Help needed with DSLR upgrade

[sandymere]

Hi all,
Ive had a Nikon D40 since May of this year and as a result have found a new interest in wildlife photogrphy. I use a 70-300mm lens but would like something a bit bigger or branch into Digiscoping.

Ive had two of my photos exhibited recently and as a treat i though i would look to upgrade my D40.
I visited three local shops the first one tried to sell me a Nikon D90- which looked good and a serious contender.
the second suggested either a D90 or an Olympus E620- costing £800 with two lenses.
the third suggested either a Nikon D5000, told me the D90 is now discontinued??!! or to digiscope from my D40. they told me previously that this wasnt possible due to the weight of a larger lens or scope on the D40

i'm very confused and need some expert advice,
Can anyone suggest the best DSLR to spend my hard earned money on?
Has anyone used the D90/ D5000 and E620?

Please Help! the moneys burning a hole in my pocket!
Sandymere

[Tringa]

Can't help directly, but

First - what is your budget?

Have a look at some camera mags. Most have short reviews which could point you in the right direction. When you have a shortlist, Google for detailed reviews.

Have a look at this site for some thoughts on good cameras for digiscoping -

Digiscoping - Digiscope pictures, images, techniques, advice, equipment

Dave

[Geoff F]

Spending other people's money is always great fun!

But first of all, are you looking for a new lens, a new body, or both?

If you already have some Nikon lenses it will prove expensive to reject your current brand unless you intend to use 2 cameras. And I don't see any reason in switching from Nikon to Olympus.

As Dave said, give us some more details of exactly what you wish to photograph and your budget - then we will be able to spend your money for you.

[sandymere]

I have about £1000 to spend but thats the max
I live near the south west coast and photograph wildlife mostly, birds,deer, flowers etc.
Geoff, your right if i have the lens already then it would make sense to buy Nikon. One of the shops i went to told me the D90 has a motor in its body and i'm not sure if i'll be able use my existing lens?? its a Sigma 70-300mm.

The pics ive currently got exhibited had to be quite large and so the pic quality isnt as good as i would like. with my upgrade i would like,
a) better pic quailty
b)the ability to use a 400/500mm lens (if i can afford on after buyng the camara!) or digiscope.

my knowledge is very limited and all the tech talk you get from the shops confuses me.

hope this is of help
Sandymere

[ron1863]

The Nikon D90 is a brilliant camera, and if it is about to be discontinued then you should be able to pick up one at a bargain price. Check the reviews for it on the web - all excellent.

[MeadsMan]

Seems you have not had your current camera that long,I would be inclined to spend the money on a longer good quality lens.

[moonyaker]

The D40 is a great little camera but to build it to this small size Nikon left out the internal auto focus motor. So, to autofocus with the D40, D40s or D60 you need to use Nikon AFS lenses or Sigma HSM lenses (or equivalent), these having the autofocus motor built into the lense.

You can use Nikon F lenses with autofocus with the D40 but unlike the D70, D70s, D50, D80 or D90, the autofocus will not work and you will have to focus manually.

I currently have a D70 and D40 and also contemplate getting a D90. I've not heard that they are discontinuing the D90, but the timing is about right for an upgrade of this body. I'd certainly want to hold out for the discounting on the outgoing model if there were any truth in this rumour.

The thing that will improve your photos most (other than your own abilities), will be to spend money on quality lenses (before upgrading the camera body).

I've been looking for a lense with far end performance of between 400-500mm. I thought I had found a superb deal with Jessops offering the Sigma 100-300 F4 at £599 and had intended to get a 1.4x converter. The reviews on this lense are brilliant but sadly Jessops now say that the proper price on this lense was £1,119.

In my instance, I may now be back to the Bigma (Sigma 50-500mm), Sigma 120-400mm or Sigma 150-500mm dilemma or possibly a second hand Nikon 80-400mm. You could go for a second hand prime lense and manually focus ;(I think I need a zoom for what I want to do).

The Olympus E620 coupled with a Zuiko 70-300mm with the 2x cropping factor was a possible option that I considered as this lense did get a good review in the Autumn Issue of Digital Camera.

Within your £1,000 budget you could also buy a factory reconditioned (new)
Canon EOS 350d off E-bay and a second hand Canon 100-400mm (Pump) lense for circa £700-£800.

I'm mightily impressed by my D40 and reckon you should chose better glass before upgrading your camera body.....just my two penneth!

[DrNickBurton]

"I thought I had found a superb deal with Jessops offering the Sigma 100-300 F4 at £599 and had intended to get a 1.4x converter. The reviews on this lense are brilliant but sadly Jessops now say that the proper price on this lense was £1,119."

I noticed that price too - it's a shame it wasn't for real. I guess it was just too good to be true...

Anyway, to the OP:

If you budget is £1000, I think you can choose between a new lens and a new camera, but probably not both. If you go for a new body, and you decide to stick with Nikon, it's a straight choice between the D5000 and the D90. They both have the same excellent sensor inside, the differences between them are predominantly ergonomic. I'd recomend you go and try handling both in the shop, and decide whether or not the D90 is worth the extra money to you.

Lenswise, as others have mentioned, the Sigma zooms are very popular. The Sigma 50-500mm and the Sigma 150-500mm are both available for less than £1k. Either of these lenses will work fine on either of the bodies mentioned above. They are really heavy monsters though, and not the sort of thing you want to carry around all day (not without a monopod at least).

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by DrNickBurton

Nikon, it's a straight choice between the D5000 and the D90.

Hmm, you have to question the technical judgment of a camera manufacturer that places the hinge on an articulating screen at the bottom (D5000). I wonder what banned medicinal the designer was on when he thought of that one!

Jim

[DrNickBurton]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

Hmm, you have to question the technical judgment of a camera manufacturer that places the hinge on an articulating screen at the bottom (D5000). I wonder what banned medicinal the designer was on when he thought of that one!

Jim

If had one of those articulating screens, I think the first thing I would do is superglue it in place (obviously, with the display facing outwards!). They look rather spindly to me, like something that would break easily.