Nikon D40 it is!!!

[Mrs NucSquash]

Right, after a lot of researching and reading up and also going into jessops to have a feel of the nikon d40 I think its the right camera for me.

I have decided to stop reading up on it now because each review is different and I will end up getting confused again.

I am going to get it from jessops. The package deal is the nikon d40 - 18-55 lens - Sigma 55-200 lens and a 2GB mem card for £399. Do you think its worth trying to bargin a little, see if they will throw in a bag and a monopod/tripod or are jessops normally quite set on what they sell for the price?

I just cant wait to get it now, hopefully should get it on saturday.

If anyone has any advice on the nikon d40 or any photos which have been taken with a d40 please feel free to post them up.

Nik

Edited by Mrs NucSquash on Tuesday 22 July 19:49

[Simpo Two]

Mrs NucSquash said:

If anyone has any advice on the nikon d40

Yes. Go and buy it and stop asking questions!

[Bob_Defly]

That's an OK deal, although I would save £100 and not bother with the zoom lens. But that's just personal taste. Here are my pics taken with a D40:













Well done on a great purchase, you'll have lots of fun!

[bramley]

I don't have any direct experience of Nikon's, however a colleague has a D40x and bought the 50mm f/1.8 lens and complained it wouldn't auto focus. A quick google revealed that the D40 bodies don't have a built in focussing motor, so she's predictably disappointed that the bargain little lens won't auto focus on that camera. Apparently AF-S lenses are fine but not AF lenses. Dunno if that sways your decision at all but though it worth mentioning.

[Simpo Two]

Nice photos Bob. It just proves that the most important thing behind good photographs is the user, and after that, the processing.

(we covered the screw-drive issue before BTW)

[Bob_Defly]

Thanks, the last photo was taken with the 50mm f/1.8, it's not too hard to manually focus it.

[CivicMan]

Nikon D40 with Nikon 55-200VR lens:



and with 18-55 kit lens:

Edited by CivicMan on Tuesday 22 July 21:09

[Mrs NucSquash]

Wow those photos are really good - nice shots.

Yes totally aware that I would be restricted to what lenses I could buy but most are AF.

[andyquantum]

You need the AF-S ones remember. I have a D40 and a D80. I bought the D40 for a NY trip as a first SLR and learned lots. I also learned I could do more with more toys to play with, so bought the D80

I also have the 50mm F1.8 prime, which I actually prefer on the D40. Seems a bit softer in some shots

The D80 is a lot more £, not sure if you get true value for money, though I'm still pleased

Anyway, you asked for some pics. I'm no expert but here's some I took with the D40

With the 50mm:


With the 50-200


With the kit 18-55:


With the 70-300


I'd say have a look at the newer Nikons as the 40s getting on a bit now

[Mrs NucSquash]

Yeah the trouble is my budget. I have £400 max and I would like that to include the normal kit lens and a zoom lens (for wildlife shots.)

If you have any suggestions please say.

[andyquantum]

Does it have to be new then? There's loads of second hand kit on the market at the moment. I toyed with selling my D40 when I got the D80, but decided to keep it as a backup because even though it was only 3 months old it wasnt worth selling and hoping to get a decent price for.

Second hand body with cash to splash on new lenses maybe?

Edit to squeeze another photo in

D80 with the D40 18-55 kit lens



There's quite a large difference in resolution between the two, and a host of other features that may or may not be useful

Edited by andyquantum on Tuesday 22 July 21:53

[CivicMan]

You can get a new Nikon 55-200 VR off Ebay for about £110, which will bring a new D40 c/w 18-55 in at a touch under £400.

[Bob_Defly]

CivicMan said:

You can get a new Nikon 55-200 VR off Ebay for about £110, which will bring a new D40 c/w 18-55 in at a touch under £400.

I agree, it's a better lens than the sigma, and the VR is excellent. Get the D40, you'll love it, and there is something about a "new" gadget rather than a used one!

A few more D40 shots:

Edited by Bob_Defly on Tuesday 22 July 22:57

[BoXtaPete]

Cracking bit of kit. Sigma lens are damn good, and you need to be pretty good at photography to see the 'improvement' a Nikon lens will give.

So, for the numpty's like me, Sigma are the dogs...........

[Mrs NucSquash]

To be honest I did think about buying the nikon d60 with the kit lens but most of the reviews I have read are not that great - the d40 seem to be a better all round starter camera for someone looking to gain knowledge and experience in the slr market.

[Bob_Defly]

BoXtaPete said:

Cracking bit of kit. Sigma lens are damn good, and you need to be pretty good at photography to see the 'improvement' a Nikon lens will give.

So, for the numpty's like me, Sigma are the dogs...........

I agree, Sigma are great, I just think for a beginner having the VR on a zoom would be an advantage.

[Fordo]

Bob_Defly said:

CivicMan said:

You can get a new Nikon 55-200 VR off Ebay for about £110, which will bring a new D40 c/w 18-55 in at a touch under £400.

I agree, it's a better lens than the sigma, and the VR is excellent. Get the D40, you'll love it, and there is something about a "new" gadget rather than a used one!

A few more D40 shots:

Edited by Bob_Defly on Tuesday 22 July 22:57

When i saw those shots a while ago, they convinced me to get a d40! The lens pin thing is a drawback, but its a great camera for the money. nice and compact for a dslr too.

[Bob_Defly]

Fordo said:

When i saw those shots a while ago, they convinced me to get a d40! The lens pin thing is a drawback, but its a great camera for the money. nice and compact for a dslr too.

Why thank you, that's a nice compliment! I got loads of "What only 6MP, my compact is 10MP!" from mates and stuff, doesn't matter, if you need really large prints the files can always be upsized. I sold the factory one to the company, paid for half the camera!

[Fordo]

Bob_Defly said:

Fordo said:

When i saw those shots a while ago, they convinced me to get a d40! The lens pin thing is a drawback, but its a great camera for the money. nice and compact for a dslr too.

Why thank you, that's a nice compliment! I got loads of "What only 6MP, my compact is 10MP!" from mates and stuff, doesn't matter, if you need really large prints the files can always be upsized. I sold the factory one to the company, paid for half the camera!

ive had the same from my friends- and usually the quality from their 10mp compacts is appalling in comparison!

One friend asked 'with only 6mp, how to you crop you images to how you want them'

I replied 'if i need to crop a photo, then I havent taken the photo properly in the first place!'

[Cuban]

I've been using the Nikon D40 for a year and can't praise it highly enough.
Buy it, you won't regret it.