Beginners: Do Not Buy The D40/D40x

[Mathias13]

I recently got the D40X as a christmas gift and I love it

 

[petey]

Will this lens fit on a D40 ?

 

[Mav]

It'll physically mount to the camera, but you'll have no metering and no autofocus. If you feel like manually focusing and guessing at the exposure until you get it right (or use an external meter), yes, it will work.

 

[Antithesis]

It's kinda funny, I sold my d40x to pick up a d80 so I could use AF lenses (namely the thrifty-fifty) and now I find myself looking at AF-S lenses. In all reality, it's probably not a good arguement for changing cameras. Both the d80 and d40x are good cameras, I just think they each have their different place. One day, when they release a 50mm f/1.8 AF-S (or any other AF-S primes), the d40x will be an awesome little pocket SLR and hopefully people will change their opinion.

 

[Tasmaster]

It'll physically mount to the camera, but you'll have no metering and no autofocus. If you feel like manually focusing and guessing at the exposure until you get it right (or use an external meter), yes, it will work.

Oh please get it right people, i see this posted all the time. Of course the D40 will meter with the 50mm 1.8, and every other Nikon lens with a CPU in it. If you are a total beginner with an extensive collection of 1950's and 60's lenses, tough luck, it won't meter with those.

Oh, and where you were debunking the (completely ignorant) comparison to a P&S you forgot the single most important thing: shutter lag! This is the one reason why i never owned a digital P&S. I could live with any other compromise but that one.

 

[Mav]

Oh please get it right people, i see this posted all the time. Of course the D40 will meter with the 50mm 1.8, and every other Nikon lens with a CPU in it. If you are a total beginner with an extensive collection of 1950's and 60's lenses, tough luck, it won't meter with those.

petey was asking specifically about a Series E lens. This is an AI spec lens before the 1986 AF/CPU era lenses and will not meter on the D40 as I originally stated. Yes, any 1986 or newer AF/AF-D/AF-S lens including the current AF 50mm f/1.8D will meter on the D40, but this isn't one of them.

Oh, and where you were debunking the (completely ignorant) comparison to a P&S you forgot the single most important thing: shutter lag! This is the one reason why i never owned a digital P&S. I could live with any other compromise but that one.

Yes, that's another good reason, although I've had 4 P&S cameras and have never had any complaints about shutter lag. The latest one I've tried does have "lag" but that's from it still trying to achieve focus lock. Assuming it has it already, it's quite zippy. It has much more trouble focusing than any DSLR will, especially in marginal light.

 

[Tasmaster]

petey was asking specifically about a Series E lens. This is an AI spec lens before the 1986 AF/CPU era lenses and will not meter on the D40 as I originally stated. Yes, any 1986 or newer AF/AF-D/AF-S lens including the current AF 50mm f/1.8D will meter on the D40, but this isn't one of them.

My apologies, i didn't notice the E on the post title. But i do read things like "AF lenses won't work with the D40" from time to time, hence my haste to reply and the tone of my post. Again, my bad. I was just browsing through the very informative links in your sig and read this thread again .

 

[Northsider]

I have the D40x and I am quite happy. Granted I don't know a whole lot about cameras and I am just getting started with photography more seriously...

 

[Early]

I have to agree with sabbath999. One of the main reasons I got into Nikon was because of their compatibility, which they now seem to be abandoning.

 

[Tasmaster]

One entry-level camera that won't auto-focus with some lenses means that Nikon is abandoning compatibility? :er:

 

[Early]

One entry-level camera that won't auto-focus with some lenses means that Nikon is abandoning compatibility? :er:

Yes, and it isn't only that. They have lenses out now that you can't even use on an older camera, such as a FE-2 because there isn't any aperture ring. They have become Minoltafied, and I'm!

 

[Tasmaster]

Ok, apart from the D40 and G lenses (neither of which concern 95% of beginners), compatibility remains pretty good, no? To the point that it arguably stopped Nikon from producing more ultrasonic motor lenses until now - and still is.

 

[Mav]

My apologies, i didn't notice the E on the post title. But i do read things like "AF lenses won't work with the D40" from time to time, hence my haste to reply and the tone of my post. Again, my bad. I was just browsing through the very informative links in your sig and read this thread again .

No worries, yeah I see the same thing all the time too and it drives me crazy. :mrgreen:

 

[sabbath999]

I do ask readers to keep a couple things in mind when reading this post.

1) Feel free to substitute the D60 with any remarks I said about the D40x... they are basically the same camera, with a couple new features on the D60...

2) At the time this was originally posted, the street price on the D40 was about $579. Now, you can get them factory refurbed for as little as $379. At under 400 clams, the D40 is a SCREAMING buy, even with the outlined limitations... that is cheap enough to bypass pretty much any objection I have with it...

Of the 3, even if all prices were equal, I would buy the D40 first, the D60 second and the D40x last.

I shot some pictures with the D60 today ($749 at Sams Club) and while I really liked the new lens, the camera did not really impress me any more than my D40. The Active D-Lighting is the only additional feature I found even slightly compelling about it.

 

[brileyphotog]

this "problem" with the d40 cameras has already been discussed to death in other threads