looking to go dslr

[thes3raph1m]

ok so i was looking at the nikon d40 or the eos 400d

now im not exactly well off in terms of cash, at the moment im trying to get my own place, plan a marriage and also im having a baby (well my fiancee is) in april

but my mom has a pay weekly catalogue that i could probably afford, the d40 at least, and probably without any lenses but is it worth it, i already have a cybershot dsc-600 PAS camera, which doesnt do macro's or have a marvelous zoom nor do i have too much control over the settings (bit of a lie but its still no DSLR)

i asked my mom if i could get it (bear in mind i am a bit of a mothers boy, else id just get it myself) and she said i wouldnt use it...

i dont really care, i would use it, maybe not often, but properly cared for and kept safe it would last for years surely... especially when my son is born, i could take some really nice photos, not to mention nature shots and if i get the money, i could get a macro lens at some point and get even nicer insect shots


can i take good closeups with out a 55-200mm lens? i think thats the measurement anyway... but im sure you know what i mean...

is it worth it, or should i just stick with my cybershot for now and be happy with it, even though its just £10 a week and as i dont drink really or do anything else i can easily afford an extra £10.

i dunno... what do you guys think...

[mh68]

If youre limited in choice between the D40 and the 400D I`d go for the latter. The D40 is limited in which lenses work with it (due i think to lack of autofocus motors in the cam body).With the Canon you have a far greater choice of lenses when you come to expand your setup.

Mark H

[GerryNick2]

The Canon 400D is a very nice camera and retails at £439 with the 18-55mm kit lense. Yes it will keep but there will always be a better model round the corner, the new 450D has just been launched.

Switching to a DSLR is fine if you are going to use it regularly. It can also get very expensive when you start adding macro and telephoto lenses etc.

The Cybershot should produce some nice shots, but if you want the extra telephoto range you might consider one of the Canon compacts, the Powershot A650 IS 6X optical zoom or the Powershot S5 IS 12x optical zoom. Both are nearly half the price of the 400D.

Gerry

[RichBrew]

Originally Posted by mh68

... The D40 is limited in which lenses work with it (due i think to lack of autofocus motors in the cam body).
Mark H

At the last count, 53 lenses from Nikon and third party manufacturers.

RichBrew

[mh68]

Originally Posted by RichBrew

At the last count, 53 lenses from Nikon and third party manufacturers.

RichBrew

As always, I`m happy to be corrected Rich, but i`ve noticed quite a few popular lenses which are stated not to work with the D40,and read that lens choice is restricted to lower price range and the higher -end lenses?

Mark H

[RichBrew]

Hi, Mark,

It is seemingly a mis-conception about the useable lenses on the Nikon D40/D40X. The link illustrates what is available for this camera body, Nikkor or otherwise.

RichBrew

Discussion Forums @ Nikonians - D40/D40X/D60 - Fully Compatible AF-Lenses

[mh68]

Thanks for the link Rich, still more limitations than the "normal" Nikon bodies though. But a better range than what I was led to believe.

Mark H

[RichBrew]

Mark,

The D40 was developed to be a small, lightweight DSLR, and as a result the internal AF motor was sacrificed as part of the design. While it's true that the mid to high-end Nikon bodies can use lenses dating back to 1959 (F mount) and still retain metering, most users of entry-level SLR's are not interested in this capability.

I don't know where people got the idea about the limitations of compatible lenses for the D40, but I think the fifty-odd lenses on the market would cater for most people's needs.

RichBrew

[eeyore]

also as regards the pay weekly option add up what it will cost in the long run - 10pw sounds good but the interest on these catalouges can be horrific - upto 30% apr or more meaning that you end up paying rather more than the camera is worth.

you dont say how old you are , but if you are over 18 you would be better off with either a 0% interest credit card, one of the deals from jessops or the like where you get 12 months 0% finance (at a tenner a week you can save up 439 before the end of the 12 month period) , or do it the ol;d fashioned way of saving up the money first.

you can also get dslrs cheaper by buying second hand (though I'd go to a reputable dealer rather than ebay as ideally you want a warranty) Camtech , mifsuds, ffordes, and T4 are all good places to look - on average a mint condition 20D or 350D will do you about 250 notes

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by RichBrew

Mark,

I don't know where people got the idea about the limitations of compatible lenses for the D40, but I think the fifty-odd lenses on the market would cater for most people's needs.

RichBrew

its probably because a lot of third party manufacturers state that their lenses "may not" function correctly with the D40 - translation = they'll probably be fine but they are covering their posterior if they arent.

