Nikon D70s kit lens? (1 Viewer)

I've been following the camera dilemma thread closely as I hopefully get to buy a new set this week. Right now I'm leaning towards the Nikon D70s + kitlens and a Sigma 170-500.
I've had the Nikon in my hands and found the kitlens to be a bit difficult to zoom in and out. Manual focus had the same difficulty. It felt like the lens was not rotating smoothly. Can anybody comment on the quality of the Nikon kitlens - handling as well as picture quality?
Also I'm still not certain if there is a teleconverter for the Nikon and the Sigma 170-500 f5.6 wich will not stop the lens down to f11 and keeps the autofocus operating. Any suggestions on that?

Thanks!
Nils

Nils K said:

I've been following the camera dilemma thread closely as I hopefully get to buy a new set this week. Right now I'm leaning towards the Nikon D70s + kitlens and a Sigma 170-500.
I've had the Nikon in my hands and found the kitlens to be a bit difficult to zoom in and out. Manual focus had the same difficulty. It felt like the lens was not rotating smoothly. Can anybody comment on the quality of the Nikon kitlens - handling as well as picture quality?
Also I'm still not certain if there is a teleconverter for the Nikon and the Sigma 170-500 f5.6 wich will not stop the lens down to f11 and keeps the autofocus operating. Any suggestions on that?

Thanks!
Nils

Click to expand...

Here's the Sigma teleconverter compatability chart
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/photo/lenstech/sigconvchart.html

it doesn't list the 170-500 but as you can see from similar lenses you'll have to focus manually - no big deal and sometimes a positive advantage.

The kit lens is very good - mine focuses and zooms very smoothly - not much use for bird photography though.

I like the kit lens a lot as it has no chromatic abberation (purple fringeing) which plagued the other digital cameras I've owned.

I have the 170-500 and for the money it's very good, I hand hold it a lot but wouldn't go without a tripod - I also use a monopod but don't really like it unless it's pushed into some mud or sand.

My most used and cheapest lens is the Sigma 70-300 Super II APO Macro which is ideal for birds you can get fairly close to and for dragonflies as it focus down to something like 16 inches - the 170-500 focusses to something like 16 feet (5 metres) which can be a problem.

The Sigam tc's are not designed for use with this lens, they can be used, but the auto focus will not work and you will have to switch it off. Be warned when a 1.4x tc is fitted to this lens you cannot fully retract the lens, if you move it to far you' bash the tc against the lens. Sorry I've nto used the Nikon kit lens...

Any teleconverter on the Sigma would be awful for autofocus... the lens is f6.3 rated, not f5.6, so you're stretching things as they are, although f6.3 is not a huge problem as it is on the Nikons.

As postcard has said, there are also some collision issues with a teleconverter fitted.
Cheers,
Andy

500mm of reach might be plenty anyway, Nils.

I use the 135-400mm Sigma (physically all but identical to the 170-500mm - probably the same lens but for an extra piece of glass in the longer lens) handheld on my D70, and I never find myself wishing for more.

If I can't get a really close-up shot, I take the picture anyway, with the bird as part of the whole scene rather than as the sole subject.

Try the 170-500mm without worrying about a teleconvertor: you might be pleasantly surprised by how satisfying it is.

There are some half-decent shots in my gallery that might persuade you...

However much zoom you've got you'll always want more - as Keith says, it's a matter of doing the best with what you have because even doubling the length won't fill the frame with a tiny bird miles away and you'll probably miss the shot altogether or get something out of focus or blurry.

Good to know the kitlens is fine, probably was a fluke I held.

Right now I'm using a EOS 33 with a 650-1200 Exacta tele, I've had no good results from that lens. What I do like about it is that it allows you to get a shot at a small bird from up to 25 mtrs away (not frame filling but you can recognize the bird). So I'd like to have somewhere around 1000 mm of lens to work with, a 500 mm on a Nikon gives 750 mm and a converter would give that little bit extra.
I'll probably go with your advice to use the lens without a tc and will start following lessons on how to sneak up to small birds. Save some money to, always nice.

Thanks all for the info.
Nils