Upgradeitus allready!

kidloco

kidloco

kidloco

Soldato
Joined
3 Nov 2003
Posts
5,074
Location
Lancashire
Hi guys,

Well bought my first DSLR just a couple of months ago, picked up a Nikon D40 and after your advice got a Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-S DX lense.

Well it seems ive caught the bug sooner then I thought :p. After a upgrade to the body already. I want to keep the lense if I can so I guess that means looking at other Nikons.

Was looking at the D80 and D90. Which is the best bang for buck option?
 
I would seriously wait.

Not only is the D40 perfectly capable but your logical upgrade camera is the D90, which will get replaced in the coming months.

My Advice. Keep to what you have, if you need to spend money buy lenses/tripods/filters/software an then at or after christmas see what the 90 replacement is like - by then it should ahve already reduced in price.
 
Agree with the above, new lenses!

35mm f/1.8 is perfect for the D40, probably my fave lens.
Its more expensive then the 50mm lens, but i found the 50mm focal length too much for what i wanted on a crop sensor.
 
Razor-BladE said:
You'll see better quality from buying new glass than an upgrade in body.
Click to expand...

Not really true here, the 18-70 is excellent and very sharp. Unless you need better low light performance then there's no immediate mileage in upgrading the glass - on the other hand while the D40 was a nice entry level body once upon a time it's got 3 AF points and a 6.1MP sensor - there's definitely a big improvement to be had upgrading to a D90 or similar level body. Far more than upgrading to even the fancy 17-55 f/2.8 when it comes to IQ.

As said the D90 is due for replacement and if you believe the rumours then the replacement is impressive in specification. On the other hand a D90 today is £700 or so body only, I'd guess the replacement is going to be £900+ given the specification...
 
I'll second what everyone else is saying:

- What do you want to shoot?
- Other range of lenses will offer you more opportunities - 50mm f/1.8, 50-150mm, 55-200 VR, 10-20mm, 7-50 f/2.8 even. Getting any of them will give you more use out of the D40 and you can still upgrade to a D90 later and keep those lenses.

If a replacement for the D90 is indeed coming, depending on your budget, you could get it or wait for D90 prices to drop, which I personally would do actually, as I also have a D40.
 
Thanks for all the responses guys. Firstly I use the camera for pretty much everything from family snaps on days out to going off looking for interesting places to get some images. I dont really have one area of interest to be honest, not that helpfull I know, sorry.

I think my main bugbear is with the auto focus, the D40 only has 3 areas and sometimes they just dont lock in on focus meaning you cant even take a shot, very anoying. One thing I noticed is that the 480 and D90 have upped this by quite a bit. Also I have pretty big hands and the D40 body is tiny.

Whatever I get it will be second hand. The D80 tend to go for around £200-300 for the body and the D90 for aroun £500 plus. Im not interested in the movie side on the D90, the only plus points I can see (complete novice here so bare with me) on the D90 over the D80 that appeal to me are the extra MP and extra AF spots.

Dont really want to change the lense right now as I was told it was a very good lense and should be a good keeper when/if I upgraded the body.
 
I would avoid the D80, it is the worst DSLR Nikon has ever made (not that it is bad, it is just not outstanding like the others).

The only sensible camera upgrade would be the D90, which will get replaced soon so wait.


I never meant to replace the 18-70, it is a great lens. I was more meaning something different, either wide angle for landscapes, fats prime for portraits, or a longer telephoto for wildlife or sports.

70-300 VR is one of the best lenses ever made considering its price
 
kidloco said:
I dont really have one area of interest to be honest, not that helpfull I know, sorry.
Click to expand...

You are just like me.

I shoot all sorts of stuff. And I say spend your money on glass.

Getting something to replace the lens you have would be a poor choice. Get a different lens to open up a new area of photography.

I'll talk in general terms - I don't know Nikon kit.

Maybe an ultra wide angle would suit you. At the wide end of a 10-20 or even a fish eye you end up seeing more in the frame than you comfortably see with your eyes. Maybe you would enjoy seeing the world that way.

Maybe a telephoto would suit you. It certainly suits me. get rid of all the distracting stuff round the preiphery and just frame the item that caught your eye.

Maybe macro would be your thing. Your camera can capture detail that your naked eye misses.

Maybe you have the temperament for landscape and architecture with perfect focus through a tilt and shift lens.

Maybe a bokeh machine is what you want. Pin sharp subjects in a creamy backdrop. You'll be wanting a prime with a large aperture.

New glass is so much more attractive than a new body...

Andrew
 
AF performance was a big issue for me as well, so I upgraded the body. You're buying second hand so whilst the D90 is due to be replaced shortly it makes it less of an issue, you'll be looking at around £450 for the body only. Unless you only have a kit or budget lens I don't always subscribe to the glass before body rule. There is a big difference in performance between bodies, and if you feel you're hitting the limits of the body you have for your type of photography, upgrade if you can afford to. There's no point having fast glass for sports if your body isn't good with fast AF to start with.
 
Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but I figured it was better than creating a new one.

I've noticed the D90 secondhand prices are tumbling. Seems I could get one for £450. Just wondered if anyone had made the jump from D40 to D90 on here and if so where they happy with the upgrade.
 
i went from D40 to D90 and it was well worth it.

HD video (not a major point for upgrading) - loads of videos of the family etc without the need for seperate video camera
fabulous ISO performance
autofocus with all lens - including the 50mm f1.8 etc
felt more like a proper camera in your hands!!
AF is better i found.
 
How about a used D5000 around 300 quid
do you need the extra's the D90 offers / motor on body / pop-up flash command etc?
 
Last edited:
kidloco said:
Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but I figured it was better than creating a new one.

I've noticed the D90 secondhand prices are tumbling. Seems I could get one for £450. Just wondered if anyone had made the jump from D40 to D90 on here and if so where they happy with the upgrade.
Click to expand...

Yes, did that move a month ago. I had gotten pretty much everything out of my D40. The D90 has an impressive amount of features over the D40 and the manual is the size of a novel. It'll take me a few months to get to grips with all the options. Don't regret getting it over the D5000 (although I've not used it) but I wanted the built in motor and the fact that the D90 is widely recognised as being a good upgrade.

Paid £490 for mine refurb. incl. 1 year warranty.
 
Trouble with the D5000 is it's build quality and controls are distinctly consumer, the D90 is a bit more prosumer, particularly in control layout. I can just about use a D90 without too much cursing but I actually used a D5000 last night and almost went insane within 5 minutes about the lack of basic features...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom