D40 blues

[drfuzz3899]

I want a D80. I should have saved up and bought one, but I had instant

gratificationitus. Now I have 2 good lenses that I cannot autofocus with. And

there are still alot of old lenses I am really interested in buying. The lack

of ISO control and lack of a top screen that displays shutter speed and aperture

are two other features that I'm really interested in. Am I crazy to want to

jump up to a D80? Or is this rational? If so, what would be the easiest way to

trade up?

[raffal]

I have d40x and I really like it! If i was you i would definatelly invest in good lenses first than in the camera itself unless said one would really make a difference in your photography.IMO d80 isnt such big upgrade from d4o as a matter of fact it is very comparable as far as quality of fotos are concern, even to d200. It should be new replacement for d80 this year i heard so i would wait for that.

I would upgrade in the future myself, especially that i like night shots so i am looking myself at d 300 but i am not in a hurry, price will drop anyway and as i said above i enjoy d 40x for now which will become my back up camera.Good luck,

Rafal

[kari v]

If you're interested in primes and old lenses the choice should be obvious. Perhaps even (used) D200 for best compability?

 

"IMO d80 isnt such big upgrade from d4o as a matter of fact it is very comparable as far as quality of fotos are concern,"

 

No, but when it comes to lens compability, features and handling...

Just being able to autofocus with all AF-lenses, not just AF-S (and meter in the case of D200 and AI and AIS lenses) could be seen to "make the difference".

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

THere are rumors that a D80 replacement will be announced soon. But who knows. It may,

or may not, be true.

[elliot1]

I have both. I am in the process of selling my D80's and keeping my D40. I prefer the D40's overall image quality and consistently more accurate exposure. Personally, the only real issue I had had with the D80 is that I do not like the feel of the shutter button and sometimes inconsistent exposure accuracy.

 

Yes, there are certain lenses that won't work on the D40. So don't buy them. There are so many lenses that do work with it.

 

Here is a link to a comprehensive list of compatible lenses:

 

http://www.flickr.com/groups/d40uk/discuss/72157600443747275/

 

Which two lenses do you have? Which lenses do you want? Perhaps you can sell your current lenses and get new ones that will auto focus with you camera. Or sell your D40 and get a D80.

[elyone]

"lack of ISO control"

 

huh? You can set it from 200-1600. You can set it to auto adjust up to a set number. (I have mine set on that under 1/30 it will go up to 800).

[zippy_doda]

Sounds like once you get your D80 you?ll be bummed you didn?t save for the D200. Once you get your D200 ect? This is the beginning of NAS, seek help immediately. :)

 

I?m not sure what you mean by the lack of ISO control, just hit the ?info? button twice and change away. Or you can program ISO to the ?function? button.

 

Will a upgraded camera body improve your photos? Will an expensive upgrade be just to acquire 2 or 3 features? How much will those features help your shooting?

[photobiscuits]

I have a d40 and almost always use manual focus. I find that the autofocus too often misses where I want the focus to be. And in cases of low light (or bright snowy scenes) <i>way too often</i> refuses to take the photo due to not being able to find focus. Autofocus is great for snapshots, and I do sometimes miss it for that.<br>

As far as upgrading the camera, I plan to collect a few good af-d primes which I can use on my d40, then maybe a year down the road buy a suitable pro body (d200?) which will be able to autofocus with these lense. Maybe that's a direction you could consider?<br>

I'll also add my voice to the chorus of people that are confused by the comment about lack of ISO control.

[larrybc]

Mike, how is your D40 having problems focusing in bright light?? Are you selecting which AF sensor to use or letting the camera do it? I've never run into a camera which had AF problems in snow.

 

larsbc

[cfreemanphotography]

Depending on what you'll be shooting, you may not even need primes/AF. Some lenses, such as the 17-35, perform better than primes within the same range. AS for AF... The problem with auto-focus is that manual focus becomes more difficult. On a manual focus lens, the focus ring is usually somewhere in between 180 and 270 degrees aroundthe barrel. On lenses such as the 18-200, the outer ring turns 90 degrees while the inner ring moves only 45 degrees. Basically, you lose a lot of the precision that comes in handy when using hyperfocal focusing for landscapes or for use with very fast lenses.

[jonathan_ventura]

D40 rules!

i have used the D80 and it is much harder to use IMO.

the d40 has everything a beginner needs.

i would agree with the reply that concentration on buying lenses is more important at the moment.

i also agree that it wouldnt be too much of a change to upgrade and only get a few upgrades as you would with the D80...of course if the upgrade is a big one D3...then yes that would be great but even at that point you would still need to build your other equipment range.

 

tho i cannot guarantee that if nikon offers an upgrade to the d80 i wont buy it :)

[drfuzz3899]

the only thing I meant about ISO control was the fact that on the D80 you can change the ISO in 1/3 steps instead of full steps. I think that the best idea here is just waiting and saving up for a D200. I just really miss that readout screen on top of the D80, the one I used to have on my film cameras. =( Oh well. Thanks for all the input.

[stuart davies]

I got a D40 a year or so ago, and over time have found the lack of AF compatibilty, lack of buttons and top lcd screen, etc limiting. I've just bought a D200 and have no regrets about spending the money on the body rather than D40 compatible lenses, the D200 makes taking photos alot quicker, as you said with iso control its just one button rather than he menus you have to go through in the D40, plus theres lots more lenses that will be compatible, such as older AF ones. I've just bought a AF 50mm f/1.8 and i much prefer it to any of the AFS lenses that are of similar price such as the 18-55 D40 kit lens. Personally i would recommend going for the D200, what with it being discontinued the falling prices will be another plus.

[photobiscuits]

larry anon, sorry for the lateness of my reply. I don't mean to hijack the thread with my own comments but to answer your question I think that the problem stems from the featureless appearance of snow in bright light, kind of like trying to find autofocus on a blank wall.<br>

I mostly use my af-d 50mm which is manual anyway, but recently decided to put the 18-55 kit af-s back on my d40 and found it very frustrating in that it simply could not find focus to take the picture.<br>

No problems, I like the manual focus anyway and am getting better at it.

[shang_zheng]

Though I have some money to spend on D300 (I owned D40 about a year with several AF-S & manual lens) but I decided to go for film to learn the basic feel and expectation. I have my D40 hooked with AF-S 105mm f/2.8 or 55-200mm and my new used F80 (or N80 in USA) with AF-D 50mm f/1.8 and 20-35mm F/2.8 (wide angle). I carry both in my shooting recently; I'm very happy with the combination and never worry about missing any lovely shots due to low battery in D40 and F80 will be the alternative (I always spare extra battery and film in my bag). I shoot night or colorful scene with F80.

 

It is a cheaper solution, fit the purpose of AF those AF-D lenses and filled my emptyness of color and deepth that missing in digital photography.

[shang_zheng]

Additional comment;

 

You may look into Nikon film camera without battery such as FE or FM. Since I already have D40 and F80, the next camera I'm looking for will be semi aperture priority such as FM3a.