Beginner DSLR - D40 or 400D?

Kona*

Kona*

Kona*

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I have only had my Fuji s5600 for a couple of months but I think its time to upgrade to a proper DSLR after christmas. I have been looking at both the 400D and the D40 but I really cant decide between the two!

Yesterday I bought the January edition of Practical Photography and they have a round up on the 400D and a full review on the D40, the D40 seems to come with a much better lens (same spec as 400D, better quality) but it is only 6.1mp - on the other hand the 400D is 10mp but comes with an inferior lens!

I know you can change the lenses but I would not have the money to buy a new lens until July 07, so I would like to have a lens that will last me until then!

What would you do? I cant make my mind up!

Cheers,

Craig
 
I would have to recommend the D50 over the D40, if you want to learn more about using the camera fully. It's also slightly larger and more comfortable to hold (same reason I chose my D50 over a 350D at the time). And don't worry about the pixel count. A D40/50 will produce great A3 prints quite happily....

The D40 does not have a camera-mounted autofocus drive, limiting you to lenses with their own motor, or manual focus.

Don't get me wrong, I think the D40 is a good camera, but lacking in one or two "key" DSLR areas......

And....to start, whatever you go with, get the kit lens (18-55mm) and a 70-300mm Sigma or Tamron Tele-Macro (£130-ish). It will give you a wide zoom range, and a macro facility, to let you get to grips with using the camera.
 
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Hope you dont mind me asking.

why are you looking to upgrade so soon?

I was thinking of getting a S5600 after Christmas, so was wondering if it is an issue with the camera, or is it purely because you feel you are ready for a full DSLR


I can't envision having the spare cash to buy a DSLR myself for sometime, so the DSLR style digitals will have to be good enough.

I have a olympus c740 (just £50 from that popular online auction site ) at the moment, but the spec on the fuji's look that little bit better (mine only goes upto 400 iso for example)
 
The s5600 is a great camera and at £140 its a bargain! I just think I am ready to move up to a DSLR :) I will still keep my s5600 as a backup, also its a great P&S camera if you feel so inclined to use it like that :)

Craig
 
What reddeathdrinker said.

I've been looking at DSLR's over the last few weeks and I came down to deciding between the D50 and the 400D. I decided against the D40 because of the autofocus as mentioned by reddeathdrinker and the D40 seemed to be dumbing down of the D50 even though the pixel count is up. Also I felt I would outgrow the D40 very quickly and regret the purchase within a few weeks, I am a film SLR man used to using SLR's so i'm not a beginner, just a born again SLR'r :) I decided against the Canon because of it's small size...

I ended up going for the D80 in the end and am awaiting its immanent delivery.
 
Don't let the 6MP put you off the D50, I find that resolution quite enough and it also saves on disk space/memory cards needed.

And you should be able to find a D50 dead cheap now, try second hand and grab a lens or two whilst you're at it. All I have is the kit lens btw, and I get along with it just fine. Consider the 50mm F1.8 as the next lens for it, only £80 new!
 
I do not rate the D40 at all. I would get the 400D and just buy your self a better lens or keep the kit lens (which can produce nice shots if your good with your photography) and buy yourself a nifty 50 for around 70 quid. The quality of that will make your shots look gorgeous and it has a nice wide aperture give give you a good bokeh.
 
I went for the 400D and like it a lot. However I bought the kit lense and am looking at replacing it already, not because of its quality but because it simply isnt meeting my needs, it doesnt cover the focal lengths that I mostly shoot at.

If you go for the 400D I would probably say get it with a different lense as you will only end up replacing it eventually, although ofcourse this pushes the cost up!
 
Tonks said:
What reddeathdrinker said.

yadda yadda yadda....

I ended up going for the D80 in the end and am awaiting its immanent delivery.
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I got my D80 body 2 weeks ago, and sold my D50 & kit lens (£320 + postage at auction) :D

To the OP - have you physically held any of the cameras you are considering yet?
 
reddeathdrinker said:
I got my D80 body 2 weeks ago, and sold my D50 & kit lens (£320 + postage at auction) :D

To the OP - have you physically held any of the cameras you are considering yet?
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I saw your for sale post about your D50 and I was about to reply when I noticed that it was posted on the 9th Dec (atleast I think it was the 9th!)

I havent had a hold of any of the cameras mentioned but I always feel like a timewaster going into a shop and asking to see cameras and then not buying one! or am I being a big wuss?

Cheers,

Craig
 
You are being a wuss!!
Don't buy a dslr without trying one. Its a system you buy into and you need to buy the one you want and make sure it is taylored your needs and isnt going to feel awkward to use as it will be just like a part of your body when you get serious about it.
 
Fstop11 said:
You are being a wuss!!
Don't buy a dslr without trying one. Its a system you buy into and you need to buy the one you want and make sure it is taylored your needs and isnt going to feel awkward to use as it will be just like a part of your body when you get serious about it.
Click to expand...

Agreed, when you come to upgrade from this new camera you will be locked in to similar models due to the lenses you have bought and what not, most manufacturers use similar frames for all of their cameras and they dont tend to change much, so if you end up with a camera that you dont like the look or feel of then your a bit screwed.

It doesnt take long to pop in, get one out of the cabinet and have a 5 minute play.

If I didnt go to a shop, I would never have bought the 400D after the majority of people saying it was to small etc etc, but when I held it, I liked it a lot.
 
I was going for the 9500 or D50. But I preferred the sample photos I saw on the web from the D50. The 400D was a good bit dearer and I didn't like the feel of it. However the D50 was out of stock everywhere I tried, but then found that some local places were doing a good deal on a D70s and the 18-70 lense because they had no D50's. so I went for that, I also liked that the local shop do free cleaning of the sensor if the cameras bought from them.
 
Just incase anyone like the OP thinks the difference in megapixels is a big problem, well it probably isnt. More megapixels could even be a negative factor. :) /*bigs-up d50's 6.1mp*/

As everyone always says in these threads, and has already been said -- get yourself down to a shop and try them!! From what i now know about the D40, it seems like a waste of time. Get the D50 or the 400D.
 
Scam said:
As everyone always says in these threads, and has already been said -- get yourself down to a shop and try them!!
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Here here! You can read all the reviews in the world, but nothing will substitute actually going and TRYING the camera out in the shop. You really do get a feel for the one you like.

On a side note, December's Practical Photography does a head-to-head test between the Canon 400D and the Nikon D80. This would suggest to me that PP think the two are comparable, and thus the D40/50 aren't up to the same spec. Purely speculation on my part though.
 
Personally wouldnt go anywhere near a 400D the whole everything on the screen thing is just silly, same goes for the D40. As a D50 owner I would recomend it to anyone. Great camera and produces lovely results. 6mp is enough for everyday use. I have had large prints too and they are fine. Your choice really but dont be swayed by the Canon crowd/Je**ops to buy the 400D.

King.
 
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