phil_senk Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 I am looking into a digital SLR, I have a friend that is selling a Nikon D100. Am I better off buying a new D40X or save a few $$ and get the D100. I know the D100 was a more expensive camera when new however the newer technology even though cheaper may be better. Please give me an honest opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCL Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 Go for the newer technology...no reason not to if both cameras are in equal condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivek iyer Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 If you want a superior picture taking machine buy the D40x. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tumble2113 Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 A guy at my office has the D100 and loves it, has loved it since new and has never even looked at another camera since. SO if the price is right then the D100 is worth playing with, however the new technology is better and there have been lots of comparisons between the D100 and the D50 saying to go with the D50. So I would go new if price was not the concern, but if the price of the D100 is at a bargain....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_dorcich1 Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 "If you want a superior picture taking machine buy the D40x." Unless of course you want auto focus with older lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_dorcich1 Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40x/ http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond100/ Read compare, contrast. They are both excellent "picture taking machines". Do you have a nikon lens collection? Do you plan on moving up to a d300 or the like some day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanjo_viagran Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 one reason not to buy a D100: flash compatibility (D-ttl). one reason not to buy a D40/x: no autofocus with non AF-S lenses. IMHO, if I were you, I'd look something else, even a good deal on a D70/s is better choice than the D100 or D40/x, IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 D40X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photo5 Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 The D40x will produce better captures than the D100. It's like asking should I buy a new PC with a Core 2 Duo processor, or should I buy this older one with a really big case and a Pentium III processor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pge Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 A camera is more than just a computer. If you have had your hands on your friends d100 you might not like the feel of a d40. If it was me I would very seriously consider the d100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwg Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 It all depends on the price. If my D100 hadn't developed electrical issues I wouldn't have bought the D300. Not because the D100 is as good as a D300, but because it worked fine for most of my needs. So if you can get a really good deal on the D100 it might be worth it. If the price is the same I would go with a newer camera for sure. I wouldn't spend more than $200 on a D100 these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraczekp Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 Well, do you want an used 2004 Honda Accord or the brand new 2007 Civic? Go for the 40. The D100 is old technology. I have the D100 and I would gladly trade it in for the 40 (any model) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie_frank1 Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 Get D100! And tell your girlfriend and your friends that you have deep pocket to buy this $2000 digital camera, not those cheap guys can only afford $500 for D40X. Get D40X if you are married. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_brown4 Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 I just sold a clean D100 dor $520. The buyer was delighted, it was his thrid D100. The D100 is a more substantial machine with a sold frame that can stand up to regular use. I dunno, the pictures always looked great to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen dohring Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 All these posts and no one asks what are you shooting? which is the most important question. If your doing family and landscapes and average shooting the D40 will be a little more updated out of the camera. It is very small and compact also. If you are doing kids sports the D100 has dynamic focus tracking which the D70 and d40 do not have. If you are in more exstreme enviornments the D100 is built stronger. So the D100 is a better tool, the White balance out of the d40 is a little more updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tri-x1 Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 In the hands of someone who knows what they are doing the D100 will produce photographs equal to anything the D40 can do and it Can use older lenses the D40 can't handle. It's better built, too. The fact that the D100 is "old technology" means absolutely nothing unless the D40 can do something that you need to do that the D100 can't do. My computer has a 1.8 gigahertz processor and Win XP PRO. It's almost four years old but a brand new double whammy processor, 10 gigs of memory and the newest Windows version won't do what I need done any better than what I've already got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photo5 Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 Phil, when I tested the D100 the month it came out, I was not impressed with the image quality. My Cooplix 990 looked better to me. I'm more concerned with image quality than with the "feel" of a camera. Even a used D70s would be better than the D100 in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_enman Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 Poor image quality with the D100? That is a new one. I needed to dig out my old D100 last summer when I had to send my D2h in for a repair (that I caused) I shot 2 weddings with it and although it took a bit more time in PhotoShop than the D2h does, I ended up with great quality images. The D100 isn't very sharp out of the camera and is slow if you are using RAW. Sharpen it in PhotoShop and count to 10 between RAW exposures and you'll be fine. For me, your decision could be the D100 if the price is under 500.00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m_. Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 >>>I tested the D100 the month it came out, I was not impressed with the image quality. My Cooplix 990 looked better to me. are you sure we are talking about the same d100? to me, this is like saying a yugo drives better than a porsche. phil - i can't tell you which you should buy, but d100 did everything for me, except it backfocus often enough when used with autofocus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photo5 Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 A D50 will beat a D100 easily, and you can find used D50 bodies for $350 on the auction site. Do I really have to point you towards the dpreview.com tests for the D100 and D50/70s/40/40x or can you go there yourself to see? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartMoxham Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 The d100 was and still is a fine camera. The newer cameras seem to produce more saturated images straight from the camera and that may be better for you. I can't honestly say that images I got from my d70 were so much better than the images I shot with my fathers d100 but I can't really say that my D1h produces images any worse either. I find most of the differences very subtle between digital slr cameras once they have been post processed at the default settings the cameras can vary a bit more but once I have post processed the files it is hard to tell the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_hagaman Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 Phil, I recentely went through the same issue as you are. D100 vs D40x / D80 etc. I have been looking at the D100's for about a year and a half now, watching as the prices have been getting lower and lower. Just lately however I started looking seriously at the D40's and 80's instead. After a lot of thought I decided to go with a great deal on a brand new (old stock) D100 and new MB-D100 on ebay for $400. In other auctions I picked up like new Nikon 70-300G zoom for $99 and a 18-55 AF-S zoom + 28-80G zoom for $105. So for about $600 I got the camera, battery grip and 3 lenses. Everything came with original boxes, paper work and accessories. I dont think you can buy a dual lens D40x kit for less than this let alone a D80. I love the D100! My last "good" camera was a complete F4 package that I sold about 8-10 years ago when I got married. The D100 seems to work and feel a lot like I remember the F4 working. It just feels right in my hand and a lot of the controls seem familiar. The D40 just dosent feel right in my hand when I pick it up. It does have a lot of nice features however and is newer technology than the D100. I liked the large view screen and it's ease of operation. I dont like the AF-S lens issue. I don't think I have found a single bad review of this camera anywhere. Everybody seems to love it that has bought it. The D100 has a lot of pro features that the D40 dosent like exposure bracketing, continuous focusing, diopter adjustment, the ability to shoot in raw mode, the ability to mount just about any Nikon lens, the optional battery pack (plus a lot more I'm not mentioning). I still like the D40 and may even buy a used body for my wife to use (she likes the smaller / easier to use camera) but for me the D100 just seemed like a lot more "bang for the buck" After using it a bit now I have no regrets at all and am very happy with my purchase. I'm going to pick up a SB-80DX flash soon (around $140) At the end of the day, I dont think that you can go wrong with either choice. Get the one that feels "right" for you and go out and use it. I hope that this helps you make your decision. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan_strembicki Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 I owned a D100 and recently was looking at some old files, they are pretty noisy compared to modern gear. I loved my D100 and took some great work with it, but the old files compared to my new ones suggest you'd be better off with the D40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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