Why Would I NOT Do This Deal?

chuckinsocal

Hi Gang,

I may be getting close to upgrading to a real DSLR and I've been doing some preliminary research. I'm pretty sure I want a Nikon D80 just 'cause they're cool, it will give me lots of room to grow, and is just a good camera from what I can tell.

I tripped over this deal tonight and I'm wondering if it might be too good to be true.

The package and price, $1,087, should speak for itself. I really wanted to buy from B&H as they have such an excellent reputation but they don't even come close to this deal.

Has anyone ever heard of or done business with this company, Get It Digital?

Also, I know very little about lenses but this combo looks like it will work nicely for me assuming the quality is acceptable. I like the 300mm plus the converter because I like to do surfers and some wild life and these get me out to 600mm. But it's just dawning on me that the 18-55mm is probably too short for many applications and 70mm is too long for many "normal" applications and there is that gap between 55 and 70mm which is probably a good range for daily walking around photography and I won't have it.

The 18-135mm is probably a better choice for daily routine photography but I still want the 300mm lens for surfers and such. All very confusing.

I've seem some other packages with Tamron lenses included and they seem to be much cheaper but I haven't heard much about Tamron and I'm worried that the quality will be far below the Nikkor lenses.

Anyway, you guys are far more knowledgeable than I'll ever be about this stuff so I'm hoping you might share some of your wisdom on this package.

As always, thanks for your help.

Chuck Cannova

DonRicklin

Molsondog wrote:

Personally, I would stick with B&H or Adorama or your local independent camera store.

Don

Richard

Read the reviews carefully at ResellerRatings.com and decide for yourself. I would be a little concerned about the warranty issue raised by one reviewer.

Scott_Quier

with Molsondog on a number of points:

• The stuff that's listed in the kit - well most of it will be found in the box delivered by Nikon.
• What's not in the box, but listed in the aucton, is pretty much crap.
• That memory card is a joke - not large enough to be worth the space in takes up in the camera bag and too slow besides.
• I would suggest you take a closer look at one of these retailers (I've had good luck with all three of them, though my favorite is the first):
  • B&H Photo & Video
  • Adorama
  • 17th Street Photo

geospatial_junkie

Numerous online sellers have "deals" like this one. Be careful here, as they are mostly scams into getting you to buy more. I've heard of people getting calls after their order has been placed with a change in price.

I'll be honest with you. I won't buy anything off the internet unless it was from a reputable seller such as Amazon, B&H photo, Adorama, etc... Also, I would prefer to physically buy it in a store as I can see what I am buying (especially with a purchase of this magnitude).

Caveat emptor!

Tommyboy

As others have indicated, buy at a large, reputable e-tailer. Molsondog put it well. Along with B&H and Adorama, you could check out Canoga Camera.

These businesses have the lowest prices. Don't make yourself crazy comparison shopping trying to save pennies. Buy your stuff at one of the stores above, and do so over the phone. They are very good about giving advice and you can return something if you're dissatisfied or if it is defective.

I've done LOTS of business at B&H and Canoga and have never had a problem or regret. I only know Adorama by its reputation, but it's good.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide.

silica

B&H and Canoga are two excellent sources. Adorama is also good, especially if you order via Amazon. Adorama zealously guards their rating on Amazon, and they will bend over backwards to satisfy an Amazon customer.

Art Scott

silica wrote:

B&H and Canoga are two excellent sources. Adorama is also good, especially if you order via Amazon. Adorama zealously guards their rating on Amazon, and they will bend over backwards to satisfy an Amazon customer.

Cameta camera is also a vry reputable e-tailer.....I have purchased cameras from them without any problems and all Molsondog did a very good listing of the problem areas ofthat ebay listing.....also many times on a deal like that you will gt an order confirmation call and included is all sorts of up sells and if you turn them down then they tell you the cam you ordered is grey market and if you want the USA model it will cost upi a few hundred more......

Good Luck

chuckinsocal

Thanks gang for all your replies. You pretty much confirmed my reservations about this deal.

In fact, after sleeping on it all I decided against it even before reading your replies on several counts:

Per e-bay reviews they had 2000+ responses and none were neutral or negative. All positive. I've gotta think that out of 2000 people somebody must be pissed off, justifiably or not. 100% satisfaction was a little suspicious to me from the get go.

I did read the comments about the gray market warranty thing and that disturbed me some. And, I didn't consider that they may try to switch me after the order.

I pretty much accepted that the extras were junk but if they want to sent the stuff to me, so be it. I'll use what I can for what it's worth and trash the rest.

The lens combo bothered me as well. For the 18-55, I don't do a lot of wide angle stuff, but maybe I'd do more if I had the lens for it. If I had it mounted while walking or driving around, I'd miss a lot of shots that would be a lot better with a longer lens. For the 70-300, I think a minimum of 70mm is too long for walk around photography as I'd miss a lot of close shots that would require a wider view. Plus, I'd have that gap between 55-70 and I'm sure there are a lot of good shots in that range that I wouldn't get.

