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Buying a Nikon D40

Shaun.P

Shaun.P

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 14, 2003
1,601
24
Omicron Persei 8
After reading the "Post your last purchase" thread, I have become interested in purchasing a Nikon D40. I have read reviews (mostly on Amazon) and the D40 seems to get fantastic reviews.

I currently have a Canon IXUS 60, a compact digital camera that I have used for nearly two years. I have an interest in photography, however I feel I need to be in the 'mood' to be creative enough to decide to take photos. I think that by upgrading to a DSLR, it will inspire me to be more creative by being able to take more control over my photographs, and also by spending money on the camera it will push me into developing my hobby.

Anyway, please give me your suggestions on this purchase, and I have included some of my favourite photographs, taken on the IXUS 60 and edited in iPhoto.
 
Hey, you have some great pictures there! You have a great eye!

I'm a Nikon user, I have a D50 - great camera..I like the D40, but would recommend getting the D60 - newer and comes with a VR lens...

You will really like having an slr, more ways to manipulate the picture...It can take awhile to get used to manual settings, etc, but you'll have fun learning.
 
The Nikon D40 is an amazing camera. You can't beat the quality for the price, and lately I've been seeing the D40 kit (comes with 18-55mm lens) + 55-200mm lens for $599. It was on sale at Best Buy last week, and I know Microcenter has it as well. $100 for the 55-200mm lens is awesome. Really can't beat that price and functionality for both. Regardless, good luck with your purchase.
 
d40 is awsome just stay away from the d40x

you should look at a store called cameta camera's or 47th st photo great deals on the d40
 
Thank you for all your advice.

My parents are asking me what I want for Christmas, and I think that I definitely want a D-SLR.

I have some questions though.

I am considering the D40, D60, EOS-450D and EOS-1000D.

I'm confused about which of these cameras focus automatically. I know the D40 doesn't autofocus, but the lens you get supplied with it is a "AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED lens". If the lens provided with the camera has 'AF' does that mean auto focus? What does 'AF-S' mean?

The D60 has dust reduction. Is this a good feature? I can get a discount on the D60 from my work, however the lens isn't the VR one. Is there much difference between the standard D60 lens and the VR one?

Do all these camera's export in a RAW format? (I'd maybe like to use Aperture).

Is it worth spending nearly double the amount of money to buy the 450D than the D40? If it's double the amount of money, but it's a lot better, I'd rather pay the extra (or give the extra money to my parents seeing it's a gift) to get a better camera.

I like taking photographs, but I have a PnS camera just now, and I don't exactly go out my way to take photos. I'm a bit scared on asking this for a Christmas present, and I don't use it much. I like the idea of a D-SLR, but will it encourage my interest in photography? I suppose only I'll know!

My mum says it's something I'll always have, which I suppose is somewhat true...
 
Hey I am a Canon shooter so I am not positively sure, I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, AF-S will auto-focus because they have a motor in the lens, the ones that will not auto focus on a D40 are the ones that don't have a motor in the lens therefore require the focusing motor on the body which the D40 lacks... i may be wrong but i think those lenses are AF... not AF-s... and from those cameras that you are tryig to choose from they all take RAw pictures as far as i know..
And about your mom saying that, it's something you'll always have, yes it is true to a point, back in the day people would keep their SLR for a very long time kind of like a n expensive watch or something, not so much anymore, but then again, i don't see why you would have to change it... they for sure can last a very long long long time if you take good care of them
 
juanster said:
AF-S will auto-focus because they have a motor in the lens
Click to expand...

Absolutely right Juanster. I have the d40 and it is a great camera. Its very fun to shoot with and I think you will find that you have it with you quite often because of its size and durability. The kit lens is not bad for what it is, but you will find yourself slightly limited with AF lenses. All of the newer lenses from Nikon will work with the d40 but they will not auto focus, although they will meter and there is a small green dot in the viewfinder telling you when you are focused. Overall I could not think of a better starter dslr (just look in macworld, in their best products section I think it has been their chosen dslr for about 18 months straight now.) Either way by the time you actually manage to outgrow this camera and the lens selection you will have gotten more than your moneys worth. Happy shooting!
 
Wow, nice pics, you surely spend some time uploading all those pics, Im just too lazy to upload, internet in Malaysia is slowwwww. Watching a HD clip in Vimeo will take 30min -1 hour++ so you get the idea on how crappy our internet is.

Anyway, the D40 is a great camera but like some poster say, you can get the D60 since it has lens cleaning, better lens and if I'm not mistaken better image processing engine. And don't get hooked up with kenrockwell review, he give a lot of good points and etc. but he is clearly biased towards the D40.

