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Nikon D40 or D40x? Someone please help!? |
I'm in high school and I plan on going to college for photography. But I need a new camera. I wanted the Canon Rebel XTi but then I found the Nikon D40 and the newer D40x. I was set on the D40x but then i read some peoples answers to other peoples questions and they said dont waste the money on the D40x. But since I want to pursue photography should I go with the the D40x? The D40 should do fine. It's got less megapixels but that isn't a big deal. It's cheaper than the D40x so I would buy it. There are pro's and cons to each, but you wouldn't be going wrong with either a D40x or a XTi. They are both excellent choices. You could save a bit of money and try out an Oly. Or the Pentax K10D, or even the Sony A100. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40... http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos... http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse... Nikon D40 vs. D40X There are a few slight differences in these cameras that need to be considered. Rather than write it all out, I'll send you to a few sites. See: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40x.ht... See: http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3896/cam... for a glowing review. See also: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_... See also: http://www.nikonians.org/dcforum/dcforum... See the REVIEW here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40... As far as the pixel issue, I say, if you have no other basis for making your decision, go for more pixels. If you always plan to compose your pictures perfectly, you don't need a whole lot of pixels. If you want to allow for cropping, which means enlarging only a portion of your image, the more pixels the better. Imagine taking a scenic view and then noticing that the middle 20% of the photo would make an even better picture. Suppose you take a picture of a whole group of people and Aunt Clara really, really looks great in the picture, but everyone else looks lousy. If you have the pixels to work with, you can still make a decent print of Aunt Clara that she would be happy to have. If you buy an 8-to-10 MP camera and don't want to TAKE large photos, you can always set the camera to a lower file size. You can never go the other direction, though. Unless the cost is a major issue, buy the camera with more pixels. You will never be sorry that you did, but you might one day be sorry that you didn't. I have a few photos on Flickr to include in a discussion on how many pixels are enough. Go to my page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstei... Some of the pictures are from a 4 MP or even 3 MP camera, showing you what you might expect without any cropping. I think they are quite acceptable. Some of the pictures are from a 10 MP camera (the swan and the pansies), showing the value of having those large images so that you can crop a smaller image out of the original picture and still end up with a satisfactory image. Now... If you can swing another $200, get the D80, and you will never wish for more while you are in college. The D40/D40X have a few limitations that you might encounter if you are taking phtography courses with the intention of going professional, but it would be darn hard to outgrow the D80. Darn hard. ~~~~~~~~~~ Nikon D80 Reviews I own a D70s and D200, so I can't comment on the D80 from experience, but between the size and feel of the D70s and the sensor and processing of the D200, I have formed an opinion. One of these articles is subtitled, "Psst - Want a D200 at half the price?" If the D80 came out before I bought my D200, I may have bought that and been happy enough to stick with it. There are only a few tricks the D200 can do that the D80 can't and the D80 can even do a couple that the D200 can't. Here are a few links, in case you have not seen this material yet. They will give you more pros and cons than I could dream of. http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3476/edi... http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3231/cam... http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3157/nik... http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/2794/han... http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/ni... http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80... (Note: There are 30 pages to this article. Don't stop after reading page 1.) http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opi... (Note: There are over 60 owner opinions, including pros and cons in almost all of them.) http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_revi... (Note: There are 11 pages to this article. Don't stop after reading page 1.) http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d80.htm... http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3569/10m... I would say start with the D40, and see how it serves you. The D40x isn't that much of an upgrade, and you'll grow out of it almost as quickly as the D40. If you don't want to be purchasing a new camera in the next year or two, than you may want to just bite the bullet and go up a camera, say the D80 or something. It has several necessary upgrades that the D40 or D40x are lacking. good luck The best "affordable" value is the Pentax K100D 6.1 mp DSLR which comes with two Pentax lenses: a normal 18-55 mm lense and a 50-200 mm telephoto. The Pentax K Series has the best in-body "shake reduction" bar none. It also have "multiple" burst exposure capability. This camera kit sells for $600 [after Pentax mail-in rebate good until July 31, 2007] at samys.com. and comes with (1) case; (2) 1 gb SD memory card; (3) tripod; and (4) 200 free prints @samys.com Here's a review link: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_revi... Good luck! |
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