new to DSLRs: D40 or D40x

[tom]

I seriously considering moving into the realm of DSLRs and I've got a couple of questions that I'm sure have probably been asked 10 times already, but I haven't found the threads yet.

My current digital is a Sony DSC-H2 that I picked up last fall, a bit of an impulse buy. Since then I've shot a lot of great pictures with it and there are a number of things I like about it, primarily the long zoom (12x, can't remember the focal length), which makes for some great rock climbing shots (passion #1). I've also come to hate it's shortcomings, those being the sometimes wonky autofocus (and lack of a fast manual focus), poor overall low-light performance, glacial flash recharge time. I shoot a lot of inline racing events; my girlfriend skates, so I need something to do while I'm standing there.

My brother in Iraq wants my Sony, and I want something more substantial, so I'm thinking that a new camera is going to be coming soon. I've done some homework online, and I think that I'm leaning more towards a Nikon over a Canon. I will obviously run by the bix box store nearest me and play with them both, but right now I'm looking at a D40 or a D40x.

That said, my first question is whether I should bite the bullet and go with the D40x, or save some cash with the D40. The reviews I've read (dpreview) give me the impression that the two are by and large identical, the main difference being 6MP vs 10MP. Is this difference (and anything I've overlooked between the two) something I'm going to be kicking myself for in 3 years if I go with the 40?

I'm also thinking about lenses. Ideally (for my checkbook), I would like to avoid having to get multiple lenses right away. My principal uses for a camera are climbing photos, inline races, and landscapes; though I would certainly want a lens that could be used for everyday subjects. Am I going to be immediately disappointed with the kit lens that is available? Is there another lens that would be well suited for all of this and won't break the bank (I'm hoping for <$1k for the total initial package, sans memory)? I've been looking at a package on keh.com for either camera that comes with an 18-135 f/3.5-5.6. Is anyone familiar with this lens and would it be better fit for my needs? On a sidenote, this is the only place I've seen that lens bundled as a kit, is this a standard Nikon kit, or is keh bundling a lens with a body-only package?

As I mentioned before, I'm looking at keh.com, they seem to have very good prices and I've seen them mentioned on this forum as a reputable dealer. Can anyone corroborate this? Is there someplace else I might look?

Sorry to flood so many questions into one thread, and thanks in advance for any input!

[kirbinster]

What I did, (so it is what I recommend) is go with the D40 with the 18-55 kit lens. Then spend what you saved on not getting the D40x and buy the 55-200VR lens for about $225. You can make pictures that are quite large with 6mp when you have a good image sensor and good glass. Since the 200mm will get you roughly 4X closer than the kit lens you will need a lot fewer pixels to crop in on far away things.

The VR lens is great. True these are not fast lenses, but they are very good. Everyone talks about how sharp the 50mm f/1.8D lens is, so I bought one also for about $100. It is good for low light, but I find the kit lens to be just as sharp under normal conditions.

The other nice thing about the D40 is it will sync with flash upto 1/500th of a second, the D40x won't do that and the D40x also introduces more noise.

[wulf]

I'm a D40 owner - over the past eight months it has fully lived up to my hopes for a camera to move my photography skills up several notches. When I heard that Nikon were bringing out a D40x I wondered if I had made a good move but, looking at the specs, I don't think that any of the "extras" would have made it worth the extra money, so I'm still happy.

As well as thinking about the money saved being able to go towards a new lens, don't forget that photography can tempt you towards lots of other equipment as well - eg. tripod, bag, filters, etc. There are plenty of people who have been happy with their D40x but I stand by the D40 as being a solid choice.

Wulf

[tom]

Thanks for the replies, I'm going to head over to Best Buy in a few minutes on my lunch and play with as many cameras as I can get my hands on, I just got paid too so it's going to be hard not to just buy one on the spot.

As far as the lenses that kirb mentioned, are those Nikon-branded or third party? I would like to get some really fast glass for low light (parties and such), so that f/1.8 is really tempting. I used to have an Olympus 2040Z P&S with an f/1.8 and loved it.

