Why I chose a D40.

[elyone]

First post here. I used to subscribe to the digest of the usenet Nikon bb long

long ago.

 

I read closly many of the posts here and decided to post a summary of why I

chose the D40.

 

backround: A long time "Advanced amature", I have a moderatly nice N70 system.

My prize lens is the 105mm micro. Good old SB-26. Funding has always been an

issue, so I struck a balance between what I wanted and what I could aford.

 

Past few years I found myself waiting and waiting for Nikon to come out with a

moderatly priced digital SLR I could afford. Meanwhile, my 5 year old 4mp Optio

(A gift) got more use and my beloved N70 got covered in the proverbial dust.

 

 

Finaly the D40x came out. I said oooh thats it. Ok, I might even have drooled a

bit too. So the past few days I dived deep back into forums, reading digital

terminology etc.

 

 

My choice is to get the D40. (not x). Not that I "dont buy the MP myth", but I

simply agree that I wont need much more than 6.1.

I agree its a certain compromise, one that I think is worth it.

 

The price cant be beat.

I dont mind manual focus with some of my old lenses. I wont even mind manual

metering with with my realy old, but realy nice 24mm Nikkor prime. Ill contiue

to use spot focusing like I always have done anyway.

More Importantly, I can now afford to buy the 55-200 VR lens and the SB400,

(next month of course...).

I WILL use more than the kit lens on it, I WILL get a flash for it and I WILL

use it to its upmost capabilities. And I WONT be insulted if I get a look that

says "Ah, you only have a D40", secure that I made a good choice for myself.

 

One point I realy want to make is one a few posters here said in various ways.

You dont need to have the best camera to be a good photographer. I learned to

shoot on an old russion Zenit camera with manual aperture and an on top light

meter. Some of the macro pics I took then (about 13 years ago) are still among

my best.

 

 

So I will take the D40, with its disadvantages and use my understanding of

photography to overcome its limitations. Dont overextend yourself to get a D80,

and then not be able to afford more lenses etc.

 

 

SO thanks again to many here who helped me make this happy decision.

[dave_s3]

Your old Nikon Lenses work with the D40?<p/><p/>I was looking at the D40x combo pack that came out recently (D40x, 18-55mm and 55-200mm zoom lenses, and a case: $999) and I was disappointed with the construction of the lenses. They're plastic and I'm concerned that after moderate use, they'll become sloppy - meaning the movements won't be as tight and the image will degrade as a result.<p/>On the other hand, if I can use the less expensive body and save $$$ for the better lenses, that would be the best compromise for me.<p/>The reason why I won't spend the money on the D200 or better is that, in my humble opinion, the digital camera market is like what the PC market was 15 years ago - your equipment (bodies only) will be obsolete in 6 to 12 months.

[photo5]

I loved my D70s. It was a fantastic camera and I felt like the images I got from it were wonderful. When the D200 came out I was interested and my company got one from Nikon to evaluate. I thought it was nice, but a little big, and I didn't see much of any improvement in image quality over the D70s other than the filesizes being a bit larger. Then the D80 came out and I was going to travel to Japan, so I went for it. Never regretted it, the resolution is higher and the D80 has much better noise handling than the D70s had, as well as much better viewfinder and faster shutter release.

 

The D40 is a nice improvement over the D50, that is if you don't need to use older Nikon AF lenses, which need to be manually focused on that body.

 

Enjoy your D40!

 

Dave

[ilkka_nissila]

Notice that there is NO METERING with any lens without electrical contacts. This means you have to guess exposure with your MF lenses.

 

Also, most of the consumer DSLRs are extremely difficult to use in manual focusing mode. I don't know if this is true of the D40, but certainly is of the D50 and D70.

 

If you have old lenses that you want to keep using, get a D200. You will get full feature support. And a much better built body.

 

While the quality of photographs is mostly dependent on the photographer and subject, don't underestimate the effect of poor compatibility of the D40 with Nikon lenses.

[dave wyman]

I think, for your needs, you made a great choice. Personally, I like being able to crop as much as I want to out of the original photograph, so for my last purchase of a body, I went for a Nikon with more megapixels.

 

As for manually focused lenses, I've got a couple I use (including a macro lens where auto focusing can be a pain), and I don't mind a bit. In fact, I enjoy the process; they aren't lenses I use for action.

 

I also have to guess at the exposure; because I've had fun with cameras for many years, I don't seem to have a problem getting close on the first try and then, if necessary, making adjustments on the fly - that's what's so great about digital cameras.<div></div>

[elliot1]

You made a wise choice with the d40. Don't let its size fool you. Image quality is superb, every bit as good as my d200 (I have both).

 

The d40x is not worth the extra money. You really don't gain anything and loose the fast high speed flash shutter sync. speed. A 6mp image easily makes excellent 12 x 18 prints.

