D40x kit v. D80

[monocle]

hi. i'm a nOOb so please be easy on me...

I am trying to decide on a D40x kit that comes with a lens or a D80 body only.

I have an N80 and I plan to share the lens.

I understand the that the D40 wont autofocus with an AF lens and that it has to be an AF-S. I also understand that the D80 will work with an AF lens and is a much better camera.

Will the lens that I own (Nikkor AF 28-80 1:3.3-5.6) suffice for use with the D80 or would I be better off getting the D40x with an AF-S lens?

THANKS!

 

[Garbz]

Well is there anything wrong technically with the 28-80mm you have?
Personally the choice for me is clear. D80 in this case simply because not all lenses exist in AF-S format. By going the D40 route you will be missing the 50mm f/1.8, as well as having to fork out HUGE amounts of money for say a 105mm MicroNikkor AF-S when you can get the older AF lens for about $600 less.

With the majority of Nikkor lenses especially old ones being AF, it just makes no sense even financially to get the D40x

 

[monocle]

Well is there anything wrong technically with the 28-80mm you have?
Personally the choice for me is clear. D80 in this case simply because not all lenses exist in AF-S format. By going the D40 route you will be missing the 50mm f/1.8, as well as having to fork out HUGE amounts of money for say a 105mm MicroNikkor AF-S when you can get the older AF lens for about $600 less.

With the majority of Nikkor lenses especially old ones being AF, it just makes no sense even financially to get the D40x

i suppose this is what i was looking for but already assumed.

there is nothing "technically wrong" with the lens i have. i was just wanting to know if it was a junk.

your response helps me and is greatly appreciated.

 

[Garbz]

Well it's a very low grade lens. The front element turns when focusing making polarisers a hassle, it's also a discontinued design and 6 years old. Performance wise though I doubt it is any worse than a modern entry level lens. Certainly my 25 year old AI Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 is pretty much on par with the current Nikkor AF-S 18-70mm f3.5-5.6.

The problem I see with it is the crop factor. On a D80 you will have to multiply the focal lengths by 1.5 so 42-120mm makes it a portrait/basic telephoto zoom rather than the semi-wide angle lens you will be used to.

I would still not recommend the D40, and look at slowly depreciating the lens you have by buying others which creep into it's range. Like the 18-55 when you go wide angle and a 70-200 together would eventually cause the 28-80 to stay in the box.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

the 28-80 is in the same league as the 18-55. Cheap kit lenses.

 

[monocle]

OK. I have decided to get the D80.

Now the question is whether I should just suck it up and get a good lens or if the one i have will work for general photos.

if the one i have will be OK for now, i may pick up a different lens. what would be a good second lens for me to get to complement the lens i currently have (Nikkor AF 28-80 1:3.3-5.6)?

 

[Garbz]

What do you like to take photos of. If you don't like doing landscapes or large group photos I'd suggest a telephoto lens. If you do like landscapes and such I'd suggest a wide angle like the above mentioned 18-70 or 18-55

 

[monocle]

What do you like to take photos of. If you don't like doing landscapes or large group photos I'd suggest a telephoto lens. If you do like landscapes and such I'd suggest a wide angle like the above mentioned 18-70 or 18-55

hmm... well, i plan to take pictures of anything and everything. I am planning a trip to mexico and would like to be fairly educated on the ins and outs of my camera by then so that i can capture sunsets, the beach, architecture, locals, the resort where i'm staying and pretty much anything else that catches my eye.

other than the trip, when i first get the camera i will primarily chronicling my life and that of my family, including my two year old son.

i probably wont be doing group photos but landscapes, yes.

i would like input on say, three lenses.

1. a general lens that i can use for most anything and could use as my only lens for the time being. apparently i have decided to replace the old lens that i have mentioned above, unless of course I should just buy a lens to complement it now.
2. a lens to complement the first. maybe a higher powered telephoto?
3. a specialty lens. wide-angled or the like.

i really appreciate your help. if you need to know anything about sports, computers, photoshop, any kind of home audio or video or cars, i'd be happy to reciprocate. right now, as far as photography goes, i'm ignorant. it has been a long time since i was familiar with camera equipment...

so again, thanks.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

a 24-120 VR would work pretty well on a D80. they're $500, and the one I have works awsome on my D70 and AF 35mm bodies as an I-don't-know-what-to-expect lens. It's my 2nd favorite lens in my bag beucase the VR is just so much fun.

 

[Garbz]

1. Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 IFED AF-S (I spend 3 months in Europe with only this lens)
2. Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 AF (old) or the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 EDVRII AF-S (cheaper but with VR)
3. I couldn't live without my MicroNikkor 105mm f/2.8 macro lens

They are just suggestions. Stay away from the 18-200mm VR it's pretty nasty. THe more range you cover the worse it is.

 

[monocle]

excellent... i feel like I'm getting somewhere!

i see many on here talking about 50mm f/1.8 lenses. whats so cool about that lens?

is this the 70-300 that you are speaking of?

 

[Garbz]

Yes. It is a lower league than the 80-200, and a slower lens too. But then it doesn't come with an insane price tag either. I have no first hand experience with this lens but I know a few people who use it and I have seen them deliver good results for a lens in this price range.

 

[monocle]

I just ordered a d80.

now i need to decide what lens to get as my general purpose (and for the time being ONLY lens.

i spoke to someone at a local camera shop and they were not really high on the 18-70mm in fact they were pushing the 18mm-135mm f/3.5-to-f/5.6 ED-IF AF-S that comes in most kits.

they told me that the 18-70 used to be a kit lens in the d70. i've seen it listed as a kit lens for the d200.

i guess i'm stuck as far as what to purchase.

like i said i have a nikon 28-80 1:3.3-5.6 that has only had 300-400 shots run through it. if the 18-70 isn't substantially better than that lens, i dont want to buy it.

any further assistance is GREATLY appreciated!

 

[Don Simon]

i see many on here talking about 50mm f/1.8 lenses. whats so cool about that lens?

People like fast 50mm primes because they're very good optical quality and (relatively) very cheap... and fast. The f/1.8 aperture allows in more light than a slower aperture (signified by a larger f-number) - which can be very useful. Now using a 50mm on the D80 will be a bit like using your zoom at 75mm on your F80... so it's a question of whether that angle of view would be any use to you.

if the 18-70 isn't substantially better than that lens, i dont want to buy it.

I doubt it's substantially better... but it is substantially wider. To get an idea of how the 28-80mm will perform on the D80, imagine using the 28-80mm on your N80 film SLR, but only being able to shoot from 42-80mm. Personally I would miss not having any kind of wide-angle. Not saying you should buy the 18-70mm, just that you may find you want something that goes wider than 28mm.

 

[Garbz]

Actually the 18-135 is very similar to the 18-70 quality wise. The 18-135 is actually slightly sharper in the centre, but sacrifices border quality and chromatic aberration to get the extra range. The 18-70 on the other hand has a more consistent quality over the entire picture.

The only thing that really bugs me about the 18-135 is that there's no focus scale on it. This is poor in my books for a lens which focuses just past infinity if you turn the ring all the way to the infinity side. Taking lots of night shots or other shots in the dark where I really couldn't see anything I personally often have had use for it, but this shortcoming may carry less weight for others.