Building a B-day present.. help?

JerryPH · Aug 15, 2008

The D40X and the 18-200 do the same if not more than the other lenses . You should have gone 18-200 and 50mm F/1.8 for evening and portrature shots. As it is, you have 3 lenses that basically all do the same thing. Why toss the money out like that?

JIP · Aug 15, 2008

As some people here might know I am not a big fan of teh 18-200 but I have to say in this case to repeat what others have said the lenses you have picked all do essentially the same thing. If you are going to get mutiple lenses you should at least go for something varied like the 18-200 for general shooting and a 50mm 1.8 to get some finer images. Honestly though and this may shock some coming from me but of the three you have picked you should just go for the 18-200 and get another better lens or just stick to the other accessories you mentioned earlier.

JerryPH · Aug 16, 2008

Must... sit down... I... am feeling faint... JIP endorsing... the... 18-200?? I must have slipped into an alternate reality!! :lol:

Foques · Aug 16, 2008

Okay.. well, then I need to rethink the whole ordeal..

So what you guys are saying is that D40 vs D40x isn't much of a difference to spend additional 200 for?
As far as lens selection goes, I think i shall follow the recommendation of good lord Safka, Kundalini and Jerry..

are the d80 and d40 lenses backwards compatible?

prodigy2k7 · Aug 16, 2008

I think the D80 can autofocus all lenses, where the d40 needs AF-S lenses, but I am canon and still get confused about nikon sometimes

brb ill try to look it up

Edit:
Looks like D80 can use most/all lenses from nikon

Mount:
Nikon F mount (with AF coupling & AF contacts)

Lenses:
• DX Nikkor : All functions supported
• Type G or D AF Nikkor : All functions supported
• Micro Nikkor 85 mm F2.8D : All functions supported except autofocus and some exposure modes
• Other AF Nikkor*2 : All functions supported except 3D color matrix metering, i-TTL balanced fill-fl ash for digital SLR
• Non-CPU : Can be used in exposure mode M, but exposure meter does not function; electronic range finder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster
*1 IX Nikkor lenses can not be used
*2 Excluding lenses for F3AF

SOurce: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/page2.asp

Paul M · Aug 16, 2008

As long as you get an AF-S or AF-I lens, they will auto focus on the D40 (I say this because the D80 is more versatile in glass features). Some of the other features you will find in some lenses may not be available in the D40 but are definitely usable in the D80. The more important feature I would consider in any glass purchase (zoom glass) is VR or OS (vibration reduction - image/optical stabilization). As stated before, for the most economical purchase and focal coverage I would strongly suggest the 18-200mm VR (or OS), and a 50mm f/1.8 which after using them both, the user can identify which side of the spectrum they want to shoot more. This will then let you know if your next purchase would be a massive telephoto, or maybe a macro.

The 18-200mm VR is probably one of the most versatile and compact lenses that gives pretty flexible range of use, as well as great results. The VR feature is something to highly consider if you will be doing a lot of hand holding rather than tripod shots.

Foques · Aug 26, 2008

well, the lady made it easy for me.. she jsut decided to brake up w/ me.. so, now i shall shop for lenses :]

Montana · Aug 26, 2008

LOL...that sucks.

Bryant · Aug 26, 2008

Sorry to hear that man.

Foques · Aug 27, 2008

eh.. what can you do. Sucks.. its been good three and a half years, but it was her choice. Whatever makes her happy.

more lenses to me!

monkeykoder · Aug 27, 2008

Foques said:
eh.. what can you do. Sucks.. its been good three and a half years, but it was her choice. Whatever makes her happy.

more lenses to me!

I'd say get the 10-20 Sigma with HSM (HSM is sigma AF-S) and something in the long range

You'll get more pleasure out of those things than you did out of the woman.

Foques · Aug 28, 2008

LOL
thats why I love you guys!

djacobox372 · Aug 28, 2008

A D40 with a Nikon 18-200mm AF-S VR is an awesome combination for less then $1000.

djacobox372 · Aug 28, 2008

prodigy2k7 said:
I think the D80 can autofocus all lenses, where the d40 needs AF-S lenses, but I am canon and still get confused about nikon sometimes

brb ill try to look it up

Edit:
Looks like D80 can use most/all lenses from nikon

Mount:
Nikon F mount (with AF coupling & AF contacts)

Lenses:
DX Nikkor : All functions supported
Type G or D AF Nikkor : All functions supported
Micro Nikkor 85 mm F2.8D : All functions supported except autofocus and some exposure modes
Other AF Nikkor*2 : All functions supported except 3D color matrix metering, i-TTL balanced fill-fl ash for digital SLR
Non-CPU : Can be used in exposure mode M, but exposure meter does not function; electronic range finder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster
*1 IX Nikkor lenses can not be used
*2 Excluding lenses for F3AF

SOurce: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/page2.asp

Correction: I'm pretty sure the d80 won't meter on older non-cpu lenses... you need a d200/300/700 or d2x or d3 for that.

Not a big deal unless you are considering buying used lenses.

brileyphotog · Aug 30, 2008

If she's been doing objects (I assume macro here) you could really wow her by building her a lightbox. It would probably be the cheapest of any of the suggestions.

Of course, you'll need to get her some new glass to use with it