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[porthole]

Yes, it is expensive, but it easily covers the range of 2 or even 3 mediocre lenses and is a premium lens to boot.

The benefit of skipping the kit and investing in glass

The problem Craig is most people buying a kit do not realize that bundled Nikon lenses are not the cream of the crop. Even the higher end models 200-300 I would venture to say the average buyer is just someone who has money and says gimme a good one.

It is a shame that Minolta went south, they were one of only a few manufactures that made there own, lens and there were no cheap "kit" lens back then, they were all good.

[Midnight Rider]

Scott....I've owned nothing but Nikon, so cannot compare to anything else.  Started out with an F3, 8008S, N90s, F5 (still own that one), and a couple of years ago moved to the D200 w/18-200 lens Craig mentions, verticle grip, extra battery.  I have actually sold a few things over the years to collectors, interior decorators, etc.  I have a backpack (plus some) full of Nikon gear.  The great thing about Nikon is they never change their mount, so you can take an old (but excellent) 50-135 AIS lens and stick it on the new body...you'll lose some of the wiz-diz features, but the lens will still work if you know how to expose manually.  The 18-200 came with a "kit" I got from B&H out of New York...it's not a cheap lens, but will cover pratically anything you'll ever shoot, has good glass, vibration reduction...all the bells and whistles.  Even the pop-up flash on the D200 does a decent job within it's range.  I'm very happy with that combo for general shooting, and it will all fit in a smallish camera bag (I like Lowepro bags).  For 90% of my shots, that's all I need...when I get real serious, of course I use a Gitzo Carbon Fiber tripod with Arca-Swiss Ballhead.  I haven't looked into the D300 (I'm afraid I'd want one).  I tend towards the "Pro" cameras because I'm used to having the control they give, and I won't own an SLR without depth of field preview.  I shoot mostly macro and landscape type stuff, so the pro features are a necessity for that type of shooting.

For my "pocket camera", I have a Sony W-7...nice, sturdy little camera...7.1 MP...Carl Zeiss lens...great for general shots, and has one of the more powerful flashes for a non SLR.

Here's a macro shot with the D200 and 18-200...this was hand held...not serious work, but just an example of something I'd normally have to shoot from a tripod.  It's not perfect under a Loupe, but not bad sharpness for hand held in low light with just a "kiss" of flash.

[Midnight Rider]

Here's another to show how the lens can blow out the background at more wide open apertures