Nikon D40 or D100?

[Nate P.]

I have the opportunity to get the Nikon D100 with a 18-70 AF-S lens for $495 locally, or the Nikon D40 with the stock 18-55 AF-S lens online for $480 plus shipping. Which one would you go for?

[Soulburner]

D70 -> D100
D80 -> D200
D90 -> D300

The D100 was a great camera, but to be honest is quite dated now. If you are new to SLRs I would start with the D40. Once you master it you can work your way up - it should be a great starter camera, just know its limitations.

Is that the VR lens? If not I'd definetely consider it...it is only a few dollars more. I will be selling my 18-55 VR lens if that is a consideration. I have only had it for a few weeks and its barely been used. It's a great, sharp lens but I need more reach so I'm gonna go with the 18-200 VR.

[Nate P.]

Cool, D40 it is. Is there a D90 out?

[Soulburner]

There will be, this year. A lot of people are waiting for it, including myself.

[Nate P.]

Oh, and no, it is not a VR lens which is included with the D40. Problem is, I can't find a body-only D40 for retail.

[MaxxxRacer]

Oh, and no, it is not a VR lens which is included with the D40. Problem is, I can't find a body-only D40 for retail.

afaik the D40 only came as the kit.

[Nate P.]

OK, new question. I can get the Canon Digital Rebel XTI locally for $600 with kit lens and battery grip. Or the D40. I've held the XTI, ergo isn't really that bad, and I guess it only gets better with the battery grip. What do you think?

[Digital Nirvana]

Get the XTi, the D40 is a hacked down camera that doesn't accept all Nikon lenses if I remember correctly, and the XTi would be the camera of choice in that pick. If you could get a D70, D70s, D80 get one of those.

The D100 is a nice camera, however it is old and any chance of getting one would probably result in a dying sensor, which means hot spots. My old one was notorious for it.

[Soulburner]

The D40 accepts all Nikon lenses - they just have to be AF-S for autofocus to function. The reason is the D40 doesn't have the screw type autofocus in-body so it has to be in the lens. Most lenses nowadays are AF-S so it isn't a concern unless you want one of the prime lenses like the 50mm 1.8. Great lens but you will need to use manual focus.

The D80 sounds like it may be out of his price range but if he can swing it, that's definetely the best option no questions asked. The D80 + 18-55 VR is $859 now.

[Nate P.]

Yep, D80 is out of my price range. I'd like to keep it around $500. I was set on the D40, but then I realized I wanted some prime lenses, like the 50mm. The Canon works with all EF or EF-S lenses which is reassuring. I just don't want to buy into the wrong "system", as I'm kind of planning for the long run.

[MaxxxRacer]

I know I am biased here, but for the long run, I would stick with Nikon right now. With the advent of the D300 and D3, there will be some interesting camera bodies coming from then in the next 5 years. In the mean time you would keep your D40 and start purchasing glass. As you have probably already figured out, the glass will cost you way more than the camera itself, so in the long run it matters more which selection of lenses is more appealing to you.

With regard to the 50mm F1.4 Prime, Nikon should be coming out with an AF-S (will focus on d40) version later this year, using all of their latest technologies. And hopefully it wont cost crazy amounts of money. Conversly, it may be an 85mm F1.4 that we see, but that is less likely in my opinion becaue the current F1.4 is one of the most saught after lenses Nikon makes. It would be silly to spend money on development to replace a lens that still sells very well.

[Soulburner]

With the advent of the D300 and D3, there will be some interesting camera bodies coming from then in the next 5 years.

Try 5 months...I say that's when we will see the D90...I really hope it turns out great. Given their reputation lately, it probably will.

[MaxxxRacer]

Try 5 months...I say that's when we will see the D90...I really hope it turns out great. Given their reputation lately, it probably will.

That would be awesome.. D300 electronics inside of a D80 body.

But to be honest, I like all of the buttons of the D3 and D300. I find myself lacking in buttons with my D40x. More the merrier I say.

BTW, 70-300VR is in hands and its orgasmic. Im uploading photos from an Exotic Car meet right now.

[Nate P.]

So Nikon?

[MaxxxRacer]

Thats my preference.

[Nate P.]

I heard that Nikon hasn't changed their lens mounting system for like 50 years. Do you think they will change anytime soon?

[Clue69Less]

So Nikon?

I used to do wedding photography with Nikon 35mm film cameras. I liked how predictable the TTL flash photography was with multiple heads to cover large groups. At the beginning of the digital era, I was not a fan of the Nikon point and shoots. When I finally moved to a D-SLR, I did a fairly thorough comparison and went with the Nikon D-200. It's been excellent but it takes time to get to know the settings but they do allow you to tweak the camera for your app. Dollar for dollar, I think if you're starting from scratch, you can do well with Canon, Nikon, etc., even Sony. The lens selection played a big part in my choice. One of the local shops allowed me to take loaners out so I shot some landscape and some action. I really liked the Nikon VR lenses.

Spend some time in a shop twiddling the knobs and at the very least, shoot some comparisons in the store on your own memory sticks to go home and look at. Big investment = thorough evaluation.

[Soulburner]

I heard that Nikon hasn't changed their lens mounting system for like 50 years. Do you think they will change anytime soon?

No, don't bet on it.

[disruptfam]

is the d40x better than the d40?

i'm thinking of upgrading from my s3

[alexio]

You guys know www.cameralabs.com ? It's a great website with reviews and video tours of all important cameras. It brought the Olympus E510 to my attention and after buying it I must say that I like it a lot

[Soulburner]

Yeah that is a good site, the video workshops are a really cool addition to the site that will help many people get into some of the concepts of photography for the first time.

is the d40x better than the d40?

i'm thinking of upgrading from my s3

It is but I would note the price difference, it probably isn't worth it.

[Catz]

is the d40x better than the d40?

i'm thinking of upgrading from my s3

Hey robby,

Just like the guy above me said: there is some extra's in the d40x but not enough for you to spend that extra cash.

Besides i showed you some photos that were taken with my D40 and you can't argue that you would need BETTER quality

[tetete]

Dont get D100

It's even a USB 1.1 if I remember it right