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JAW

What is the right choice?

Ok, i'm on a [fairly] strict budget and i need a DSLR. I've narrowed it down to 2 choices, though if you have other ideas i'd be happy to hear.

Right now i'm stuck betweeen the Nikon D40 & the D40X. There's an £100 difference in price (approximately) which is a large factor. The D40 is about £300 (just right) whereas the D40X is about £400. My question is; is it worth the extra £100?

I'm going to want this camera to last a for a while and i'll probably be buying different lenses for it later.

Arrow Info on the D40

Arrow Info on the D40X

What do you think? All advice appreciated!
Meercat

Your lens choice will be limited with either as they won't autofocus with the AF lenses - a fact that I wasn't that bothered about when I bought my D40, but quickly changed my mind (should have listened to hamish). The lens choice issue nudged me towards upgrading after 8 months of use.

However, if that doesn't deter you then the only thing to think about is how large prints you might want  to make - that is where the pixel difference will be noticed. Is it worth a £100? If making larger prints is that important then it could be. If not, then I'd put the £100 towards a better lens than the awful 17-55 that comes with both cameras.

For your budget, the D40 is a great camera though. You can get some fantastic shots with it. I think the D40X price is too close to the D80 price to warrant it. You get a lot more camera with a D80.
bluebomberx

Do you already have Nikon glass? If not, check out Pentax. They are compatible with all previous Pentax K, KA, KAF and KAF2 mount lenses and have built-in image stabilizer.
Hamish

The differences between the D40X and D40 are:

   * 10 megapixel sensor
   * Lower base sensitivity (ISO 100 vs ISO 200)
   * Auto ISO option includes ISO 200
   * Faster continuous shooting (3 fps vs. 2.5 fps)

10MP isn't important if you don't crop. 6MP is fine. I've enlarged prints from my D50 to 30" x 20" and they look okay.

If money were tight and I was buying a Nikon I'd look for a D50. It's able to AF with screw type lenses, has more AF points for composition, and feels a (little) bit more like an SLR than the tiny D40/D40X. It'd be worth considering IMO.

However, if I was choosing between the two then I'd probably go for the D40 instead of the D40X. You could pick up a cheap strobe flash and get a set of Ebay slaves, or a better lens with the £100 saved. Better to spend money on decent lenses. New cameras come along all the time, whereas lenses last a long time.
JAW

Thanks for your help meercat. Are AF lenses the standard ones most places sell then?

If you think the D40 or D40X are bad choices what would you reccomend instead for near the £300 mark?

bluebomberx wrote:
Do you already have Nikon glass? If not, check out Pentax. They are compatible with all previous Pentax K, KA, KAF and KAF2 mount lenses and have built-in image stabilizer.


I don't have any DSLR yet, I only borrow my brother's Pentax IST DL to take pics atm.
Meercat

I'd agree with Hamish - look for a D50.

Or even a 2nd hand D70.
JAW

Thanks for your help everyone.

How much does a d50 retail at? (and how much could i get one for on ebay/cheapest retailer?)
Meercat

D50 doesn't retail anywhere much anymore as it was discontinued a while back.

Here's a main body on Ebay from someone claiming to be an official Nikon dealer. Would leave you with enough left over for a lens. I'd check the warranty with them first. If its full manufacturer's warranty you could be in business.
Hamish

JAW - any AF lens will pretty much work with current DSLRs except from the D40. The difference is:

AF-S lenses have a motor in the lens.

The older AF ones use a screw focus where the motor in the camera drives the AF.

The D40/D40X doesn't have the motor and screw attachment so doesn't AF with non AF-S lenses. They will still work, but you'll have to manually focus. It's a shame as there are a lot of great prime Nikon lenses that won't AF with the D40. Hopefully Nikon will update a lot of their older prime lenses with AF-S but they haven't yet.

Whatever camera you're thinking of, I'd try and have a play with them first. Make sure that the camera feels good in your hands. Have a look at Nikon & Canon and compare them to the Pentax you've been borowing. Having a camera that feels right is like a bike that feels right. You'll use it and enjoy it more.
JAW

Yeah it's definitely a good idea to try before you buy. Mind you i am a gambler in that respect; i brought my kona stinky without ever having ridden it before but i love it. If the D50 is discontinued i won't be able to see/try it before i buy it, i suppose.

Meercat wrote:
D50 doesn't retail anywhere much anymore as it was discontinued a while back.

Would that cause any problems? (now or in the future)
Hamish

JAW wrote:
If the D50 is discontinued i won't be able to see/try it before i buy it, i suppose.


Not necessarily. You might find a local camera shop selling one second hand. Or you could have a wee play with a D80. Whilst the D80 viewfinder is much bigger and it's got more external buttons, they both share the same shell and are basically the same size. It'd give you an idea of how the D50 would feel in your hands.

