Getting Another Camera

[jwkwd]

Well, you are the one that is asking opinions, with that said I would use the D40 as a back-up and look in the direction of a D300 or a good used D2x. I would also stay with Nikon accessories and not trust off brand names for battery packs. If you are considering going pro, or even semi, the last thing you need is miscommunication with camera and battery, or total failure. Not to mention a warranty would mean nothing. I am not much of a digital person, but with crop factors and such, it seems that an 85 +/- would be better for portraits.

 

[JimmyO]

I hope you enjoy your new purchase but i strongly believe you need to start looking at good lenses from now on since all your lenses are cheap consumer lenses.

 

[Helen B]

it will cut down on switching because i will carry both bodies with me... big lens on one body small lens on the other.... pretty standard with wedding shots...

True indeed. Pretty much standard practice in many types of professional photography.

Best,
Helen

 

[Mav]

For serious wedding work I'd get a D200 with the battery grip and an extra battery. The metering is great, and it has all the direct access controls you need to make changes in shooting modes quickly, has shooting banks, more info in the finder, etc. It sucks batteries like mad, but a couple of EN-EL3e's are a lot cheaper than a D300. Can get these for $1100 NEW, or for practially the same price as a D80 if you're willing to buy used.

 

[Mav]

seems like with nikons noone ever says you shouldn't use a d40 for weddings because its not built for it but when someone mentions a canon rebel xt people immediately say its a bad choice blah blah.

Why is d40 so acceptable as wedding camera choice and rebel xt.

Am i confusing the level of camer a d40 is?

I personally believe whatever works use but of course I listen to what some people say in here.

I've never seen this, but... The 1/500s flash sync lets you shoot at 1 or 1.5 stops larger aperture depending on what you're comparing it to which is nice as far as keeping backgrounds out of focus. That and it's nearly weightless so it goes easier on your neck with multiple bodies and lenses strapped around. It also looks great at iso1600 with almost no need to do any post processing, and the output is VERY sharp, sharper than the D80 or D200's by a bit.

 

[asfixiate]

Thanks Mav!

So d40 is acceptable for everyday wedding usage but rebel xt isn't?

I'm not trying to start debate I'm just curious. Seems like nikon has edge on canon with a lot more than people discuss.

I'm Canon fan and I'm not trying to start a debate.

 

[Mav]

I'm not saying an XT isn't acceptable and like I mentioned, I've never even seen that expressed by anybody here. Any camera in the hands of a good photographer who knows how to work around the limitations of a given camera will get great results. I'm just pointing out why some might find the D40 acceptable but not an XT. In fact I could even argue the opposite though in that the XT will AF with all of Canon's lenses, but the D40 will not, particularly with their primes which work great in low light situations.