Nikon D40

[The Negotiator]

Well I am a Minolta Z10 which I love but enjoy taking photos so am considering buying a DSLR.

I notice Jessops have the D40 for £330 but after the Nikon cashback it goes to £270 and I could collect from store or get it delivered for free, do people think this is a good deal or a waste of money?

THanks

 

[ben]

I asked this recently and was told it's not good due to not being able to auto focus (well it can, but with only Nikon lenses or something).

That doesn't bother me though....

 

[The Negotiator]

Is that a genuine "fault" that people can't live with though? :S

 

[4RL]

My gf recently bought one and she likes it, shes off to uni soon to do photography. She did the same thing with jessops and the cash back.
She hasn't complained about it but then she hasnt used it alot yet.

 

[arc]

it's not a 'fault'

basically, most DSLRs have an autofocus motor in the body - which then drives the lens. the d40/x doesn't have one - it uses a motor in the lens.

if you don't plan ever changing the lens, then it's fine. but if you do, they're not as common and will cost more due to having to buy the focus motor everytime.

other things to note. it only has one screen. most other dslrs have a mono status LCD as well as the main full colour screen. This means that when changing settings, the main LCD is on.. which isn't good for battery life.

looking through the reviews of the d40, the menu interface is a lot more newbie biased - with little 'help' bits and examples of what some of the settings do. the kinda thing that'd drive me nuts. some of the settings (like ISO and white balance) are buried in menus (unless u start reprogramming buttons.. but then u loose which ever button you replaced) as opposed to the d50 where they accessible by pressing buttons on the body directly.

i considered the d40, and dimissed it and bought a d50. The d40 uses the same sensor, and aside from being slightly small, ligther with a slightly bigger and fuller colour LCD - the d40 hasn't anything over the d50. The lack of status LCD, autofocus, hidden settings. in summary, the d40 is seen as a stripped out, dumbed down version of the d50. (they both use the same sensor)

one final note, Paul - I didn't realise you were a camera

Well I am a Minolta Z10 which I love

 

[The Negotiator]

Cheers for that Arc, I am moving to the point where I feel that although I enjoy photography, I don't use a camera enough to warrant £300.

I didn't realise I was a camera either

 

[arc]

have you considered a bridge camera like the fuji s9600/6500/5700. they're all very good, and weigh in at a bit less than a dslr.

 

[The Negotiator]

The problem with that is that I would be taking even less of a jump from my Z10 and I wouldn't see the point, as much as I like those Fujis. My Z10 is a very capable camera for what it is and I don't care how much it gets abused which I would with a nice bridge camera. So for now, I shall let the money burn a hole in my pocket I guess.

 

[ben]

I don't quite get the lens issue though - can't you use any lens, you just won't have the benefit of autofocus?

 

[arc]

i get what you mean Paul, it's handy having a decent compact as well as a bridge/dslr. I still have and use my f31fd because it fits in my pocket. The s9600 would be quite a jump from the z10 though.

Ben, correct. As long as it fits the lens mount then you can use the lens but would have to manually focus it.

 

[vtec]

and manually focusing isnt easy., it can look right when your taking the pic but when you open the pic on a PC you can sometimes see where its out of focus etc.,

 

[ben]

and manually focusing isnt easy., it can look right when your taking the pic but when you open the pic on a PC you can sometimes see where its out of focus etc.,

Pah! Back in the day ....

My SLRs have always been manual you see, so I don't see the problem...

 

[arc]

well the d50 is a dumbed down d70, and the d40 is a dumbed down d50..

the d40x has a newer sensor.. with 4.5million more photo dectors but is only 0.1mm bigger along one of its sides - read that how you want!

the interface issues i've mentioned already would annoy me.. but i guess that's me - if you've picked up a d40 and used it, and are happy with it - then get one. they're still a very good camera. just imo a d50 is a much better choice!

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/com..._d40x,nikon_d50,nikon_d70,nikon_d70s&show=all

 

[Bushboy]

Bens right. Back in the day with proper fully manual SLRs . Its a problem for people not used to it but if youved owned and learnt on a manual SLR then you wont have a problem. manual focusing is simple and you get very quick at it once you learn certain techniques. Plus if you use a higher apeture you dont have to be 100% spot on if your shooting an action shot etc.

I think the real problem is that your buying state of the art equipment (or something like that...) and you would kinda expect it to be able to autofocus

if your looking at a D40 then dont bother, get the D50 instead. its all the D40 is and a bit more really.

 

[ben]

I went to the camera shop the other day to try them out ... the d80 ... oh my god ... i don't know a lot about cameras, but it felt awesome ...

Very tempted to get one of them, but at £500 - I don't know if it's really worth it ... :chin:

 

[vtec]

I have the D80 and have to say im in love with it., well worth the money imo., 10.2MP with crystal clear images, plenty of lenses available and has a really solid feel to it., i used to have the D50 and it was a great camera too,. i also had a borrowed 400D for a little while and id defo have the D80 overall.,

 

[arc]

what does the d80 have over the d80, sensor asside - not that i'm looking at upgrading yet or anything like lol

 

[vtec]

what does the d80 have over the d80

errmm? they the same.,

 

[SlinkyCinqi]

this he might mean d50 lol

 

[vtec]

well if you mean between the D50 and the D80, First off if im being picky between them i didnt really like the size of the screen on the D50 aswell as the kit lens that came with it. It also doesnt have a backlighted screen and seeing as night photos are a favouratre of mine i found it very annoying trying to set the Aperature and shutter speed on the screen without the backlight, the D50 is also a bit smaller than the D80 and the Viewfinder is smaller aswell., The D50 has a resloution of 6.1megapixels compared to the 10.2 megapixels of the D80 and the battery life of the D80 has been a lot better aswell,., If its the D40 you were comparing then i havent had a lot of experience with it but from what time i have had with it, i wouldnt want one for its price, i just feel that if you are going to spend that kinda of money on a camera then get something more worth while, even if you have to save for a while longer or even better, go get yourself a secondhand D50, D70, D80 or even a D200 if your in the mood for spoiling yourself, the D80 though is more or less a dumbed down D200