I've been asked by my sister for a Christmas gift suggestion for my 11 year-old. He's beyond the age of getting tons of toys--they'd like to get him something more lasting for a gift, and thought of camera equipment for him. He's been using an N50 for a year now, and does quite well with it. He's got a 28-105 "normal" lens and flash available to him now, so I thought the next most logical thing, hopefully without overwhelming him, would be a longer lens. Considerations from my perspective are that he's still learning, I don't want him to be responsible for something irreplaceable if it gets dropped, and I don't want to impose too greatly on the family's generosity. I initially thought of the Nikkor 80-200 (the 4.5-5.6D version), which is under $175 locally. Another suggestion that was made was the Sigma 70-210 3.5-5.6 UC II, which is about $150. Looking at a copy of the "Photo Zone" archive that I printed off before it got deleted from the web site, the Nikkor looks to have slightly better glass, but not remarkably so, while the build quality of the Sigma is rated a little better. I handled both at a local store, and the Nikkor definitely felt more plasticy. The Sigma also seemed to AF a bit more quickly. Any opinions of either of these, or is there anything else you'd suggest considering? Bill
