So I'm pretty sick of using this crappy point and shoot that I have and I really want to start taking serious photographs. I tend to photograph and focus on landscapes and wildlife, so what would be the best SLR camera for doing that? I went to a camera store and they recommended a CanonXTi with a Tamron 18-200. But the camera alone is already $699 and the lens is $395. Is there anything I can get that would be just as good for the job but less expensive? The Nikon D40 is a great little camera, very easy to use and quite reasonably priced. It has a few "consumer friendly" totally automatic modes that make it very easy to use - including a "Child Photo" mode - but still offers total photographic control when you are ready to take charge. It will get you in the Nikon family which is a great place to be. If you buy accessories and lenses, you will be able to use everything on any Nikon that you might upgrade to later on.
Check out Nikon's "Picturetown" promotion, where they handed out 200 D40's in Georgetown, SC. http://www.stunningnikon.com/picturetown...
Here are a few reviews, in case you have not read them yet. Be sure to note that they are several pages long and some of the reviews also have some sample images that you can look at.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40...
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_revi...
http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3756/cam...
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/d40...
I hate to see people slam the camera because it can't autofocus with older Nikon lenses. It is true that there is a "slight problem" with older Nikon lenses not autofocusing on the D40, but if you do not own a bag full of older lenses, it is not going to be a problem. It is barely a problem anyhow. If you check www.nikonusa.com for "AF-S" lenses, which are ALL 100% compatible with the D40, you will find 23 lenses, including 7 "VR" (vibration Reduction) lenses and one true macro lens with "VR". There are another 25-plus lenses in the current catalog that provide all functions except autofocus as well as many (possibly dozens) "out of print" lenses that will work just as well. In addition, although these lens will not autofocus, most of them will still give focus confirmation. From the D40 manual: "If the lens has a maximum aperture of f/5.6 of faster, the viewfinder focus indicator can be used to confirm whether the portion of the subject in the selected focus area is in focus. After positioning the subject in the active focus area, press the shutter release button halfway and rotate the lens focusing ring until the in-focus indicator is displayed." (See http://www.members.aol.com/swf08302/niko... for a list of AF-S lenses.)
The D40 only has 3 autofocus zones arranged horizontally at the center, 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions. This might be considered a limitation, but realistically, most people will find this perfectly adequate, especially if you are moving up from a point and shoot with only a center zone.
There is no "Status LCD" on top of the camera, but Nikon chose to use the rear LCD for this information. This is actually a nice move, as the display is bigger than the top display and you aren't using the read LCD for anything BEFORE you take the picture anyway. This is not a step backwards and it actually makes sense to me.
You can get the D40 with the 18-55 kit lens at B&H Photo available through Yahoo! Shopping or at 1-800-622-4987) for $525 (June 2007). Add a Lexar Platinum (60X speed) card for $25 or 2 GB for $35. Or - get the D40 with 18-135 lens and 1 GB Lexar card for $750. This is a decent lens and it is very versatile. You will find it suitable for pretty much anything you want to do, other than really long telephoto shots. It will let you explore the range of focal lengths to decide where to start filling in your lens collection. If you don't want to buy any more lenses, this one will carry you through pretty much everything. B&H also have used D40's from $475. Cheapest digital is the Nikon D-40 at $600
Film (35mm) is the Rebel K2 at $200 If you want cheap, I believe the cheapest is the Pentax K110 D, which is essentially a K100 without image stabilization built in. However, I don't recommend the Pentax system because they have a smaller ecosystem.
You don't have to purchase an 18-200 mm lens, you can go for the XTi's kit 18-55 mm lens. However, 18-200 mm is a very practical range, albeit it's not where to look for quality.
Another alternative is Nikon's D40 with Nikon's own 18-200 mm lens.
Before you make your decision on a camera, I would like to strongly suggest that you consider the strengths and weaknesses of each brand before you buy into one (eg. Nikon, Canon). Mainly, Nikon for a better body, and Canon for a better sensor.
The next decision is what lens you want. I'm not sure if Canon has a 55-200 mm lens, but a good idea is purchasing a 18-55 mm lens, and then a 55-200 mm lens. This isn't as practical, but it may be cheaper. my suggestion
go to yahoo shopping
digital cameras
digital camera GUIDE
be sure to check titles on the left side
the guide should answer your questions I recently made the jump from point-and-shoot to DSLR, and, after a few weeks of research, I decided to go with the Pentax K100D. I have been more than happy with my decision. I purchased a dual lens kit for $699.99, and there is a $150 rebate that will bring the total to $550 for the body and two good lenses. The kit includes an 18-55mm lens that is better than the Canon or Nikon kit lenses and a 50-200mm lens that is very sharp and hard to beat for the price. I purchased my camera from Berger Bros. in New York. They are an excellent camera dealer and are rated very high by resellerratings.com. I also got a free 1GB SD card. You need to use coupon code BB1GBCPNSD to get the free SD card. I believe that coupon is good until July 15. Here is the link to the dual lens kit on the Berger Bros. website:
http://bergerbros2.reachlocal.net/Mercha...
Here is a link to the Pentax rebate form (it is a .pdf):
http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/scms_...
The K100D has Shake Reduction built into the body so that it will work with all of the Pentax lenses. Canon and Nikon have their image stabilization built into their lenses, and those lenses can get very expensive. Pentax does not have as many new lenses available as Canon and Nikon, but they have some excellent older lenses. Almost every lens ever made for Pentax SLRs will work on the K100D.
If you want more in-depth info on the K100D, there are some very good reviews posted around the web. Here are a couple of them:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk1...
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/K1...
Hope this helps. Good luck on your search. Nikon has better prices for their packages(camera body,lens, flash, battery pack, & charger.)
www.samys.com has good info. on their products.
6Megapixel cameras, D40, D50, D70
10 Megapixel cameras D200, D80, D40X Pentax K100D and Nikon D40 are similar class cameras
However Pentax has more compatibity with AF lenses (ONLY 22 NIKON lenses- S series will AF with this camera!). No, again No Tamron/Sigma/Tokina lenses will AF with this camera.
Pentax accepts all K mount Af lenses and can even meter with older manual lenses and give them all stabilization.
The Nikon system may be a bigger "ecosystem" however the D40/40x is like putting a desert in the Jungle and saying only Catusus may grow there..... what's the point? (besides fitting a nice price point!)
If your going for price point Nikon, locate a D50 and be able to AF with other brand lenses I second the D40. The best entry level SLR on the market today. Buy only Nikon lenses though. You will need lenses that are marked as DX lenses for Nikon digital cameras.
The 18-50 is a good inexpensive start. A 50-200 tele is also avaialble. Many stores are selling a kit with two lenses and a camera bag at a discount. |
