I thought it would be a good idea if I posted some information about my kit since I’ve been getting a few emails about it. So here it it:

My collection of goodies has been growing at a steady pace over the past 12 months. Below I will outline what I have, why I bought it and also consider whether or not I “need” it.

Firstly, the camera. I currently have a Nikon D70. This camera is a great performing camera. It’s not too heavy but still sturdy and it is big enough to fit in your hands nicely.

Opinion
The D70 has a reputation for being a reliable and robust camera. I’ve taken mine half way around the world and back, trekked with it & dropped but the camera hasn’t missed a beat!

Why I bought it
To take photos! Seriously though, the D70 has had nothing but good reviews. This is infact the case for most Nikons and Canons for that matter. The D70 was also in my price range.
Do I need it?
This is a silly question. However, I will add here that I’m looking forward to acquiring another camera for my kit, it would definately make life easier when doing weddings, not so many lens changes! Maybe a D200 or even a D2X would be a nice addition?

Secondly, my lenses. I currently have 3 lenses. The AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, AF Nikkor 28mm f2.8 and the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR.

The AF-S 18-70mm is ok, but definately nothing special in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a good quality lens where colour, auto-focus and size are concerned, but I think it lacks quite a bit in the sharpness & clarity department. Since purchasing my other lenses, I have cut down my usage of the 18-70 because I can do most things I want with a 28mm and a 70-200mm. It means I have to walk around a bit because I don’t have the range on either side of 28mm that the 18-70 gives me, but it pays off in image quality.

The AF 28mm is a great versatile lens. Obviously with no zoom, it requires a bit of moving around for those close up shots but it’s predominate use in my kit is for group photos and a little bit of portraiture. The photos that I take with the Nikkor AF 28mm are always very sharp and detailed. This said, I wouldn’t say the 28mm is the most versatile of focal lengths but on the Nikon D70 with it’s 1.5x multiplication factor it ends up being 42mm which is getting closer to the traditional 50mm portrait lens and with a maximum aperture of 2.8 it’s great in low light.

Now for my favourite lens. The Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f2.8 VR (Vibraton Reduction). I bought mine in Hong Kong for around $10,900 HKD which at the time was around $1,900 AUD. In Australia, these lenses were around $4,000 AUD retail and a return ticket to Hong Kong was $999 AUD. So, (at the time) it was cheaper to fly to Hong Kong, buy the lens and then fly back :). But enough about money, more about the lens…

This lens is great, if not perfect. With a constant maximum aperture of 2.8 throughout the entire zoom range it delivers clear, sharp and beautifully balanced shots. Forget the Vibration Reduction for a minute… this is a quality lens. And yes, you can buy this lens without the VR for around $1,000 AUD. It’s called the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 (obviously) :).

Now let’s switch on the Vibration Reduction. Wow! With a steady hand you now have another 2-3 stops available to you. For example, let’s say I’m shooting in low light with the non-VR version of the lens and I wan’t to use an aperture of f8 and shutter speed of 1/120 but I can’t because there’s not enough light unless I use a flash which I don’t want to do. What are my options? Well, I can raise the ISO to say 800 but that’s also going to leave me with noise in my shot which I’d rather avoid. Enter VR… when VR is switched on I can take my shutter speed down to 1/60 or even 1/40 and stay at f8 or f7.2 if I really need to and still get a sharp, nicely exposed shot under natural lighting with the depth of field exactly how I wanted it.

I’ve also taken shots with this lens at shutter speeds of a 1/4 of a second and still got a beautifully sharp image. My recommendation for anyone who is serious about their photography and is in the market for a lens of this length: give the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR serious consideration. If you can afford it, don’t even consider it, just buy it!