To explain why I am looking for an inexpensive camera setup, since someone asked...
I spent the summer of 2004 volunteering in Botswana in Dukwi Refugee Camp with
http://www.forgenow.org, photographing the camp and what our group was doing, and I also taught photography to one of the refugees there, who's name is Data. He's originally from Sudan but was forced to seek refuge because of the political climate and war in Sudan which put himself and his family in danger.
Since then the political climate has improved somewhat and he decided to go back to Sudan to try and reunite with his family and get back to some sort of normalcy. He has been reunited with some family members which is great, and is just trying to live a normal life.
Data already had a passion for photography before I met him, and while I was there I spent a lot of time with him helping to teach him photography and photoshop. He had a great dedication for what we were doing and I know its something he hopes to continue with on a personal level as well as for work.
In the past 5 years his camera stopped working, and he asked if I could help him get another one, which I would really like to do.
I am looking for a used D70 / lens / filter / small bag / memory card / card reader to send to him. The D70's seem to be about $200-$225 for body only, and about $100 more with a kit lens. This would be great and would allow him to grow into using an SLR which he hasn't done previously. I'm looking for something with very light use so reliability wont be a problem as it is difficult and unreliable to ship these things overseas so I only want to do it once.
If anyone has any ideas on what or where to get this gear, please let me know... and a D40, D50, D60 are also options (unless someone has a specific recommendation for or against). Or if you have an old card reader, memory card, bag, or whatever around that you want to sell or donate to the cause please let me know. I'm not changing the world here but I thought it would be nice to do something nice for another person, and it makes me feel good to help support someones passion for photography halfway around the world.
Ok that was a little longwinded... but it probably still belongs in this thread anyway. I dunno...