You were bang on regarding the lens. I compared my old glass to the new
18-70mm and the difference in clarity is astounding. Luckily my Tamron 500mm
Catadioptric and 250-500mm f5.6 work very well on the NikonD200. [with the
2x teleconverter it affords me a 500-1000mm f11]

By the way.... with a run through of operating systems and sufficent
familiarization time, I can say without a doubt that it is one of the
easiest cameras to operate. I am amazed by it's capabilities and the photos
are excellent. It takes excellent, clear and well balanced indoor shots,
handheld at night in nothing but normal room lighting with no flash.Without
a doubt one of the best cameras I have ever owned.

I can't believe you don't use yours more often.

I'll post some of the latest pictures to webshots this weekend from my boat
via my new EVDOcard. [EVDO allows a 115kps internet connection anywhere
there is cellular service]

Later

CM