So, I'm going back to the drawing boards. First off, I'm going to only shop at the places that you guys recommend as I know I can rely on your opinions. Thank you so much for that.

Second, I think the lenses I'd be happiest with are an 18-135, which seems to be an excellent range for walking/driving around, and a longer lens up to 300 or so plus a teleconverter for surfers, wild life, etc.

But, then again, I'm a DSLR neophyte so my thoughts may or may not be valid.

Can anyone comment on the Tamron lenses? The packages that include them seem to be cheaper but I don't want to get stuck with a lens that doesn't work well.

Any comments about any of this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again to all.

Scott_Quier

chuckinsocal wrote:

Can anyone comment on the Tamron lenses? The packages that include them seem to be cheaper but I don't want to get stuck with a lens that doesn't work well.

Any comments about any of this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again to all.

I have had the Tamron 28-75 for a number of years and really like it. I have a friend that pretty much uses it exclusively for the weddings he does.

Though I've never used on, Ziggy has recommended the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 a number of times and I would pretty much trust his opinion on gear - especially as a number of other folks have really liked that lens as well.

I would strongly consider the Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS (assuming budget will cover it) - it is a killer lens and the first lens I think to use in most situations.

Another one to think about for walking around is the Canon 24-105 f/4L - I really, really like this lens for walking around. There are times when this is not quite wide enough but it doesn't happen often.

EDIT: Lost track of the fact that you're looking at Nikon - please ignore references to the Canon lens - sorry.

cmason

If you have any familiarity with film SLRs, the need for a 'very wide' lens like an 18mm is one of the first things that seems completely baffling, since for film a 28mm is 'very wide'. Remember that in a DSLR, the final image being recorded is a smaller image than film for most DSLRs, and therefore, wide angle lenses are not as 'wide' for a DSLR. This is why you see so many really wide lenses for these cameras such as '18-55', etc.

Trust us, you need wide

If you are interested in Nikon, they make a well respected 18-200 lens, especially the VR version. Its a great 'walking around lens' and isnt a bad start if you really don't know what you want.

chuckinsocal

So, How 'bout This Combo?
I pretty much gave up on the kit deals because it's too hard to compare them plus I can't find the right combination of lenses that I want so I've decided to go ala carte.

I spent the last few days comparing lenses, reading reviews, comparing prices, affordability,etc and here's what I think I want:

D80 body is a given. $730 seems to be a pretty standard price at all the stores you guys recommended.

Nikon 18-135 3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S DX walk around lens. I live in SoCal near the beach and there are many opportunities for long shots so the 18-135 should be a good range for daily use. 18-70 would really be too short on the long end. The reviews have been excellent citing minimal distortion, sharpness through most of the range, no zoom creep, etc. Some have said the AF stops working after a few months but others have not had this problem. It appears to be sample specific so I'll have to hope to get a good one. B&H has this bundled with the D80 for $999.95

Nikon 70-300 4.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF AF-S VR for when I know I'll be shooting surfers, wild life, and other long shots. It's received excellent reviews. Cameta has it for $469. I couldn't find it listed at B&H.

SanDisk 4 Gig 200x memory card. These are right around $50.00 everywhere so I doesn't really matter where I order it from.

Total investment would be around $1,520 plus shipping and I think I'll be ready to walk out the door and start shooting decent photos.

I looked at the Nikon 18-200 VR but the reviews were aweful citing too much distortion through out it's range, softness through out it's range, and zoom creep beyond the limits of acceptability.

Since you guys are far wiser than I'll ever be, I thought I'd run this all past you to see what your thoughts may be. Can I order this stuff with confidence ?

As always, thanks for your help.

Cameron

chuckinsocal wrote:

Nikon 18-135 3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S DX walk around lens. I live in SoCal near the beach and there are many opportunities for long shots so the 18-135 should be a good range for daily use. 18-70 would really be too short on the long end. The reviews have been excellent citing minimal distortion, sharpness through most of the range, no zoom creep, etc. Some have said the AF stops working after a few months but others have not had this problem. It appears to be sample specific so I'll have to hope to get a good one. B&H has this bundled with the D80 for $999.95

Nikon 70-300 4.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF AF-S VR for when I know I'll be shooting surfers, wild life, and other long shots. It's received excellent reviews. Cameta has it for $469. I couldn't find it listed at B&H.

My brother owns the D80 with both the 18-135 and the 70-300 lenses you listed above. He loves the combo. He recently picked up a 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor lens (~$100) to add some low-light abilities which you may want to consider. All-in-all I think you'd be happy with those lenses.

chuckinsocal

Thanks, Cameron, for your reply. I feel pretty comfortable with the combo, but I just wanted to run it by you guys in case I overlooked something or you guys knew something I didn't.

BTW, are those your babies on your site? Those smiles are totally infectious. Awesome kids!

Thanks again.

Tommyboy

Chuck,

It sounds as though you've picked out a good package. I'd go with it.

I always prefer the manufacturer's lenses, but a lot of folks here swear by some of the Tamrons, etc. I wouldn't argue with their experience.

You'll want other/different stuff, but there's no way to know until you get your equipment and start shooting.

Let us know what you decide.