Shop Digital Direct

[Ric]

has anyone bought from http://shopdigitaldirect.com/catalog/index.php
Im thinking about upgrading to the Nikon D80

[4x4mike]

When I got my DSLR the D50 was about to come out. Everyone was waiting and I got in line and paid full retail. At the time you couldn't find them anywhere so I thought I was lucky. Not long after more models came out and now the 50 isn't even on Nikon's website. That;s alright though, mine has treated me well.

Anyways, I did a ton of research back when all of this was going down. One site I found was resellerratings.com. It steered me away from some places. Who knows where the info came from but I didn't want to take chances with that much money. Shopdigitaldirect has a 6 month rating of 0.5/10, like less than one. I found this with some places I was dealing with. I could find the same companies ebay store and they would have a 99-100% rating. Like I said the D50 used to be a hot camera and most stores didn't have it but that didn't stop the mail/internet houses from selling you one and then not shipping or trying to sell you up when you called in to check on the order. Another thing to look out for is the grey market. There are places on line to check it out. Lot's of lens and camera bodies that are fakes or not covered under warranty. I ended up buying all my junk from Ritz.

[Ric]

good info, thankx for the website :thumbup:

[4x4mike]

YMMV, like I said check Ebay. Keep in mind you can buy just the body and get lenses else where. You may need a couple of lens depending on what you're shooting. The kit lenses may not be as good as what you'd buy as a single lens.

I couldn't find if they had an ebay store but google shopdigitaldirect and reviews or ratings. They don't fair so well.
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/shop-digital-direct-c147658.html

[Ric]

Im going to stay away from them... heres some reviews from the site you provided
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Shop_Digital_Direct#reviews

should have known, lol again, thankx for the site :thumbup:

[neliconcept]

ric best sites for best prices

calumetphoto
bhphotovideo
adorama

abc's

[neliconcept]

dunno why you are going the nikon route, but if you can jump for the d90

[wyorunner]

i agree with neli, go with the d90, thats my next camera. im still shooting the d70.

neli, do you use canon or what?

[Ric]

after s little research, the d90 video will heat up if you use the video mode more than a few minutes at a time, i was looking at that, thought it would be super cool to have video and still pics in one unit, but i dont want to risk burning or melting something.
now this is second hand info, as i dont know anyone with the d90. i may even go with the d60, from this http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp the d80 and d60 (for me) they are pretty much the same.

[neliconcept]

dpreview is reputable, check out fredmiranda.com as well, dp does one time reviews, ppl at FM have actually used them quite a lot.

wyo yeah i use canon

i have just sprung for a canon 1d mkiin

[Brunoski]

The difference between D60 and D80 is that like the D40, the D60 has no built AF motor, which is a pain if you have reguler lenses, thus requires you to get AF-S lenses. If you want to save weight get the D60 over the D80, if you want to save money get the D40, I love mine.

I too had my eye out on the D90. I do not see a reason why it would heat and break on you. A reputable company like Nikon would not allow it. Alas, a lot of the reviews summarize the D90 as plastic D300, just cheaper and newer, HD video, and a sinch better.

If you want to read up on some great reviews check out www.kenrockwell.com , he is pretty straight up about the equipment that he is testing.

[wyorunner]

I still have my eye on the D90, and am probably going to be buying one in the near future. The D90 has a lot of the same functions and characteristics of the D300, Nikon said that the D90 is not a professional grade camera only to please the owners of the D300. Because the price of the 90 is a lot less than the 300 althoughjust as equivalent to it. If you look at a comparison chart of them all, the D90 is almost the same as the professional cameras Nikon sells. That came from a review i read somewhere when i first found out about the 90. When i get one, ill let every one now it is worth the 900 dollars.

[Ric]

sorry for such a late reply, I ended up just going to Wolf Camera and getting the D80, with the lil baby lens, waiting to get the 18-200VR lens, and spending money on the new rig :shake:
Anyone want to give me a few grand ? :rofl:

[paddlenbike]

Ric, what made you decide on the D80 over the D60? I don't need the features or the cost of the D90, so that leaves me with the D60 and D80. The D40X has been recently discontinued.

Some differences I am aware of between the two--the D60 lacks the AF drive motor (I do not own any lenses and Nikon has plenty of AFS lenses in its lineup, so that's fine with me), the D60 has the more modern processor (EXPEED), dust control (not a selling point for me but nice nevertheless), D-Lighting, which impresses me beyond belief how well it works in contrasty areas. Yes, I am aware some of these features are just marketing points, but the D40 and D60s are highly regarded in their high out-of-camera picture quality.

Also, I think you are on the right track with the 18-200 VR lens, seems like a great all-around lens.

[Ric]

I just liked the feel, of the D80, and for what Im going to shoot the 80 with the 18-200VR lens is the ticket, lol

[2ndGen]

i have the 18-200VR on a D2X, that's my only lens and that's all i needed. the only thing is driving my nuts about this lens is the zoom creep, i have taken it to Nikon service center in El Segundo, they said it's within specs and refused to tighen it up. i also bought an SB-600 flash, which i'm really impressed with.