Help with buying a new DSLR

[fall3n]

For a super in depth and excellent review of the D40, check this one out. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/

 

[cnybud]

I bought the D50 mostly because of the price as I couldn't afford what I really wanted. i couldn't go wrong with 6MP in an entry level camera. The 40 wasn't an option when I bought it, but had I had the money I might have opted and still may opt for a D80 which is what I really wanted in the first place. I don't know about all this Canon vs Nikon stuff, I just enjoy the feel of this camera and the great pictures I take with it. But then again if I had a Canon I would be just as good, I wager. Heck I still take awesome pictures with my Sony F717.

 

[GnrlyMrly]

Which Canon are you going with?

400D(XTi) amazingly fast little camera. As much as I liked my D50, there's no way I could pass up this camera.

 

[volvoben]

Unless you really need 10MP, a D40 is a better choice. Spend the money saved on something like the 55-200VR.

the D40x is 10mp, the D40 was 6...not that you'd likely need the extra 4, but despite the 'megapixel myth' it's always nice to have a few extra pixels for good measure/cropping. That said, I've been happy with 20x30 prints from 6mp though (interpolated a bit with genuine fractals), and I even had a nice 21x28 in a show from an early 4mp consumer camera.

 

[compuwar]

Nikon has better consumer bodies. Canon makes the best 'pro' lenses (other than specialty companies like Leica and Hasselblad) in the world. Based on your current camera choices, you don't seem to need 'pro gear' (which is really a myth, as anything used by a professional can be considered 'pro').

Also, you may want to consider Pentax if you're in to primes. Their FA limited series (31, 43, and 77mm) is usually considered the sharpest, smoothest (in terms of bokeh), most saturated primes on the market. Their new DA* f/2.8 SDM zooms, which will be out later this year, are very impressive. Besides their great glass, the K10D, a prosumer body, has weather and dust sealing, which can only be found in Canon and Nikon's $3000+ 'pro' models.

1. "Pro" bodies tend to have higher duty cycles on the shutters, better sealing, and often (but decreasingly because of feature creep downwards) unique functions such as enhanced bracketing, mirror lock-up, smaller exposure increments, etc. In camera bodies, "Pro" doesn't mean "used by a professional" as much as it means "engineered to stand up to adverse shooting conditions day in and day out."

2. It's very difficult to say a product that hasn't been released yet is "impressive," especially a whole line of lenses...

3. The Nikon D200 is much less than $3000, and has weather sealing. However, most folks don't challenge the sealing that's on the prosumer models- I've shot the D70s, D200 and S2Pro in wet conditions and haven't had an issue, though I no longer have a D200 I'd probably grab the D2x if I thought I had to shoot in a storm, but it'd still get a raincoat, sealing or not.

 

[carbonmotion]

plus no amount of weather sealing will save your camera from a sand storm or the the deserts of north africa/ middle east...

 

[kwalsh1991]

I decided to go with the Nikon D40 I did some research and tested the 2 cameras and i liked the grip and and the feel of the D40 better and the picture quality was better well atleast what i could see in the store

 

[carbonmotion]

I decided to go with the Nikon D40 I did some research and tested the 2 cameras and i liked the grip and and the feel of the D40 better and the picture quality was better well atleast what i could see in the store

make sure you read all the relavent manuals!

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

plus no amount of weather sealing will save your camera from a sand storm or the the deserts of north africa/ middle east...

...I doubt any of us will be shooting in these conditions in the near future!

 

[carbonmotion]

...I doubt any of us will be shooting in these conditions in the near future!

well you never know...