D40 vs. D80

[Krafty]

Apologies, I did not see the US warranty version, my point was meant to be simply that you could buy a new one with some kind of warranty for the same money as that craigslist guy was asking, and therefore that that was a bad deal. Thanks for the correction.

I see. I just got a call from someone who wants to buy one of my items on craiglist (lets hope shes not like the last dude who ditched me <_<), so I'll look into that.

Ive got a like new setup(3 months old, 10k shots)

Nikon D300
70-200mm f/2.8
17-54mm f/2.8

and top of the line lowepro backpack.

Guess who's got two thumbs and doesnt give a crap? Me. Sorry to be an ass, but seriously, I'm asking for advice, I don't need every other person bragging about what they have.

 

[HeadySpaghetti]

deleted

 

[leighonigar]

Ouch... very well. just throwing it out there if you were wanting to make a good investment. no need to be rude. but i guess i shouldn't have came in here at all then.
want some advice do as everyone else is going to tell you
invest in glass.

What were you trying to do? Sell it to him/her? We've already established that this is not the place for that.

 

[JKitterman]

Krafty, what did you end up doing?

 

[Krafty]

Krafty, what did you end up doing?

Well, I still don't have enough money to really get anything, so I haven't done anything. But my friend fiddled around with my lens, and now the grinding noise is gone. It sounds normal, and AF better, so I probably won't have to buy another pair.

However, getting another body, if its a D90/D200, then thats going to take me years to come up with that kind of cash.

So basically, I've done nothing, but at least my stock lens seem to be fixed.

 

[Krafty]

A lady is offering $400 for her D80 body.

 

[Ryan1524]

That's not bad at all.

 

[Krafty]

That's not bad at all.

Except for the fact that she already sold it. FML.

 

[kallisti]

Ouch... very well. just throwing it out there if you were wanting to make a good investment. no need to be rude. but i guess i shouldn't have came in here at all then.
want some advice do as everyone else is going to tell you
invest in glass.

The OP is a college student who apparently can't afford a $200 35mm 1.8 prime out of pocket and is going to need a decent deal on her D40 to swing an upgrade to a $400-500 D80 or D200 body.

Yes, fast zooms would be nice and I'm sure she'd love them. From what's in the thread though, they aren't options. Not even close. Barring a bank robbery or hitting the lottery.

To the OP, since money appears to be VERY tight, I'd really do some soul-searching about why you need to upgrade at all. What would you really like to be able to do that is impossible with your current setup?

A fast prime might open up some options that are currently impossible for you. Either by allowing you to explore low-light shooting or by allowing you to play with depth-of-field. Primes can also help with learning about composition/perspective. Moving your feet (as opposed to a zoom ring) can be a valuable learning experience. I would go for the 35mm rather than the 50mm on a DX format camera like the D40. 50mm on a DX is a bit long for many applications (aside from portraits).

Saving up for the 35mm 1.8 might ultimately be the wisest choice even if it takes months and months. Just an opinion, take it for what it's worth.

 

[cube]

Except for the fact that she already sold it. FML.

Well, although that seems maket price, it doesn't look like a good deal when one can get a NEW D200 for $599.

 

[Dave00]

Replacing D40 with D80 is a bit of a lateral move. The lower resolution on the D40 can actually lead to clearer pictures (lower pixel density), faster shooting (less info to store), and it has a much faster flash sync. The inability to use older lenses? Minor issue for most people who use the D40. There are some advantages to the D80, but most are minor and not worth switching bodies - not really a "step up".

 

[Krafty]

Yeah, it's time to set priority first, so a body can wait I suppose. Right now I got a lot of things going on with class and my budget is running even lower (investing in a 11x17 printer seems nice by now).

I just thought a $400 deal on a D80 body wasn't too bad, but I wont die. I can hang on to this D40.

What would you really like to be able to do that is impossible with your current setup?

Take larger photos.

he lower resolution on the D40 can actually lead to clearer pictures (lower pixel density)

I need to work on that first before I upgrade. When I enlarge my photos they seem grainy. I'm trying to see how people get those large, crisp, photos, which I heard is hard to tell on the viewfinder whats REALLY in focus and whats not.

 

[Krafty]

So, I remember a good friend of mines kept her D80 under her bed in the bag collecting dust. So I talked to her and she let me take the body for $365. Would have liked to give her $400 but the D40 sale didn't go as planned with the douchebag I sold it too. But regardless, I'm a happy camper now.

Replacing D40 with D80 is a bit of a lateral move. The lower resolution on the D40 can actually lead to clearer pictures (lower pixel density), faster shooting (less info to store), and it has a much faster flash sync. The inability to use older lenses? Minor issue for most people who use the D40. There are some advantages to the D80, but most are minor and not worth switching bodies - not really a "step up".

I understand that, but its just the way I work with it. Like I said, I was able to cope with my friends D80 more than my D40. For some reason, the external display, and bigger body helps me in most cases. Once I start selling my services, I can aim for that D90, or whatever seems to be the next jump. But for right now, I need to get used to the controls for the SLR, and I'd rather do it with a comfortable body, than one that I can just deal with.

 

[SchneiderMan]

what kind of services will you be selling?

 

[Krafty]

what kind of services will you be selling?

Me and my friends played paparazzi at a lawyers convention in December, so perhaps we should put more ads out. (It was fun being around a bunch of wealthy drunk adults)