First DSLR....D40 or Rebel XTi?

[AJK]

After messing around with some cameras at my local shop the XTi just didnt feel that comfortable in my hands and had a cheap finish to it. I much prefer the feel and features of the nikon. Here's the issue tho, the non AFS/I compatibility is a problem for me. Since my father is a pro I'd have all kinds of quality optics at my disposal. Any setup recommendations?

 

[dEARlEADER]

After messing around with some cameras at my local shop the XTi just didnt feel that comfortable in my hands and had a cheap finish to it. I much prefer the feel and features of the nikon. Here's the issue tho, the non AFS/I compatibility is a problem for me. Since my father is a pro I'd have all kinds of quality optics at my disposal. Any setup recommendations?

Yes.... D80's are cheap and very good.... If you have access to nice Nikon lenses just get the D80 body... or D300 if you want to spend a little dough...

the D40 is a great camera... but you are already saving yourself lots of money in lens purchases... spoil yourself a tad with autofocus...

 

[JustAnEngineer]

Yep. You want the D80 so that you can auto-focus.