Just purchased a camera

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Chumpalot

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Name
David
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I apologise in advance for the essay :p

After much searching the internet and spending endless hours looking at reviews etc, I have finally made a purchase.

A family member has upgraded to a D300 and is getting rid of his D40X. This comes with 2 Nikkor lenses (15-55 and 50-200 I believe, both AF and VR) and 1 Tamron 90mm lens. I decided to bite his hand off.

I was originally going to purchase a D90 but then thought, as this was going to be my first SLR, I may not take to it and that would have been a lot of money to potentially waste. The plan is to cut my teeth on the D40X, see how I get on and go from there.

I'm a genuine beginner when it comes to any of this and I'm graduating from simply, point and shoot cameras so have very little experience in this field. I am however very willing to learn and hopefully my new camera will help me get to grips with things and learn the ropes a little.

The only thing that slightly worried about with the D40X is the exclusion of live view. Is this something to be concerned about? Does this mean that I just have to get to grips with using the viewfinder? Perhaps this would be a good thing and stop me from being lazy.

I'm picking the camera up on Monday so will hopefully get some pics up soon :woot:

Thanks for reading

Dave
 
liveview is something that you really dont want/need on a camera!

obv some situations are different and it could come in handy but iv never needed it in any of mines (y)

congrats on the d40x, i had a d40 for my first camera and loved it.
 
Liveview is a gimmick.
Yoi don't need it on an SLR as you can see through the lens anyway.
It's much easier to hold your camera steady, if you have it pressed against your face.
 
Nice camera, i started with the D40x a couple of years ago, after i learnt a few basics and began practice i felt ready to step up. I got the D90 and still managed to get 6/7th of the price back for my D40x

Since having the D90 i have only used the live view on a couple of shots that were impossible to get my eyes down to the viewfinder.

Its definatly worthwhile starting at entry level, if you buy anymore lenses then if you stick with Nikon you will only have to buy a body when you move to an enthusiasts camera.
 
Welcome to the forums chumpalot - you've got a great camera there congratulations and welcome to the world of photography! I'm sure your going to like it here.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have, it might be worth having a look at the inspiration and competition thread for some ideas to get you out there and taking some photos!

Good luck (y)
 
hyakuhei said:
Welcome to the forums chumpalot - you've got a great camera there congratulations and welcome to the world of photography! I'm sure your going to like it here.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have, it might be worth having a look at the inspiration and competition thread for some ideas to get you out there and taking some photos!

Good luck (y)
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Thank you. I've seen a number of pictures on here that have simply amazed me. Some really talented people on here. I can see that I have much to learn. Looking forward to it.
 
Viewfinder all the way, live view can be useful for when you are taking shots where its hard to look through the view finder, but I've never missed one on my D40.

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to your new hobby :D
 
I don't think I've used the liveview on my D300 once apart from having a play around with it to see what it was like...
 
welcome to the forum, sounds like a nice set up congrats.

DW about live view its useful for manual focussing (zoom in) and so you don't have to bend down to use a tripod ect, but I haven't used it above half a dozen times in the year I've had it. Also pushing against the viewfinder is an important part of long lens steadying technique.
 
Looking forward to tomorrow when I get to play around with the camera :) I'm thinking of getting rid of the Tamron 90mm and putting the money towards a decent wide angle or perhaps a macro lens.

One thing I've been wondering though. Why on earth after only 4 months of the D40 being out did they release the D40x with the larger sensor? Seems to me like it should have been included with the D40?
 
Joe T said:
Viewfinder > live view any old day of the week! :D
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exactly...

everytime i go to use my compact, i go to put it to my eye without thinking now, and it's not got a viewfinder :thinking:

if my d40 had liveview, i doubt i would bother using it, as it doesnt feel right
 
Well, I picked up the camera yesterday afternoon along with a Nikkor 18-55 AF-S DX lens. He didn't want to part with the Tamron 90mm macro lens :(

First impressions are, awesome. Even the quick shots that I took of my girlfriend's car and a few out in the garden in the fading light are unlike any I've taken with a point and shoot digital camera. The image is so sharp and the colours so vivid. I'm really happy with it and can't wait to start learning about the different controls etc..

I do think another lens would be advantageous though. Preferably one up to 300mm or similar, I know plenty of 200s are going around here but I know if I purchase one I'll just want more so may as well make the initial outlay now. Can anyone recommend one? Preferably Nikon but after seeing the performance of the tamron yesterday I'll consider those too. I'm also after a circular polariser to practice with also.

Too bad I'm at work today :( I just want to get out with the camera!
 
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