[tom]

anyone have any good things to say about keh.com? bad things?

[jdepould]

Thanks for the replies, I'm going to head over to Best Buy in a few minutes on my lunch and play with as many cameras as I can get my hands on, I just got paid too so it's going to be hard not to just buy one on the spot.

As far as the lenses that kirb mentioned, are those Nikon-branded or third party? I would like to get some really fast glass for low light (parties and such), so that f/1.8 is really tempting. I used to have an Olympus 2040Z P&S with an f/1.8 and loved it.

All the lenses kirbinster mentioned are Nikkor

[mattdm]

6mpix can even be an advantage -- 10mpix sensors have a harder time with noise at higher ISOs.

I agree with the earlier posters that you're better off spending less on the body and more on lenses. That'll make a bigger difference in both image quality and in your photographic possibilities -- and the body will be obsolete before the lenses are no matter what.

I'd also suggest checking out the ridiculously affordable and well-featured Pentax K100D. It's not quite as nice as the D40 in some ways, but has image stabilization in the body. And you can get really nice lenses for it more cheaply than you can get really nice lenses for the D40.

[kirbinster]

Take a look at this thread what the D40 can do with the 55-200VR lens:

VR Really works! (http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5097)

[tom]

That's a fantastic shot kirb, the shutter speed makes it all the better.

I went to one of the local camera brokers last night to look at a D40 and the salesman there was recommending a used D50 body with a nicer 18-70mm lens, about $715 for that setup.

His basis for recommending the D50 is that it's bigger, making it a more comfortable fit for people with large hands (you know what they say about people with big hands, I guess they need big cameras ;)). I played with both cameras and he is right, the D50 seems more solid to hold on to.

Anyone out there with big hands and a D40? Is it uncomfortable to use because of the grip size? I still like the price point of the 40, and buying used makes me a teensy bit nervous.

Feedback, comments, smart remarks, i appreciate them all.

[mattdm]

His basis for recommending the D50 is that it's bigger, making it a more comfortable fit for people with large hands (you know what they say about people with big hands, I guess they need big cameras ;)). I played with both cameras and he is right, the D50 seems more solid to hold on to.


I personally prefer the smaller size. The major advantage of the D50 may or may not be a factor for you -- it has an autofocus motor in the body, which allows it to autofocus with older Nikkor lenses (including their prime lens lineup) and with third-party lenses (only some of the new Sigma lenses will work with the D40, and while it's a good selection, it's a subset of the whole catalog). For many people, this won't be an issue, but it's something to be aware of. The D40 is nicer in some other ways of its own, too.

[Saralonde]

anyone have any good things to say about keh.com? bad things?

Never used it, but it is considered a reliable source.

[tom]

I went and picked up the D40 18-55 kit last night; with a UV filter and bag it ended up at $670. I can't wait for lunch so I can play. Unfortunately the weather is supposed to be crumby for the gf's marathon this weekend, so I might leave the new camera home and take the Sony before it gets boxed up and shipped to Iraq.

Thanks again for everyone's input!

[kirbinster]

Congrats on your new baby :) Hope you have as much fun with it as I have with mine. Don't forget to start sharing some of your captures with us.

[tom]

i probably haven't found the setting yet, is there a way to make the LCD info display stay on for longer than the 5 or 8 seconds that it does now?

[kirbinster]

Yes you can, but I cannot recall off-hand where the setting is in the menu. I highly (make that super highly) recommend you dowload Ken Rockwells Guide to the D40. This is a manual if you want to call it that he wrote about how everything works on the camera and how he sets things to get great shots. You may not agree with everything he says but it is a great starting point. It tells you more than what a control is by telling you what it does and why he sets it the way he does.

You can download a pdf of it HERE (http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/users-guide/d40-users-guide.pdf)

I recommend reading much of the stuff he has on his SITE (http://kenrockwell.com/index.htm)

[tom]

heh, i'll have to look at that later, I should probably do some work since that's where i am. he certainly seems to know his stuff, and he definitely seems to have a polarizing personality.