Which camera?

Leviathan

Leviathan

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I'm looking into buying a DSLR and have looked at the Nikon D40.

I'm seeing it's got 6.1 mega pixels and am contemplating perhaps spending a little more for the 10.2 D40x.

Is there really a huge difference between the two or is it just a case of if I can afford it, go for the D40x?

Thanks
 
Any particular reason for only looking at Nikons? As you're starting out, I would suggest going to a camera shop, and playing with Canon, Olympus and Pentax cameras too, to see what suits you best. The entry level models are roundabout the same price, so you can make a choice based on what 'feels' right.
 
marky_h said:
Any particular reason for only looking at Nikons? As you're starting out, I would suggest going to a camera shop, and playing with Canon, Olympus and Pentax cameras too, to see what suits you best. The entry level models are roundabout the same price, so you can make a choice based on what 'feels' right.
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Totally agree with this, go along, have a play and buy the one that feels comfortable and easy to use (y)
 
Leviathan said:
Thanks Marky ;)

I'll take a trip to Jessops and have a look round.
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If you do, don't listen to anything the assistant says as I've yet to find an informed and/or unbiased one there. I'm not sure where your based, but if you have an independent store near you you're more likely to get impartial advice re brands.

No matter what DSLR you get there are no duds out there.
 
It's worth considering the fact that there are lots of old lenses available on ebay if you're willing to manually focus and the like too :)

I got the D40x over the D40 and was pleased but the Pentax K10D really looked good to me and I always had some doubts that I'd perhaps made the wrong choice. Only thing being fewer available lenses but now I have a D80 I'm chuffed to buggery anyway. I think Northern Nikon is right when he says there are no duds really :D
 
NorthernNikon said:
If you do, don't listen to anything the assistant says as I've yet to find an informed and/or unbiased one there. I'm not sure where your based, but if you have an independent store near you you're more likely to get impartial advice re brands.

No matter what DSLR you get there are no duds out there.
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There are some staff at Jessops that know what they are on about. I regularly use Jessops in the Trafford Centre Manchester and there is a fella there (Tom) who is very knowledgeable and as honest as the day is long. Has gone out of his way to sort out discounts / price matches in the past.

As Northern Nikon says there aren't many duds out there but it is important to feel comfortable with the equipment that you are going to use. Have a look at all of the systems and make your choice.

If Nikon is your choice have a look on the for sale section. I have a mint condition D80 on there if that is of any interest to you.

Happy shopping!

Chris
 
How to do intend to use the produced photos - if you'll only ever print 6x4 / 7x5, even A4 / 10x8 & view them on a PC then 6mp is more than enough. It will also have the added advantage of producing slightly less noise at high iso than most of the 10MP offerings.

The money you save by buying the cheaper body can be put towards higher quality lenses which almost inevitably you'll want to buy !!

simon
 
Thanks for your answers.

The pics will probably just be viewed on my comp.

Also, am I right in thinking that 6 mp and 10 mp have an indistinguishable picture quality up to a certain size, but the bigger the picture gets, the more useful it is to have more mp to keep it at a good quality?
 
the cannon 400D is good if u dont mind the flip mirror spring snapping :razz::bang:
 
flip mirror spring snapping could you explan more please
 
Blue Moon 7 said:
There are some staff at Jessops that know what they are on about. I regularly use Jessops in the Trafford Centre Manchester and there is a fella there (Tom) who is very knowledgeable and as honest as the day is long. Has gone out of his way to sort out discounts / price matches in the past.
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Thank you.
Finally someone who appreciates that not every single Jessops worker is an incompetent pr*ck.
 
10Mp gives you more opportunity to crop and still get a decent sized image.

IMO the D40/D40X is flawed because it can't take the whole Nikon range - gradually this is being solved, but there are a lot of lenses that won't autofocus. They also have a small number of AF points compared to 9 on the 400D - may affect your decision depending on what you want to shoot...

Hundreds of thousands of DSLR's are sold each year. Some will have problems, Ashers problem does not affect every 400D and the same can happen on every camera.

IMO Nikon and Canon have the best and widest range of accessories - own brand and third party support.
Pentax(Samsung), Olympus and Sony don't have the same level of market penetration. They're offering good deals in order to try and build up a user base but it will take a long time before the big two become the big three.
 
foodpoison said:
Thank you.
Finally someone who appreciates that not every single Jessops worker is an incompetent pr*ck.
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Your welcome. It's the same in every walk of life there are good and bad. In my area of work there are people who are not as knowledgable or dedicated to their jobs and frustrate the hell out of the rest of us. But that's life. Doesn't mean we are all incompetent.

Have a good one!

Chris :)
 
My biggest problem with the D40x was the huge screen showing you a visual representation of the aperture and the fact that when using the viewfinder it'd light up before and after shots making it hard to use in the dark.

I didn't mind the fewer buttons, the AF points weren't a problem at all and I even bought some lenses that wouldn't AF and I didn't mind a bit. The only things I ever missed were fast moving objects I hadn't planned for - things like birds flying are better done with MF anyway etc... I think as long as you know about it then you can choose SWM/HSM lenses (which most people do anyway) or just accept manual focus and get access to all the older ebay gems out there. The results were so good I didn't mind at all... it was only using the screen in the dark that got up my nose.
 
well canon 400D has the problem that the mirror inside, well the spring in it snaps rtesulting in a half black foto, the only way round it is wen it happens is get it fixed or flp it up and use it on manual focus.
 
Leviathan - I am in a simialr boat to you, but a little further down the line. I bought a Nikon D40 as I have used and loved Nikons over the years with film. I am very happy woth it, infact I am amazed at the quality for the money.

I agree that there isn't any real debate over which to use between Canon and Nikon. They both have a different feel and logic to their controls. Choose whichever you feel more intuitive with.

As for the difference between the D40 and the 10 Mpx 40X. The 40X will have a tiniest bit more resolving power with really good lenses. It has a supaficially wider dinamic range from ISO 100 rather than 200. But ib direct comparison the D40 at 200 is easily as good as the X at 100. It also appears that there is a little more noise in the shadow areas in the D40X.

This stuff is really nit-picking though and in real life photography it won't even notice. They are pretty much the same camera. I went for the D40 in the end just because it is such a good deal - you'll probably spend at least that again for your first half decent lens!
 
Who am to comment as I dont even have a DSLR at the moment:p. However as I am in the same situation I have asked the same question and looked at both the 40X and the 400D. I settled on the 400D only for one reason, its compatibility with a wider range of older secondhand lenses. As I understand it, the Nikon D40(x) does not have an autofocus motor built into the camera body therefore you are restricted to lenses that either you want to manual focus or have the autofocus motor built into the lens, but the Canon 400D has the AF motor in the camera which allows a wider range of older lenses to work with it. That was the only reason I choose the Canon, but go try them at the shop and let the feel of the camera dictate the purchase(y)
 
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