's a good time to buy one now or are these things getting cheaper week by week? Sometimes I am hesitant to buy very expensive things as I'm afraid that in 6 months it will be half price. Is this the case here?


Kamil,

Just like with any electronic item, once you leave the store you automatically have an outdated gadget. You can not win it here. Camera body is the worst investment in this business but everyone goes through it so its not a big deal, right  What is really important in photography - are lenses. This is a long term investment. When you spend good money on the lens, you should be able to maintain that same or little less value throughout the years. 


> I looked up the camera through the various sites you posted and found it at around 1000 bucks, flash was ~180, and 105mm lens can be had for ~500. Would that be all I would need if I decided to bite the bullet and buy one?


I will not comment on the body price since I don't know where you getting the quotes from. Flash, I'm assuming SB-600, is about right. Looking into SB-800 as well. Although a bit more expensive but you can use it as MASTER flash and control additional flashes setup as Slave. Again, long term investment. 105mm - Is this new ? I haven't seen 105 for that much.


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