From reading around the forums there are many that have gone from D70 to D200 and I don't see many complaints.......you did it Dave and I guess you have offered your thoughts to Skip.
As for a general lens then for me it would have to be the Nikon 17-55 2.8.......I highly recommend this lens (was my no1 lens when I shot with Nikon) but will obviously depend on your budget
