upgrade camera? or upgrade kit?

[lawless23456]

hi all

i am new here, i have a nikon d40x with a nikon af-s dx 18-55mm lense. my question is should i upgrade my camera i've been looking at the d80 and also the d300 or should i just upgrade my kit, buy battery grip, better lens, flash gun etc. i am a student photographer which probably puts me in the enthusiast category rather than amateur. if you advice is to upgrade any ideas as to what equipment would also be appritiated? budget is about 1500. any advice/comments would be greatly appritiated. thanks lawless

[prime60]

Keep hold of the D40x get some better glass and a few other bits flash etc when you have the good bits then get body ive just bought a D60 and that is what i am going to do
just my thoughts.

Michael.

[DinoS]

I would say invest in some decent glass.

[mattyh]

:agree: You'd be better off spending the money on lenses rather than a new body, unless you feel limited to what the body has to offer?

For £1500 you could get a nice selection of glass, but without knowing what you shoot, it's difficult to advise on what glass you should get :)

Welcome to the forum :)

[DinoS]

Just a guess but, something like, sigma 10-20mm, sigma 24-70mm F2.8, Sigma 70-200MM F2.8 Sigma 105mm Macro, Nikon SB800 Flash. Manfrotto 190xb Tripod and good head.

[tazza-oz]

Yep, same as matty m8, better glass for sure :thumbs: but need to know what you like shooting most :shrug: Portrait, Landscape, Sports etc :thinking: :thumbs:

[lawless23456]

i mostly shoot landscape and portraits, thanks for all your advice i think i am going to stick with the body and upgrade glass and get a battery grip and flash

lawless

[SimonTALM]

My usual advice is always upgrade glass first.

However, your D40X is limited to the lenses you can use and still retain Auto Focus. You can get some very nice f2.8 glass quite cheap if you look about carefully, and can use the older lenses.

For example in the Sales section there is/was a used 80-200mm f2.8 AFD for about £380 IIRC (which is a good price for a great lens) being sold by Northern Nikon I think. Personally, I bought a 80-200mm f2.8 (18-20 years old) and a 35-70mm f2.8 from a forum member for £450.

Perhaps in your situation I might be tempted to break with the rules and consider a used D80 (~£350 - ~£400) so you can search for the older (cheaper) pro quality lenses.

I reckon that a £1500 should get you

S/H D80,
S/H 17-55mm f2.8 DX AFS (will also work the D40X)
S/H 80-200mm f2.8 AF-D (won't work with your D40X)
New SB-800 from Kerso (will work wirelessly with the D80)
and perhaps some change


OR

S/H D80,
S/H 80-200mm f2.8
S/H 35-70mm f2.8 (will not work with your D40X)
New Sigma 10-20mm (will work with your D40X
New SB-800 from Kerso

[superstat]

My instant advice would be get hold of some good glass first..but...a friend of mine has a D50 and he has begun to find that it is now limiting him somewhat...so i'm not sure what the D40 has/hasn't got but maybe you should have a good look at what you need from a body and see if the D40 is going to serve you well for the foreseeable future..?

Just an idea...but as with everyone else my instant reaction was GLASS

[StewartR]

When somebody asks for advice about upgrading, I always ask why they want to upgrade? What is it about your current equipment that you feel is holding you back? If you can answer that, then that points to the correct direction for an upgrade. And if you can't answer it ... save your money and come back when you can!

[lawless23456]

when put like that i see your point and maybe i will stick with this camera. the only thing i really wish it had was auto bracketing

lawless

[simonkit]

The question you should ask is whether a new body would improve your shots - my guess would be no !!

I'd also go with the better glass option, it will have a more significant effect on your shots than a new body would

simon