Nikon D40

[herm]

...or you could've bought a d80 and ALL his lenses would've worked.

the only thing that doesn't work on the "little Ds" is the autofocus. those bodies don't have an af screw drive built in, so you either need lenses with an af motor or you'll have to manual focus.

nikon bodies d50, d70 or "bigger" (d80, d90, etc) can mount just about every nikon lens made since 1960.

yeah, i could have spent a lot more money on the gift.........i actually talked to my dad about this at length, but he was not set on staying in a nikon.

[Monstermash]

One of my friends picked one up recently for 400$ (Canadian) locally. The basic kit including a standard lens. So sub-300-400 US online sounds plausible.

Good camera, it's a pain to set the manual options (all digital, no analog controls) but it takes good photos and is easy to use. Personally I'd splurge on a Canon Rebel - they are easier to use, easier to adjust, and have a much faster save time (you can snap shots repeatedly without delay even in top quality, while the D40 has a delay of several seconds between each shot).

Not true. I have used my old D40 in burst mode and it took the advertised 2.5fps.

  I have used my friend's Canon and the D40 was head and shoulders easier to use. However that being said, I am used to using a Nikon so I tend to fumble around on the Canon.

Also the Rebel series from Canon is their plastic body series. Yes thats right, the body of the camera is made of plastic.

Either way they are both great cameras, I just prefer the Nikon.

[herm]

i have canons original pro-sumer dslr, the EOS D30. in fact, i had two of them for a while (expensive lessons in bidding on ebay)
its old, but still takes incredible pictures, and its not a plastic body.

more important for me, the body is full size, unlike both the rebel xti and the entry level nikon, which feel small for an SLR.

my only beef with it is the size of the screen on back. it cant compare to the current tech available

[JEFF_H]

more important for me, the body is full size, unlike both the rebel xti and the entry level nikon, which feel small for an SLR.

The smaller size is good for some people....

<raises tiny hand>

[Monstermash]

i have canons original pro-sumer dslr, the EOS D30. in fact, i had two of them for a while (expensive lessons in bidding on ebay)
its old, but still takes incredible pictures, and its not a plastic body.

I don't thing the D30 is a rebel is it? It's the rebels that have the plastic bodies.

[herm]

I don't thing the D30 is a rebel is it? It's the rebels that have the plastic bodies.

thats correct, its not a rebel. in fact, the rebel dslr didnt exist when i got this camera

[KnightofNi]

the only prob i have with my D40 is in fading light the AF doesn't always work too well, and because of that it doens't take continuous pics well in that situation.

otherwise it's great. it's what i wanted and not way more than i eill ever use.

[herm]

the Canon 5D would be my next dslr if it had a built in flash.....
maybe the next incarnation?

[derby]

the only prob i have with my D40 is in fading light the AF doesn't always work too well, and because of that it doens't take continuous pics well in that situation.

how fast a lens are you using? faster lens let's in more light and should be less susceptible to "low" light focusing difficulties.

[KnightofNi]

how fast a lens are you using? faster lens let's in more light and should be less susceptible to "low" light focusing difficulties.

it's the one that comes with the camera. i dont' know stats on it other than it's the 18-55mm lens. i'll try and remember to check when i get home.

[LA]

I bought a D-40 kit for my 15 YO daughter at xmas from Amazon.  It's great. Came with all kinds of extra stuff.

LA

[Mduc]

3 months ago I was looking cause I wanted to buy a new camera. I decided on the Canon D50. Its a really great camera for my purposes. Not sure what your budget is but stay away from bundle packs on the net unless its coming from places like Best Buys. Like said before, a lot of them are scams.

Another thing to look out for is where they are made. Canon cameras are made in Japan. What a lot of these places do is sell you the camera you want but when you look closer you will see its made in China or elsewhere. So you maybe save a few dollars but are not getting what you purchased even though the packaging is the same.

Someone I know bought a package and he received everything he ordered. The only problem was that none of the things were made where they were supposed to. I buy tons of stuff on the internet but certain things I just rather get in a store where I can see it before I spend the money. I rather spend the extra 100 dollars but know that it is what I wanted and not some knockoff.

[the_Journeyman]

it's the one that comes with the camera. i dont' know stats on it other than it's the 18-55mm lens. i'll try and remember to check when i get home.

Probably f4 at best, maybe as high as f5.6 depending how the lens is made.  f2.8 is nice, but not always cheap.

JM

[asado]

Costco have the D40 kit for $399 and a free memory card.

Nikon all the way

[the_Journeyman]

I do like my D70.  I kept & use all my lenses that I had with my N65 (film) Nikon.  The faster the memory card, the better the burst mode works ~

JM