AND DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, PICK UP A D300 or D200 UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED TO BUY IT. Even if it's only for a "wee play". YOU WILL DEFINITELY WANT TO BUY ONE IF YOU DO. You have been warned.

Meercat wrote:
D50 doesn't retail anywhere much anymore as it was discontinued a while back.

Would that cause any problems? (now or in the future)[/quote]

Not really. There will probably be places with some left over and they'll be cheap. It's just that they won't be getting new stock as things have moved on and Nikon are producing the D40X, D80 and D300 instead. You'd still be able to get it serviced/repaired by Nikon and it won't suddenly become a worse camera, just because a new model is released.

The only thing aginst the D50 is the menu system. Compared to more complicated (and more expensive) cameras like the D200, you have to go through the menu to change the metering, AF mode and other settings. Not a prob if you don't change those settings a lot between shots, but that was the main reason I changed to the D200, as well as the size being a bit better for my hands. But that's typical of the cameras in its price range so that may not be an issue.
JAW

Meercat wrote:
I'd check the warranty with them first. If its full manufacturer's warranty you could be in business.


Would this help answer the question?
Quote:
These cameras are grade 'A' refurbished and offer a great way to save money. They have been returned to the manufacturer by retailers and mail order companies and, in the vast majority of cases, have never been used. This particular batch of cameras could only be described as 'AS NEW' !

Once returned, the cameras and ancillaries are refurbished and fully tested by Nikon, and then offered for resale with a 12 month warranty and all the accessories that a 'new' model would come with.


I think i might go for the D50 now, but i just need to get the cash together.

Thanks again for all the help. If you have any more advice or changes of mind i'd be happy to hear it!

EDIT: Just noticed from the nikon dealer:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PENTAX-IST-...009QQcategoryZ31388QQcmdZViewItem

Any thoughts???
JAW

Hey quickly need your help guys! What do you think of this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/As-new-Niko...PageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'm thinking of going for it and it ends tonight. Any second opinions quickly???

Cheers!
Hamish

Worth a bid at the very least. Kit lens isn't the best but you could easily get something else that's better with a wee bit of pocket money.
Meercat

Lot of bidders, so the price could rise dramatically by the end of the auction.

Looks a bargain at the moment though.
JAW

Meercat wrote:
Lot of bidders, so the price could rise dramatically by the end of the auction.

Looks a bargain at the moment though.

Yeah what's the max you reckon i should pay for this? Cheers.
Meercat

£215?
Meercat

ok, £231.

I haven't a clue. Did you win?
Hamish

Well... did you?
grinch8

oh come on

did you?
JAW

yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.....no.

Unfortunately i didn't and that would have been brilliant so i'm pretty bummed about that. Oh well better luck next time, eh?

Sorry for the false alarm... sniff.  Crying or Very sad
Meercat

Wait for the D90 to come out - could drive the price of D50s and D70s even lower. You never know.
Hamish

Meercat wrote:
Wait for the D90 to come out - could drive the price of D50s and D70s even lower. You never know.


I'd suspect that the D80 will drop in price, or people may sell them in anticipation of the newer model.
Meercat

True, its still going to be fairly pricey though (for the money that JAW was thinking of spending). Could get lucky though!
Hamish

Lots of photo geeks with too much money have a habit of selling and buying the latest improved camera, even when they have no reason, other than to own the next "best" camera. It certainly happened with the D200 and D300 releases respectively. He might be able to pick up a decent second hand model for not much when they get excited by the D90 release.
JAW

That would be good. I'll try to but i still might end up with a d50.
rad2themax

Yo, that one you posted earlier is from the ebay shop SRS Microsystems. They are my local camera shop and i can highly reccomend them Smile They are an official Nikon dealer and that will have a full Nikon warrentee on it. They're also really friendly guys if you ever need help and have a proper store you can ring rather then being just an ebay shop.

I buy all my camera stuff from them and also bought a refurbished (grade A) D50 from em a while back, although in person in the shop rather then online it's the same thing.
grinch8

where are they based?
rad2themax

Watford Smile

EDIT: and i think they have a store in St Albans or somewhere reasonably nearby but i'm only familiar with the Watford one and i'm pretty sure thats the main one where all the ebay stuff will come from.
JAW

rad2themax wrote:
Yo, that one you posted earlier is from the ebay shop SRS Microsystems. They are my local camera shop and i can highly reccomend them Smile They are an official Nikon dealer and that will have a full Nikon warrentee on it. They're also really friendly guys if you ever need help and have a proper store you can ring rather then being just an ebay shop.

I buy all my camera stuff from them and also bought a refurbished (grade A) D50 from em a while back, although in person in the shop rather then online it's the same thing.

Ah good to know. I'll see if they're offering anymore!
Meercat

That's the link that I posted near the beginning of the thread, not the one that you posted earlier JAW.
JAW

Thanks, could have got a bit confused there!

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