Moving on from a D40

[NinjaMonkey]

You'll get better results with the D40 and 70-300 VR than with the D90 and the 70-300 ED. You know what's I'd do.

I'll second that. The non AF-S 70-300 is junk.

That said the D90 is a great camera. I love mine and it is a worthy upgrade from the D40.

 

[iTiki]

My opinion is get the D90 and some good glass.

 

[carlgo]

My plan is to win the lottery and get the 60mp Hasselblad with three lenses. Oooops, the lottery payout isn't enough...

I think the next meaningful jump right now is to the D90 and then up to full-frame if you can deal with new lenses and all their size and weight for ? actual improvement in your photos.

 

[bobpensik]

I too wouldn't waste money and time on the 24-120mm, especially on a d700. Have you thought about picking up a used d700 and a 24-70mm 2.8 nikkor? That is truly a great walk around set up, along with a 20mm 2.8, and maybe a 50mm 1.4 for low light.

I agree, the 24-120 isn't worth the time or money. For my photography style I prefer to use primes because they are smaller and faster, the 24-70 2.8 is just too much of a beast to cart around. The 20/50/85 combo I mentioned is smaller, faster and cheaper and the only thing I sacrifice is convenience.

I'll be going the glass upgrade route personally and then saving more money for a FF upgrade when the D700's predecessor is announced

 

[Ruahrc]

I'd stay away from the 24-120, as it's a variable aperture lens that is considered mediocre at best. I'm a prime shooter myself and have little use for zooms, so bear that bias in mind with regard to my posts.

Don't confuse a bad lens with one that has variable aperture. The variable aperture has nothing to do with the quality of the lens, rather the choice to go for variable aperture design is usually made in lenses that are designed to be cheaper.

The 24-120 is better than a lot of people give it credit for.

Ruahrc

 

[apple-ette]

I have been debating the same thing (upgrade path from the D40)

....

Here are the options I've been debating (All in Canadian prices)
Nikon D90 - $980
Nikon 20mm f/2.8D - $605
Nikon 50mm f/1.8D - $140
Nikon 85mm f/1.4D - $1170
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 AF-S IF-ED VRII - $540
TOTAL = $3435

...

BTW, I see the D90 is CDN$929.99 at http://www.adencamera.com (I have never bought from them, but I used their price to get a price match at my local camera store)