Just got a message from Calumet:
Pre delivery orders being taken now on the D300, the new 18-200 and 70-200.
http://www.calumetphoto.com/store/nikon-d3000?t=CM01&a=CM01
http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/NT213779/?t=CM01&a=CM01
http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/NT21276/?t=CM01&a=CM01

I wouldn't say these were "give-away" prices!

Snaketail

Nice buy with the D90!. You will have lots of fun with it for years!.

Those E series lenses that you have are some of the best! Seriously! Some people by
choice use that 75-150 for all their portrait work! Its a wonderful way to get into
Photography with just those 2 lenses.

I have the 18-200 vr and it is a wonderful lens to get to know yourself as a
photographer. You will find your favorite focal lengths by using that lens.
How? By taking lots of pictures and doing an audit after about a year or 6 mths
to see what focal lengths you use most.

Optical there wont be much difference between the old 18-200 and the new 18-200. Just
fixes a few niggles. ( But no fixes for a few optical weaknesses, oh well nevermind.)
I have tried the 18-105vr when it came out. I like it! Not sure what Rockwell was
saying about it. Its nice. Sharper than my 18-200vr. nice little lens. If you cant
afford the 18-200(or 16-85). that 18-105 is a really nice alternative.

Ahhh.... but what about the NEW 18-200

ytkliu - 18-55 is a decent lens for it's price, especially the VR edition, 35mm prime is also an option, instead of buying one 18-200 lens I would go for at least two lenses to cover this focal length, as I'm not convinced to such high zooms (in this case 11x), as for Ken Rockwell - don't take everything he writes for granted, instead check also Thom Hogans page (www.bythom.com)

Ken Rockwell is not a guy you should trust really. 18-55 is not a bad lens for the price but 18-105 is a way better one in every aspect. 18-200 is an average lens actually (not better IQ then 18-105 for twice the price) though it is convenient.
If 50 and 75-150 was my current setup I would probably go for something wider, wide zoom lens or Nikon 28 or 24 prime depending on how much I could spend, but it all really depends on what you are after in photography.

Congrats on your purchase!

Instead of the 18-55 VR, which you could have bought as a kit with the D90, you should look at the 35mm prime. It's a good lens.

Thanks for the help guys, I just ended up springing for the extra money and bought the D90 Body Only instead of waiting for the D5000 kit based upon recommendations from Ken Rockwell's site and here. I figured the built in AF motor, extra controls, and nicer screen were worth the extra money, and since Rockwell said that the 18-105 wasn't worth it, I could skip the purchase and save some money. That does mean, however, that I'm going to be shooting full manual without metering, as the only lens I have are the Nikon Series E 50mm f/1.8 prime and the 75-150 f/3.5 zoom on the way. I'm also thinking about springing for the 18-55mm VR zoom or perhaps saving up for the 18-200mm VR zoom, as Rockwell seems to think very highly of both (not that he's the perfect resource, but he does provide some pretty compelling reasons as to their superiority).

if You can afford it go for d90 - excellent camera

The D5000 has the same AF points as the D90. Get the D90 if you really want to get serious with photography. Thing is, no one is really sure how long this recall will last or whether or not you'll get a defective product. Best to wait a while longer.

Thanks for the quick response. In that case...any thoughts on upgrading/downgrading to D60/D90, or waiting for the D5000 to be back in stock? Do you think the video capability/extra megapixels and AF points are worth it?

There is no way the camera (not announced yet) will make it to the stores in two weeks. I think that the D5000 took about 2 months to be available.

Hey all! I'm getting into the market for my first DSLR and was planning on buying the Nikon D5000 from Amazon until it got pulled from the site...presumably due to the power chip recall.

Now that it seems that Nikon is announcing the D3000 very soon, I was wondering what the turnaround time usually is between announcement and the product actually being available in store. From what I understand, the D3000 is just the D5000 without video, which may or may not be better suited for my needs (side question: has anyone used manual primes on D90/D5000 for video? How do they work? Is exposure wack?).

Also, I am leaving for Copenhagen on August 15th, so I was wondering if it would be reasonable to expect the D3000 to be available in the U.S. and at my door by, say, the day before. My other choice is to either wait for the D5000 to get back into Amazon, downgrade to the D60, upgrade to the D90, or switch to Canon or Pentax (the K20D looks interesting, I'm not a big fan of Canon's interface).

Thanks in advance for your help!