The aperture ring makes no difference whatsoever on the D70; you will lock
it at the auto setting at all times and it serves no further purpose.

What does the lack of an aperture ring have to do with the choice of a lens
for a D70? It's not of any use on a D70.
----------
Ed Ruf    Lifetime AMA# 344007 (Usenet@EdwardG.Ruf.com)
See images taken with my CP-990/5700 & D70 at
http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photography/General/index.html

Well, the 28-105 would be the equivalent of a 42-157, so it would be close.
A better fit might be the 18-70 kit lens.

Why don't you like the G Lenses again?  You'll NEVER use the aperture ring
when it is on a D70.

tom

    Well ... I have the 28-105mm f3.5-4.5D and it was the first lens
on my D70.

    Consider that unless you are using the D70 in purely manual
mode, you need to keep the aperture ring set to the smallest aperture to
enable the metering to work.  The D70 only knows what the maximum
aperture is from the CPU information, and does not know what the
aperture ring is set to -- other than whether it is set to minimum
aperture or not.  (There is a sensor on the side opposite the lens
change button which tells whether it is at the minimum aperture, and
there is a lock on the lens which will *keep* it in this position.

    The lens also has another projection which, on certain other
camera bodies, including the N90s (which I have, and thus which I know
about) which tells the body how many stops below the maximum aperture
your aperture ring is set.  This allows through-the-lens metering with
the lens at various apertures on the N90s (and others).

    This sensor is not a part of the D70., so the camera has to tell
the lens how far to stop down, as there is no provision for information
flow in the other direction.  You can still *shoot* with the aperture
ring, if you control the shutter with the camera's thumbwheel, and meter
with a separate meter (or if you have time for test shots, you can use
the histogram to adjust exposure).

    Even in manual mode, you normally keep the aperture ring set to
the smallest aperture, and use the two command wheels to adjust aperture
and shutter speed (both of which can be read either in the viewfinder on
by looking at the readout on top of the camera body.)

    So -- if your only camera which accepts these lenses is the D70,
the absence of the aperture ring is no problem.  But if you want to use
it on other bodies, including those old enough so manual is the only
option, you will need the aperture ring, so go for the 'D' version, not
the 'G'.

    I've got (so far) two lenses which are fully AF with the CPU.
One is the 28-105mm above, and the other is a 50mm f1.4 AF (no 'D' or
'G' on it, but it also has the lock for the aperture ring.

    I also have a CPU-converted 180mm f2.8, and on that, there is no
lock, so I sometimes find after switching to that lens from another that
the aperture ring has shifted, and the camera is displaying the dreaded
"-EE-", and refusing to take a photo until I either go to manual mode or
rotate the aperture ring to the minimum aperture.  (I have other, older,
lenses for which there is no CPU, and thus manual mode and hand-held
metering is the only choice.)

    So -- having the aperture ring with a D70 can be more of an
inconvenience than not having it -- if you don't keep it locked so it
behaves as though it were a 'G' series lens.

    I hope that this helps,
        DoN.