newbie needs advice

Go for the Nikon, although I'm a Canon user the Nikon route will open up more possibilties of upgrading.
 
The nikon is probably the more "sensible" route. As said, in terms of moving forward with your kit it will give you more options over the years to come.

Although you do need to make sure you've handled both cameras and if the nikon feels wrong but the pentax is right, that's got to be your choice. How a camera feels in your hands is obviously a very personal thing and there is no one right choice.
 
:agree: The Nikon opens more of a range of lenses etc. So between the two it has to be the D40.

David.
 
i had the exact same dilema !! i went for the d40 and its a great camera:)
 
Either would be great but my vote here would be for the Pentax as I think the model you mention has image stablization?

The D40 is a great camera, but between the two, I'd for the Pentax, purely for IS which can really help in low light - making the camera, out of the box, the more flexible.

Cheers,
James
 
Both are good camera's. The Nikon will have the slightly biger system behind it, so as your photography develops you will have more options. Although the pentax system will still be very good as well

As has already been said, it depends how it feels. Try them both in a camera shop and go for which handles the best for you. I now use Canon, but when I had my old manual focus system that was a pair of ME supers I loved them. I am sure which ever sytem you go for you will get many years of enjoyment out of.
 
Both cameras will give the same results (near as damit) so whichever you buy you will be happy with.

However, you aren't just buying a camera you are buying into a Camera System. Look look at the wider picture and look at what Nikon System has to offer against what the Pentax system has to offer. Buying a camera now because it has 'x' gadget or 'y' feature might not seem a good idea in 2, 3 or 5 years time. The most expensive thing t do in photography is to change systems.

Things you might like to consider:
Can I hire lenses if I wanted to? Might I ever want to?
Might I want to get Pro lenses (f2.8) at somepoint in the future? How much are they?
What do my friends have (so that I can borrow stuff from)?
​

Also I would suggest considering looking at S/H there are some good deals to be had on S/H Nikon D50's or D70s's Canon 350D's or 400D's. Great cameras that may give you more money to spend on lenses (where you should really spend the most portion of your cash as they outlast DSLR Bodies by years).

Hope that Helps

EDIT - Just noticed you come from Fleetwood - You'll have to come on the next Blackpool meet - we all had a great time
 
Nikon every time...
 
i like canon but i have to say

it has to be the NIKON
 
Nikon all day
 
TONY YOUNG said:
i have already held the pentax, and on friday i will goto my local camera shop and see about the nikon, so will let you know which one i choose.

i think it mite be the nikon as it is £100 cheeper(£60 cheeper after my 10%discount)
Click to expand...

I'd vote for Nikon too, sorry. However, if you really want the Pentax then I'm sure with some savy web shopping I think you could get the Pentax price much closer to the D40 price. Let us know the best price you can get.
 
If the D40 is £100 cheaper why not look at the D40x? I bought one for my wife and it is a great camera. If you look at some of the internet prices you might find it cheaper than the pentax.

Digital Rev on Ebay have the following kit:

Nikon D40X + 18-55mm Lens Kit + 4GB 150x SD + 2nd Battery + 1Yr Int' Wty

at a price of £364.99 including postage - this is a decent setup to start with including the memory card and extra battery, it is cheaper without these. They also give a discount if you pay by bank transfer. I do when I buy from from them with no problems.
 
i'd agree the d40x is a better camera, BUT a few have spoken about the nikon being a longer term investment in terms of lens availability, i didnt look too far into that, but do remember the d40x (and i think the same applies for the d40) requires certain lenses not all the nikon range will work for autofocus with those cameras iirc

that said, my overall response would be buy the one you are most comfortable holding, that way you are more likely to want to use it :)
 
I understand what you are saying, both the D40 and D40x are like Canons in that they do not contain the auto focus motor BUT this is not a problem for someone starting up as you will not have any current lenses to worry about and just about all new lenses are AF-S lenses which have the motor in them anyway! Basically if you look at any new lenses and the name starts AF-S then they are compatible.
 
thats exactly what i was trying to say .. what i hadnt realised was most new lenses would be ok anyway...
 
Yes I had to do some research when I bought my wife a D40x. I have a D200 and two out of three of my lenses work only my nifty fifty doesn't! (AF 50mm f1.8)
 
ahh see lack of research meant i bought a d80... lol dont tell the wife :)
but then the reason i didnt buy a d200 was it would be too heavy for her to use, so it was a nice compromise :)

have we just hijacked someones thread :)
 
I don't think we have, all this is useful in relation to which camera to buy.

But whilst on the subject I did plan to buy the D80 too. But when I went to digitalrev they had the camera and lens combo I wanted at such a good price that the 3 lenses, batteries, memory and camera combo was only £200 more for the D200 over the same with a D80 so I just bit the bullet so to speak and went for the D200.
 
TONY YOUNG said:
thanks for the info, i dont mind if you hijack all this info is useful.
Click to expand...

I would still have a good look at the D40x though as the difference in price (especially on the net) isn't that much but the specs are vastly different (6Mp against 10Mp) just to mention 1!
 
i have just been informed that we r havin a double discount day at work for staff, so that would mean the pentax will b cheaper by £75.

i have been asked to take some portrait photos of guests arriving at our works party (ball), the camera i will b using is the pentax k100ds with the standard lens 18mm-55mm. is there anything else i would need(equipment wise)
 
To get the full benefit of easy to use bounced flash (TTL exposure) you'll need a Pentax dedicated flash - The AF360 is £200 from Warehouse Express or £150 through amazon (you won't get one much cheaper than this). Unfortunately I can't find a non Pentax flash that has TTL for Pentax so you are limited as to your choice.

Have you considered the Nikon D40 (nonx), it is a 6MP version of the D40X and is generally available for £300 at the moment. If you went for this you can get the Nikon SB600 flash for about £130 through amazon. Alternatively there are non Nikon flash units that are fully TTL compatible. Of course you could go to Calumet in Manchester and hire the top of the range Nikon SB800 for £15 a day and weekend hire (Friday night to Monday morning) is classed as 1 day (y) (you will need a £250 deposit though). I have also regularly seen SB600s on sale here for reasonable prices.
 
I was deciding between these two cameras originally. The image stability was tempting but after having a play with them both I decided to go for the Nikon.

Everyones different though :LOL:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top