D40 as a backup for serious shoots?

[ramon_v__california_]

<p>i'm not a professional but i earn a little when i do small weddings and corporate/church/family functions part-time. i'd like to do a little more business so i teamed up with a friend who is a hobbyist. we both have a d200 as primaries. i have a d70s as backup. she doesn't have one. we don't have much to invest for now. this venture is a poor-man's startup. i can say we just plan to have fun at the start and learn along the way.<br>

she's looking at the d40 because of the size and higher flash synch speed; and also because we will always be shooting together. i suggested a d80 or a d70s because of the compact flash compatibility. of course on both because of the price. we will also be having excellent lenses. <br>

but i have read in this forum about the erratic metering behaviour of the d80. is this true? manageable? will bracketing contain this? thank you all!</p>

[pete_s.]

<p>From a usage point of view it would be best if she had the same backup as you, the D70S, or another D200 of course. The D80 doesn't have the high flash sync speed and the D40 doesn't have the same control wheels or support for AF lenses.</p>

[elliot1]

<p><em>...erratic metering behavior of the d80...</em> Yes, very true (I owned one). Do a search on Photo.net and you will see numerous posts about the D80's exposure issues. One thing to consider is that if you are using the camera primarily with flash, you likely will not experience exposure problems as the metering problems are more common shooting outdoors. Shooting RAW helps manage the metering issues (although I suggest you shoot RAW or RAW/JPG all the time anyway).<br>

The D40 makes an excellent backup camera (I have one) as long as you have AF-S lenses.</p>

 

[aldrich]

<p>Either the D40 or the D60 will make an excellent backup camera, and the D40 is extremely affordable right now. If you must have a camera that controls non-AFS lenses, it may be better to find a decent D50, for just as cheap as the D40.</p>

[kayak203]

<p>I use the D40 a lot, but I also have the D70s and recently the D300.<br>

I would have gone for the D80, because like the D70s, I would be able to command an off camera flash in TTL / CLS.<br>

But, I use the D40 a lot with a manual 55mm f/1.2, but set at f2, and I get some really good in focus photos, and some not so good. The AF on the D40 is ok, but not really very good in low light.</p>

<p>I wouldn't count on bracketing, except for the rapid fire surprise photos. If you use RAW, the exposure issues attributed to the D80 should be less of an issue. I'm not aware if the D80 is any worse than the D40 on the exposure issue, but I haven't looked into that.</p><div></div>

[dave_l.]

<p>Do you need wireless flash (CLS)? Because the D40/D40x/D60 series doesn't have it. I would think that's a big issue for some wedding/event photographers, although you could work around that with radio transmitters, etc. </p>

[ronald_moravec1]

<p>Keep in mind it will not be fully functional without AFS lenses, those without the focus motor in the lens.</p>

<p>A D90 would be a better long term investment.</p>

[bruce_margolis]

<blockquote>

<p>"i suggested a d80 or a d70s because of the compact flash compatibility"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The D80 uses SD cards, not CF. Given how prices have been dropping, I would seriously consider another D200. You already know the camera, have much more control, and the ability to set it up the same as the others.</p>

<p>And yes, the D80 does have some funky metering at times. Since you are talking about gigs for money, I wouldn't want to rely on a D80, especially if the event is outside.</p>

 

[maurycy]

<p>Adorama sells refurbished D60 for $299. That's probably close to what used D40 costs now. Plus you will have 4 megapixels more for cropping.</p>

[ramon_v__california_]

<p>thank you all for the very informative and useful inputs.</p>