Please help me decide . . .

[Richard D]

OK, I've decided on a Nikon D50, mainly for the bang of the buck it has. Now the lenses:

My choices so far are to get the kit lenses that go with it, a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor Lens, and a 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED AF-S DX. No macro with either lens.

Or I can spend a bit more and get the D50 with a Tamron AF 18-200 mm F3.5 - F6.3 Di-II and have it all in one lens with Macro.

So, the Nikons are faster, but it's changing lens's in the field and no Macro.

I'll be shooting in jungle conditions and other travel stuff. Quality has to be great. If I had the money I'd get the D200 and the VR 18-200 Nikon lens, but alas . . .

[priller]

1. Well, you have a dilemma

You say "quality has to be great" but then you don't want to spend a lot either. Usually those two don't go together.

The 18-55mm kit lens is an "entry level" lens, as is the 55-200, and while they're not bad (from what I've read), they're certainly not "great" quality.

Same goes for the Tamron, which is also aimed at the budget market.

The other problem with these lenses is they are all very slow, with fairly small maximum apertures.

On the other hand, if you're going to be using it for travel and in the jungle and such, something like the Tamron (or even better, the Nikon 18-200) would be good in theory, since it will reduce the amount of lens changing going on in dusty and dirty environments.

Another option is to get the D70s with its kit lens, the 18-70, which is a very good lens, much better than the 18-55 that comes with the D50. The price has just been reduced on that camera, and in my opinion is more bang-for-the-buck than the D50. Or you can try to find a used one, since a lot of D70 users are upgrading the D200 currently.

I would mate that with the Tokina 80-200 f/2.8 AT-X AF Pro, which is a really good mid-range lens (about $475). It's fast, built like a tank (good for rugged vacations), although it's also large and quite heavy (that's what you get with the constant 2.8 aperture).

[Tallison]

2. Just decided to jump into a dSLR recently myself...

and can't decide between the D70 and Canon EOS 20D

I'd tend to go with the fastest lenses possible. Mixing long telephotos in with medium-range zooms add a lot of weight and potential shakiness.

Best of luck! I'm right behind you!