Looking to upgrade from a Nikon D40

[David-Wayne]

I saw some low light shots posted a few days back with a d3100 and could not believe my eyes! They seemed comparable to my d700. And on B&H tons of people rave about it. I'd say it's the way to go too!

 

[flatflip]

I like "fro knows photo"s review too. He does some semi low light concert video too. (D3100)

 

[KmH]

One of the keys to really good portraiture is lighting.

The Nikon D40 can do something most other DSLR cameras can't - x-sync flash at shutter speeds faster than 1/200 or 1/250. In fact the D40 can x-sync flash all the way to it's fastest shutter speed 1/4000.

Portraiture is very amenable to manual focusing which you would need to do with an AF lens mounted, but there are well over 100 lenses available for you to choose from that have auto focus motors in them: List of Nikon F-mount lenses with integrated autofocus motors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Back to manual focusing: All of Nikon's current AF designated lenses report distance informantion to the D40 aurto focus electronics, so the D40 lights up the in-focus indicator in the viewfinder when focus has been achieved manually.

 

[Bob in GV]

What do you guys think of d80 and d90 ?
With the nikon d40 no auto-focus was sometimes an issue .

If you're looking for AF motor in the body, you can ignore all these folks who are recommending D5100 or D3100. Ain't there.

 

[~myStical~]

One of the keys to really good portraiture is lighting.

The Nikon D40 can do something most other DSLR cameras can't - x-sync flash at shutter speeds faster than 1/200 or 1/250. In fact the D40 can x-sync flash all the way to it's fastest shutter speed 1/4000.

Portraiture is very amenable to manual focusing which you would need to do with an AF lens mounted, but there are well over 100 lenses available for you to choose from that have auto focus motors in them: List of Nikon F-mount lenses with integrated autofocus motors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Back to manual focusing: All of Nikon's current AF designated lenses report distance informantion to the D40 aurto focus electronics, so the D40 lights up the in-focus indicator in the viewfinder when focus has been achieved manually.

very helpful link , thank you !

 

[~myStical~]

Thank you for all the suggestions guys , really appreciate it ! :-D


I should have mentioned this before ... what i am really looking for is a body that wont limit my lens choices.

 

[~myStical~]

I ended up buying the nikon d90 guys . I haven't had the chance to shoot with it , i hope i wont be disappointed .

Thanks again guys for all ur suggestions , really appreciate it .

 

[djacobox372]

What do you guys think of d80 and d90 ? With the nikon d40 no auto-focus was sometimes an issue .

The d80s performance is similar to the d40, only with an af motor, slightly more resolution and more pro style controls. They sell used for only $300, which makes it a very cheap upgrade.The d90 has the CMOS sensor from a d300, which improves it's color, dynamic range and low light performance. It also adds 720p video. It's the upgrade I would recommend, if you have the $$.

 

[~myStical~]

What do you guys think of d80 and d90 ? With the nikon d40 no auto-focus was sometimes an issue .

The d80s performance is similar to the d40, only with an af motor, slightly more resolution and more pro style controls. They sell used for only $300, which makes it a very cheap upgrade.The d90 has the CMOS sensor from a d300, which improves it's color, dynamic range and low light performance. It also adds 720p video. It's the upgrade I would recommend, if you have the $$.

That's what I ended up buying , the d90