Slightly hacked off with D40, replace with D80?

ronnus

ronnus

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I've been using my D90 more and more recently, and getting slightly frustrated with the D40 when I go back to it. The thing that's specifically annoying me is the ergonomics of the D40! I've gotten so used to the dedicated controls/top LCD on my D90 that going back to the D40 feels like going to a P&S, even if the quality of the pictures is way higher.

Have always fancied upgrading to a D300, but that's not on the horizon any time soon, so would replacing the D40 with a D80 be sensible? I believe it has very similar controls to the D90 but have no real experience of using one. Also it looks like they share a common battery & grip type, which would be another added bonus.

Any opinion? Is the D80 a significant upgrade from the D40 in anything other than ergonomics? Should I just hold out for a D300? Questions questions :)
 
I must be missing something here. You have a D90 already? Are you looking for a backup camera to replace the D40? What's the budget?
 
What are you trying to do though?

Are you looking for a backup body to the D90? If that's the case, I'd not be too bothered about keeping the D40 around until you can afford to replace the D90.. then keep the D90 as backup for the new body.

I don't see the point in getting a D300 if you've already got a D90 as they use the same sensor, I'd get something bigger & better! D700 or it's replacement etc.
 
ronnus said:
I've been using my D90 more and more recently, and getting slightly frustrated with the D40 when I go back to it. The thing that's specifically annoying me is the ergonomics of the D40! I've gotten so used to the dedicated controls/top LCD on my D90 that going back to the D40 feels like going to a P&S, even if the quality of the pictures is way higher.

Have always fancied upgrading to a D300, but that's not on the horizon any time soon, so would replacing the D40 with a D80 be sensible? I believe it has very similar controls to the D90 but have no real experience of using one. Also it looks like they share a common battery & grip type, which would be another added bonus.

Any opinion? Is the D80 a significant upgrade from the D40 in anything other than ergonomics? Should I just hold out for a D300? Questions questions :)
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I'm confused, why are the pics from your 6mp d40 so much better than from a 12mp d90? that doesn't sound right.
 
I think he means the quality is better than a P&S, although it feels like one.
 
Heh yeah, guess I could have been clearer :thinking:

I have the D90 as my main camera, and the D40 is my beater/backup body. I try to take the D40 everywhere with me, but the lack of quick access controls/top LCD is starting to annoy me slightly as I get more interested in messing with settings to acheive the result I want.

I had a mad flight of fancy to sell the D40 and get a D80 to get said controls/LCD, and EN-EL3 battery compatibility. But then I'd lose the primary advantage the D40 has over the D90: size. The D40 is tiny & lightweight.

I was curious as to whether anyone had owned both D80 and D40 and could say if the D80 produced better pictures than the D40... I'm aware this is massively subjective!

There's no real budget, but obviously I want to spend as little as possible over and above what I'd make from the sale of a D40 kit. :thumbs:
 
I've owned both the D40 and D80. In my experience, the D80 is technically inferior to the D40 and produces inferior photographs.

I only kept the D80 for a couple of months before moving to the D90. Personally if I was looking for a backup to the D90 it would be the D40 :-)
 
Bristolian - what do you mean when you say the D80 is technically inferior to the D40? The D80 is a higher spec camera.

Ronnus - Image quality is in the eye of the beholder and in my opinion, having owned both cameras, the D80 is better. No big difference in image quality (unless you plan on PP then the D80's RAW is better) but i find the D80 a lot easier to use/hold/set-up quickly. You have to decide what you want from the camera. Image quality aside, if you want a small and lightweight camera go for the D40. If you want a slightly bigger model but which has the ease of use then you already have it in the D90 which is basically a D80 with a better metering system.
 
Bristolian said:
I've owned both the D40 and D80. In my experience, the D80 is technically inferior to the D40 and produces inferior photographs.

I only kept the D80 for a couple of months before moving to the D90. Personally if I was looking for a backup to the D90 it would be the D40 :-)
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That's a strange comment, are you really saying that the d80 is inferior to the d40?
 
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photogwannabe said:
The D80 is a good camera if you're in very good light. It turns noisy/grainy fast as you up the ISO. Skip it and go for another D90.
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Owing to my generally limited budget, I still use my trusty old D80 as my main camera - but I have to agree with this. Anything above ISO 800 is very grainy indeed.

The D80 is now 5-year old technology, and has long since been surpassed by Nikon's other offerings. I wouldn't be replacing another 5-year old camera (D40) with this.
 
indiabravo said:
Bristolian - what do you mean when you say the D80 is technically inferior to the D40? The D80 is a higher spec camera.
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Obviously, this is a somewhat subjective statement and perhaps I should have qualified it with "for the type of photography that I do most", which is indoor sports and events - normally in low light. In these circumstances I found the D80 had significantly worse high-ISO noise even as low as ISO400 - all other things being equal (i.e. same lens, same lighting, same distance from subject, etc.). Before anyone says it: I always expose as close to the right side of the histogram as I can get (even with the D90 which is another ballgame altogether).

This was not just my copy of the D80 either. My BIL also has a D80 and was getting almost identical results to me at the same events.

Sure, dedicated buttons and external controls that minimize the need to go into the menu system is an advancement but IMHO it's the results that matter not how you get them.

Hope this clarifies my comment :)
 
Thanks for the replies folks, very interesting stuff about the D80's high ISO performance... reckon I'll stick with the D40 for the time being, and start saving for a D400 or whatever the D300's replacement is called :thumbs:
 
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DSLR said:
How about a used D60?
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The D60 has never had any appeal for me tbh, even back when I got my D40... worse noise handling and slower x-sync than the D40, but with the same interface limitations.
 
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