I won't tell you what lens to buy.
I will say, skip the D90 and buy the D300. You can get a refurbished D300 for about $1,100 with a full Nikon USA warranty (plus tax if you happen to be in the retailer's state). You may have to shop around to buy a D300 for that price as a refurb, but I bought my last three for that price (or less), and wouldn't pay more, and probably now wouldn't go above $1,000 for a D300 refurb. With a refurb, you either (1) need to view and handle the body in person yourself or with a person who is familiar with the body's mechanism and settings or (2) make sure of the retailer's return policies.
There is an 'art' to buying refurb cameras and lenses, because a few (a select few) have been camera salesmen's (person's) samples (especially lenses) are optically perfect, however can be horribly beaten up. So long as they function perfectly and are perfect optically they get shipped out sometimes with the brand new lenses that have been returned to Nikon (sometimes for no other reason than a 'made-up reason' when wifey (or husband) said' what? you spent THAT MUCH on a lens for your camera?????' and so the customer makes up an excuse and 'returns' the lens claiming a 'defect'. That causes it to get inspected and 'remanufactured' -- even though it is 'brand new' in every instance except the 'sales history.'
It generally is impossible or next to impossible to tell the usual refurbished product from a new Nikon product, except for the box and the enclosed warranty.
As the product goes out of production, refurb prices should go down, down, down for camera bodies, and any store that just knocks off maybe $200 for selling you a refurb should be passed by, because they are making a very large profit . . . . there is (so far as I can tell) very large room for them to move down.
A refurb D700 should now run next week $1900, if you absolutely have to have one; I have been knowledgeably told. In two weeks, I will answer e-mailed questions about buying refurbs (when I am out of the country and not so busy and have made all my current purchases (I don't want you competing with me from my source for the limited number of refurb items available).
Refurbs are usually catch-as-catch-can; one very large Nikon long-term dealer's store manager told me their store never had been offered refurbs by Nikon; they appear to be available only to a select few stores (and some stores apparently buy them from other stores and still sell them cheaply enough to turn a profit.
Me, personally, whenever I can, I shoot with refurbs, after personally testing and shooting with them, even if only briefly. I only saw and handled one refurb lens that didn't work properly, and the dealer promptly sent it back to Nikon.
Nikon USA has a 90-day parts and labor warranty, so if you buy a refurb body, it may be wise to buy a second party warranty, which often can be had for about $100 for more than a year, and with a good company. For lenses, new Nikon lenses have a one-year warranty and a 4-year 'extended service contract' which is just like a warranty, but apparently is easier on Nikon's accountants and 'books'. It's really a warranty in disguise (for a Nikon USA product.)
The problem with refurbs is they are hard to find; and some dealers offer them for only a few percentage points off the comparable NEW items; even though they pay dramatically less for refurbs. By law, any lens or body that has been returned with a claimed defect cannot be sold as 'new', and if it goes back to the factory (or to factory service) it will come out in a box marked somewhere 'refurb' (and not so pretty usually), and a paper or cardboard warranty, possibly hand written, but Nikon USA has absolutely no problem honoring these warranties (for their limited duration.)
(Beware of one thing, however, some problems (issues) with mechanical/electric merchandise is 'intermittent' and even Nikon factory/service may not be able to reproduce (and thus miss) a problem that caused an item to be returned, especially if it was not the 'MAIN' problem, and thus was not noted for total replacement or total service of that particular part, so the 'issue/problem' might return and Nikon would not have fault, but you must find the issue within the 90-day period (or the period of any extended warranty you might have purchased from a third party.)
My experience with refurb products (and even warranty service on them) has been excellent).
I will answer e-mails from anyone interested, but only after two weeks, as I am planning and making a very long trip, starting today (packing for leaving tomorrow).
If you pay $1,100 for a D300 refurb (without the video on the D300s) you have an excellent, world class camera and weather sealed, unlike the D90, whose users have complained to me about lack of seals. It is the camera I shoot with and have for two years. I could shoot with it for the rest of my life and be content, though I think a full size sensor camera (or two) is/are in my near future (a refurb of course).
With such a good body at a very low price, you have a great deal of room for buying lenses. For $1,400, you can buy a substantial number of lenses, especially if you are able to go the refurb route and have a trustworthy dealer (who won't foist off on you the very very occasional brassed out returned salesman's lens etc., as salesmen I am told take 'horrible' care of their things (I may be wrong, but that's what I am told).
Of course the Nikkor 50 mm f 1.8 is a gimme. It is so cheap (at $110 not $120, that it should not be passed by).
The advice above about the 35-70 f 2.8 lens also was not bad, if you don't mind its design, though it is not very 'wide' for the reduced size APS-C sensor of all but the highest-priced Nikon Digital SLRs (but it will work very well if you upgrade to a full size (FX) sensor camera such as the D700 or D3, and successors. (think ahead!).
(In fact, I think I will add one to the list of lenses I am looking for, as I did have one formerly, now gone).
John (Crosley)
