Upgrade From D40

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arty

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Barrie
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This year i brought my first dslr which was the Nikon D40..ive had a lot of fun with this camera and do a lot of studio work with it which appears to be fine but on my outside shots of anything im being told the pictures lack details and this again im told is because of the camera i use and its sensor..the D40 is a great piece of kit i love it to bits im out with it most days but i do want to upgrade to a more suitable camera that will give me finer details in my photos what do you suggest? i have looked at the canon 50d but im also struck on the nikon D700 which i know is a lot of money and you only buy the body but it will mean i have to wait till after christmas to save up for the 700 and a lens which i dont mind doing......ive looked at reviews till im blue in the face .my main areas i would be using it for would be model,motorsports and also wildlife photography so your expertise would be greatly appreciated
 
d40 to a d700 that's a big step up, but if you can afford it i think go for it

i went from d40 to a sony a300 (cracking camera the both of them)
 
D40 to a D700! Blimey :p If you want to spend a bit less, maybe go for the D90 as it is an awesome camera, or if you're thinking of changing brands then look at the Sony A700 as they're going for about 500 quid at the moment (although very hard to find) and are absolutely fantastic cameras (equivalent to the Canon 40D and the D90). I got mine for 450 in Currys (did a bit of bartering with the salesperson :p) which was an absolutely pristine display model. Or you could look at the A500 or the A550 as they have a few added bonuses such as live view but they lose the Magnesium body (which is omg awesome) and a few other A700 features.

BTW P1tse, if you sell your A300, what are you going to get as a replacement?
 
I did initially consider the nikon 90 but i recently joined a photography club and was told dont touch the d90 its not worth it,it is a big step up if i do decide on the 700 model but hopefully it will last me some time and be as reliable as my d40.....hopefully some other members will add thier comments too its so confusing trying to get a new camera whith all the hype around it makes it harder to make a decission...
 
Avoid the D90? It's a fantastic camera! But yeah, if you can afford it and you know photography is definitely not something you're going to lose interest in then the D700 is absolutely brilliant!
 
arty said:
I did initially consider the nikon 90 but i recently joined a photography club and was told dont touch the d90 its not worth it,it is a big step up if i do decide on the 700 model but hopefully it will last me some time and be as reliable as my d40.....hopefully some other members will add thier comments too its so confusing trying to get a new camera whith all the hype around it makes it harder to make a decission...
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Why not the D90, basically a slightly watered down d300, a very capable camera, d700 is an awesome camera, the other thing to take into account is that you will need top end glass to get the best out of the d700.
 
Another vote for the D90, I love mine and it was my first upgrade from my first digital SLR, a D40 (before that I had a Minolta 5000 film camera!).

I always intended to sell the D40 body to fund the D90 but cant bring mself to part with it becuase so its so nice, small and light. With a 35mm prime on it could nearly be classed as a compact camera :lol:

Come to think of it I still have the 5000 too, perhaps I'm just a hoarder :)

Barney
 
I went from the D60 to the D300 and do not regret it!

Its like night and day :D
 
At WEX prices.

D700 = £1700
D90 = £800 (inc lens)

That's quite a bit of extra glass you can buy with the difference.

:plusone: :thumbs: for the D90
 
arty said:
... a lot of studio work with it which appears to be fine but on my outside shots of anything im being told the pictures lack details and this again im told is because of the camera i use and its sensor...
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It would be interesting if you could elaborate on this point, and maybe show us some sample photos. I'm finding it a little difficult to understand. OK, the D40 is only 6MP, but that should be enough for printing pretty large.

I suspect it might be a limitation of your lens rather than the camera.
 
Heres two pics from my D40...no one seems to want to elaborate on this subject of detail missing from my pics(not talking about you guys in here) but its the comment i here almost daily..if im honest when i did decide to upgrade i was looking at the D90/300......i am strictly amature and i do this for a hobby so i am only learning if thats the right way of putting it and admit i make mistakes.As for lens i use well i only have two the standard 55mm that comes with the d40 and i also brought the sigma 70/300mm which i tend to use most.Hope these photos are ok for you


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arty said:
This year i brought my first dslr which was the Nikon D40..ive had a lot of fun with this camera and do a lot of studio work with it which appears to be fine but on my outside shots of anything im being told the pictures lack details and this again im told is because of the camera i use and its sensor..the D40 is a great piece of kit i love it to bits im out with it most days but i do want to upgrade to a more suitable camera that will give me finer details in my photos what do you suggest? i have looked at the canon 50d but im also struck on the nikon D700 which i know is a lot of money and you only buy the body but it will mean i have to wait till after christmas to save up for the 700 and a lens which i dont mind doing......ive looked at reviews till im blue in the face .my main areas i would be using it for would be model,motorsports and also wildlife photography so your expertise would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...


Please don't take this the wrong way because I don't profess to have much knowledge when it somes to which camera to buy - but it seems that you want to upgrade based on what "you've been told" rather than what you think the limitations of your kit are.

I'm not saying don't upgrade but I think you really need to work out what the issues are first - a new camera isn't going to utomatically make you a better photographer. Are you sure you couldn't look at upgrading your lenses / work on your technique a bit more before you dive in and spend £1700 (or even £800)?

I see you have the kit lens and Sigma 70-300 in your kit bag. Having just done a bit of research myself I know that the APO version of the Sigma is better than the non-APO and the Nikon AF-S VR 70-300 is better still - maybe a glass upgrade is a better option than a body upgrade?
 
The D40 is a great camera more than capable of giving you great images -- I suspect the comments on lack of detail are more to do with exposure, lighting, etc. than criticism of the camera.

I'm sure other people will have good suggestions for books, but have a look at these in a large bookshop and see if any look good (do check they're right for you before you buy):

Bryan Peterson,
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera
Amphoto Books, 1 August 2004, Paperback: 160 pages, ISBN: 0817463003

John Hedgecoe,
The New Manual of Photography
Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd, 2 October 2003, Hardcover: 416 pages, ISBN: 0751337374

John Freeman,
Photography: The New Complete Guide to Taking Photographs
Collins & Brown, 24 March 2005, Paperback: 288 pages, ISBN: 184340270X

You could also post some photos in the critique sections of this forum and get some detailed feedback.
 
I think i must agree with you ACS on exposures sometimes i am off with these...... the studio lighting is mainly done by thier own guy...i dont mind someone saying something about my images but sometimes they say "i dont like that" but never offer anything as to what they dont like or in fact how to correct whatever is wrong..i'm old enough to know that buying a better camera wont make anyone a better photographer my main reason for going for that camera was im fairly old and that would probably see my days out with me and something i could work with and yes i could look at upgrading my lens for my exsisting camera if you thought it would improve the general look of them..i have just recently found some tutorials on video on the internet on ways to improve and im looking at those regulary....thanks so much for the book titles and i will look them up next time im out and about.as to posting some images in the critique department...i dont think im brave enough!!lol
 
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