[LoveT]

I'm with you Eeyore - particularly on the finance front. Catalogues seem like a good idea but aren't cheap at all, and there are plenty of other options that could be considered instead.

As for which camera - I'm an Olympus owner (have been for many years), and have also had a Nikon Digital camera somewhere along the way as well, and for what my opinion's worth, I'd go with the Canon. If I could afford to change I'd go for Canon, given the quality of many pictures in the Gallery. As said before, you might try second hand from a reputable dealer - you'd probably be able to pick up quite a good bargain for your bucks.

Don't worry about not using the camera much (when you get it) - you'll get plenty of use out of it when baby comes along ! Just make sure you take plenty of wildlife pictures as well - and post the best ones here!

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Thea

[Geoff F]

A new baby is a good excuse to get a decent camera but you should think carefully about the final cost before you buy. There are some good 'point & shoot' cameras around and the best of them can take a good photo for a lot less than the price of the 400D body only.

I went digital with a secondhand Canon G2 which took good images including reasonable insect photos, if you follow the instructions. The current equivalent camera is a lot better and cheaper. If you go down the 400D road and want to take serious wildlife photos you will need to budget for some expensive lenses. You will need at least a 300mm lens which will cost more than the camera body. It is easy to spend twice the body price for what some would call a basic lens. As I am now finding out!

Equipment is available secondhand and I have friends who swear by e bay but my experience is different, although it can't be all bad, I suppose.

If you are looking at something new I have found ABC Digital Cameras to give good value; but it is money up front. They are worth a look even if it is just to compare the £10 a week total price.

[thes3raph1m]

ok ive made my choice and put in the order to recieve on monday...

and i decided to miss both and go with a solid lens fuji finepix s9600 which with its macro and super macro mode will provide me with the shots i desire and with the 10.7 telephoto should be good

its going to cost £349 in total (the catalogue has high prices but i can pay over 1 year with 0 interest, id get a credit card, but my credit is shot from a mistake i made when i was drinking heavily)

i think its a good decision and its only £6.71 pw... i cant ever put a different lens on it, but i should be ok... by the time im ready for that level... ill have the money to put behind it im sure

btw im working 60+ hours this week! now i know why im tired


edit - oh btw i decided based upon geoffs response... it has a built in 28-300mm lens

[Geoff F]

Never personally tried that camera but they do get good reviews. One additional piece of kit you may want soon is a cheap tripod. It makes all the difference for sharp close up shots.

[RichBrew]

Originally Posted by eeyore

its probably because a lot of third party manufacturers state that their lenses "may not" function correctly with the D40 - translation = they'll probably be fine but they are covering their posterior if they arent.

That still leaves 34 Nikkors. How many lenses do people think they'll need?

RichBrew

[Hobjob]

I'm with Eeyore here, overall you will pay through the nose.

Also compare the catalogue price with online price (from a reputable UK dealer) and I think you will be surprised.

But also realize that you want extra lenses fiarly soon - you may say you won't, but the xperience of many of here is that you will

Originally Posted by eeyore

also as regards the pay weekly option add up what it will cost in the long run - 10pw sounds good but the interest on these catalouges can be horrific - upto 30% apr or more meaning that you end up paying rather more than the camera is worth.

you dont say how old you are , but if you are over 18 you would be better off with either a 0% interest credit card, one of the deals from jessops or the like where you get 12 months 0% finance (at a tenner a week you can save up 439 before the end of the 12 month period) , or do it the ol;d fashioned way of saving up the money first.

you can also get dslrs cheaper by buying second hand (though I'd go to a reputable dealer rather than ebay as ideally you want a warranty) Camtech , mifsuds, ffordes, and T4 are all good places to look - on average a mint condition 20D or 350D will do you about 250 notes

[thes3raph1m]

ok so the camera i got is fixed lens so i cant use other lenses... good excuse not to bother buying them lol

its a 28mm to 300mm manual focus, has macro with 10cm focal length and super macro with 1cm focal length

9 million pixels, 10.7 optical zoom, saves in ccd RAW format not NEF compressed RAW, i bought an 8gb compact flash to go with it as it has no internal memory, large tft screen (with tilt for difficult shots) its slr obviously so thats good...

full control over aperture and shutter speed
Aperture range F2.8 - F4.9
Min shutter 30 sec
Max shutter 1/4000 sec
ISO rating Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600

the aperture is a little less than id like, perhaps if it went upto say f22 lol... but beggars cant be choosers....

and i got the camera at 12months at 0% interest (£6.71 pw) so all in all... not bad, for a beginner, when i get better i can always upgrade