new and need advice please

[momof3shan]

Hi Guys,

I love photography - currently I only have a nikon coolpix - but I'm on the market for my first SLR - I'm looking at the Nikon D40 OR should I go with the D60 - what do you think, like I said I'm NEW to this, and I don't want to go too extreme with my first camera. I plan to just take pics of children, families, seniors and bridals - no sports or anyting like that....

I need to practice a lot as well as learn a lot - this may sound stupid but, how many extra lens can I buy for the D40? I see deals online that come with just 1 extra, but can I purchase additional? Will I need just the 1?

Also, should I also be on the market to purchase photoshop or do you recommend another program for beginners??

THANKS SOOO MUCH

 

[JSD]

This is a hard thing to answer because there are so many variables, many of which only you can answer. I suggest getting a good book, of which there are hundreds at Borders or Barnes and Noble.
As for some of your specific questions, the D40 can take hundreds of lenses, from cheap to crazy expensive, made by Nikon or a number of others. To get started you can get by and do fine with one of the "kit lenses", and expand as you gain experiance and a clearer idea of what you want to shoot.
You will need some kind of editing/organising software. Photoshop is the Daddy of them all but also very expensive and from what I have heard tough to master. Try Photoshop Elements, I think they are up to version 8 now. You can get it for around $100 and it is very user-beginner friendly, and also very capable. I use Lightroom, and love it, but it is a bit more spendy than Elements, and a lot less than Photoshop. There are many others worth looking into as well.
I hope this helps...JSD

 

[KmH]

The D60 has more capabilities than the D40 and will give you a little better image quality.

The D40 has 6 mega pixels, the D60 has 10 mega pixels which is 40% more.

What's more important, is which lens(s) you will have mounted on the front of the camera.

 

[kcmo al]

Go out to Houston Camera Exchange and Houston Camera Co-op and try some things out. I find the sales people at both to be very helpful and friendly. Don't limit yourself to Nikon. I'm a Canon shooter and their line of lenses is quite extensive and that, to me, is the most important aspect of a system for future growth.