 

I have done several direct comparisons between 6mp images and 10mp images and the difference is not noticable at prints up to 12 x 18 and so small as you go larger or do an extreme crop that the difference is hardly visible unless you take out a magnifying glass. A 3mp image produces a perfect 8 x 10.

 

Congratulations and happy shooting!

[petrana_batik]

Avi, it seems to me like you're handling this as life-making decision.

 

It's a camera. It's a tool. It's a box that takes photos. There's nothing special about it. I've sold and bought camera bodies many times before. Before you know it, Nikon will come out with a much better body. Most people spend more on tires than they spend on a camera. Tires save lives... got the picture? ;)

[jason j]

If you don't mind manual focusing and using a handheld light meter, then using old lenses with a D40 isn't a big deal. Indeed, I know a few photographers who are human light meters. This also isn't a "life making decision," but there is no shame in trying to make an optimal compromise. Congratulations on your choice. Keep shooting.

[mark soares]

Avi,

 

There advantages and disadvantages to the D40, most of these im sure you are aware, size, mp, metering, focusing, etc - i completely agree with your take on your purchase of a camera body, it seems to me your an old school photographer getting into the digital game. I myself being a little old school (4x5 cameras still rock) can relate, most of the "disadvantages" of the d40 are nothing more than things current day consumers take for granted and can't live without whereas the old school crowd won't even consider it a problem. So what if you have to spot meter every shot with a handheld meter, and manual focusing, as long as the exposure comes out ok thats all that matters. It seems the one thing your trying to eliminate from your process is the film part of it. Give me a digital back for a 4x5 view camera and as happy a fat kid eating cake, i don't care if i need to meter exposure manually and focus - because that's not usually the problem, it's depending on the film labs, on film scanners and on outrageous film costs to get your images. This methodology would not work as well if you were a sports photographer of course but that's why there are different cameras. I think you will be very happy with your D40 - at the end of the day, the least time spent obsessing about functions/flaws of the equipment, the more time spent shooting - and that is what makes a better photographer.

enjoy your D40.

[albertdarmali]

Glad that you like your D40, but you can't really discourage people from buying D80, because there are many things that D80 can do but D40 can't that some people find them useful (maybe not necessarily for you, but useful for others).

[tom_yuan]

I don't understand why anyone would pay almost $1000 for a D40 when the D80 can be had for that much.

[elyone]

Petrana, after reading your post I lol at myself!

 

I suppose I did make it sound like a life decision. In a way it was; I have not spent that much on myself in a long time (3 kids tuition, life and mortgage will do that hehe) but yes, you certainly helped put it back into perspective for me...

 

And I don't mean to discourage anyone from buying a btr body, however, for those like me who are more budget minded, I wanted to share my conclusions.

 

Ah and I forgot about the no metering with non-cpu lenses, but I'll get around that too :).

[albertdarmali]

I don't really care about the more megapixel of D80, but really what makes the D80 well worth the money over D40 is much better viewfinder, top display, front and back dials, bigger body, and AF motor. That's a lot of offers for just a little bit more.

[kurt_kemling]

Congratulations on your D40; I also decided on this model and have really enjoyed the

size and capability of it. I use the SB-400 flash (which is great for bouncing of the ceiling)

and a 50 mm 1.8 prime lens. Manually focusing the 50 mm 1.8 has been fun actually. I

also recently purchased the 55-200 VR which is working great. It really makes the body

look small when attached though. I love the size and portability of the D40, especially

when it churns out pictures with quality tantamount to that of the D50, and D70. If I were

to upgrade, I would choose the D80 due to the similar LCD and other features; but for now

I don't see the need (only the want). I like to use my tools to their fullest so when

upgrading, I can really appreciate the new features in the upgrade.

 

Not sure if other Nikon models do this, but my pictures come out inherently cool so I have

my white balance trim set to -2 which makes each shot a little warmer. I never really

noticed until I compared a similar shot to my friends D200 (same shot different camera).

From what I have read, the D200 has better white balance.

 

Enjoy your camera!

[kurt_kemling]

Congratulations on your D40; I also decided on this model and have really enjoyed the

size and capability of it. I use the SB-400 flash (which is great for bouncing of the ceiling)

and a 50 mm 1.8 prime lens. Manually focusing the 50 mm 1.8 has been fun actually. I

also recently purchased the 55-200 VR which is working great. It really makes the body

look small when attached though. I love the size and portability of the D40, especially

when it churns out pictures with quality tantamount to that of the D50, and D70. If I were

to upgrade, I would choose the D80 due to the similar LCD and other features; but for now

I don't see the need (only the want). I like to use my tools to their fullest so when

upgrading, I can really appreciate the new features in the upgrade.

 

Not sure if other Nikon models do this, but my pictures come out inherently cool so I have

my white balance trim set to -2 which makes each shot a little warmer. I never really

noticed until I compared a similar shot to my friends D200 (same shot different camera).

From what I have read the D200 has better white balance.

 

Enjoy your camera!