Nikon D70s
One of the pleasures of buying a digital SLR camera is putting together your own collection of lenses and accessories. This 6-megapixel model offers plenty of advanced controls, but you'll need to make some additional purchases to take full advantage of them. These items will help you get the most out of Nikon's very capable consumer dSLR without bumping you up to the professional-dSLR price range.
This Nikon-compatible Sigma lens will give you an angle of view that's equivalent to what you'd get with a 105mm-to-300mm lens on a 35mm-film camera. That flexible range is useful for a broad variety of subjects, from portraits to sports to wildlife. The lens's f/2.8 aperture will also give you decent low-light performance if you want to shoot without a flash. If you're on a budget and want to buy a telephoto zoom, consider Nikon's own
55mm-to-200mm f/4-to-f/5.6 G ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens.
An external flash unit will give you a lot more power than the built-in flash, and it lets you use a bounce flash for better-looking results. The D70s not only has a hotshoe that you can mount the flash on, but it can also wirelessly control remote units from the camera. That means you can position the SB-600 (or multiple SB-600s) anywhere around your subject and make them fire simultaneously for your shot.
You can use any CompactFlash card to save your photos on the D70s--just make sure you equip yourself with one that's large enough to get you through a day of shooting. This 1GB card should do the trick, and it's fast enough to give you optimal drive-mode performance as well.
You should protect your lens with a UV filter, but you should also avoid putting a piece of cheap glass in front of a good lens. B+W filters use high-quality Schott glass and have brass rings that won't bend or have trouble attaching to and detaching from the lens. Make sure you get the right filter size for your lens. A 67mm filter will fit on the D70s kit lens. After a UV filter, consider getting a circular polarizing lens to cut glare and improve contrast.
This Nikon has excellent battery life, but it's always good to carry a spare. Better yet, pick up a couple so that you can keep one in the charger and one with you in case you run low on power while you're shooting.
The D70s supports this remote, which you can use to trip the shutter when you have the camera on a tripod. It's so cheap, there's no reason not to pick one up.
To get the best image quality and the most image-processing power out of your D70s, save your photos to raw format. The best way to process raw images is with Nikon's Capture software, which unfortunately isn't included with the camera. You'll have to shell out an additional $100 for it, but if you're a serious photographer, it will be worth the extra money.
This sturdy tripod can elevate your camera higher than six feet, and it has a geared center column to prevent accidental slips. It also has a level built in so that you can align your shots with the horizon. The rubber feet come off to reveal spikes that will give you a firm hold on rough terrain. The tripod head that you attach the camera to is sold separately; you can choose any compatible Manfrotto model. For less than $300, you can buy the 475B legs and a
3025 3D Junior head together.