And like some poster said, since you are thinking of the 1000D, keep your choices open cause both the 1000D and D60 is very good starter camera, me myself is looking towards them but Its likely I'll go for the 1000D because my dad already owns a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro lens, he also owns a Tamron SP AF90 f/2.8 Macro lens (Nikon) but I prefer the Canon lens. So I'll be choosing Canon. Also Canon has some extra lens choices that will fit my needs in the future.

Remember this tip (I get this a lot), when buying a camera, you are not only buying the features, you are buying a system, so look into the lens range and see if it fits your needs. Oh yea and be sure to try out the camera to see if you are comfortable with it, make sure that you like it so that you will enjoy using it :)

Keep us updated
 
Hi,

Although it may be an older model, I would suggest the D80 which should be close to the price range of the d60. It is a little bigger (I found the d40 and d60 to be too small), but it can take on the many lenses that the d40 and d60 cannot.

Good Luck!
 
I have the D40 and I love it. I'm going to include some links to Ken Rockwell. He is opinionated and you don't have to agree to everything he says. But I think it is fun reading.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/recommended-cameras.htm

ShaunPriest said:
Is there much difference between the standard D60 lens and the VR one?
Click to expand...
VR is great when zooming a handheld camera in low light.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/image-stabilization.htm

ShaunPriest said:
Do all these camera's export in a RAW format? (I'd maybe like to use Aperture).
Click to expand...
Yes


ShaunPriest said:
Is it worth spending nearly double the amount of money to buy the 450D than the D40? If it's double the amount of money, but it's a lot better, I'd rather pay the extra (or give the extra money to my parents seeing it's a gift) to get a better camera.
Click to expand...
In my opinion, no. The money is better spent on memory cards, a tripod, Aperture, a superzoom lens, the new 50mm AF-S lens, the handy remote control, a camera bag, etc.

All of that stuff can be used when you upgrade your camera in 1-3 years.

For a real upgrade get a D90. Or better yet, if you buy a D40 today you won't have any problem financing the successor to the D90 in 2 years.

ShaunPriest said:
I like taking photographs, but I have a PnS camera just now, and I don't exactly go out my way to take photos. I'm a bit scared on asking this for a Christmas present, and I don't use it much. I like the idea of a D-SLR, but will it encourage my interest in photography? I suppose only I'll know!
Click to expand...
You take great photos with your PnS. You don't NEED a D-SLR to take great photos, but it is more fun. If you are not sure whether you are going to use it much you should definitely get a D40. It's a great entry-level camera and lots of fun. If you get hooked, you can upgrade in a few years. If you don't, you haven't lost much money.


All in my opinion. :D
 
pesc said:
You take great photos with your PnS. You don't NEED a D-SLR to take great photos, but it is more fun. If you are not sure whether you are going to use it much you should definitely get a D40. It's a great entry-level camera and lots of fun. If you get hooked, you can upgrade in a few years. If you don't, you haven't lost much money.
Click to expand...

Best advice in the thread. Get the D40. It's a fantastic camera, and for someone learning you will not miss the features of the more high end DSLRs for some time. From a learning perspective, it's easier to start small anyway.

I bought a D40 about a year and a half ago, and still haven't gotten around to learning how to use it properly, but I still love the camera. I'm going to go and pick up a tripod this weekend and play with it at night and stuff... :)
 
+1 for the D40. Own one and I've definitely enjoyed the photography and the process of taking pictures much more. It does autofocus on all newer lenses, has plenty of features to transition you to a DSLR, and if you want to upgrade in a couple of years you'll have a nice backup body.

You already have VERY nice pictures, a DSLR will make it more fun IMO.

When I was researching my purchase, I didn't understand the comments of 'camera body is a disposable item' and 'spend your money on lenses'. Until I starting taking photos, talking to pro photogs, etc. I now agree with those statements 100%. Get yourself a D40, and if you want/need to spend the $, buy some decent lenses. Those will probably stay longer with you than any camera body.
 
Thank you for all your insightful replies. And also thank you for all the kind comments about my photos.

I'm between the D40 and the D60, and this is mainly due to price.

As a Christmas bonus my work has given us these gift cards, where if you spend £300 or more, you get £75 off (rather than the normal 10%).

The Nikon D40 is £250. I wouldn't be able to use the gift card on this (as it's not >£300, so it would be my normal discount which is 10%. So I can get the Nikon D40 for £225, which is pretty good.

However, my work sells the Nikon D60 for £320. Which I can use the £75 giftcard on. So I can get it for £245 - only £20 more. Both come with the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm lens.

Worth the £20 / $32 extra?
 
ShaunPriest said:
Worth the £20 / $32 extra?
Click to expand...

The D60 has 10MP as opposed to 6MP for the D40 (which also means more storage needed)

The D60 has a slower flash sync speed than the D40. Otherwise I believe these 2 cameras are identical.
 
Get a used D50 for around $200, and enjoy a lot more new and second-hand lens access.
 
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