Nikon D40

montyb1990 · May 22, 2008

and would a lens hood be worth the money?

thanks again for all the help!

passerby · May 23, 2008

montyb1990 said:
and would a lens hood be worth the money?

Lenshood is suppose to be used to block the unwanted sun light but for others it is also for lens protection. So if you bump the lens to the wall the hood will do the bumping. But than again I don't have it because I think it just making attention to the public. But yes it is useful tool.

Palyriot · May 23, 2008

montyb1990 said:
and would a lens hood be worth the money?

thanks again for all the help!

The 55-200 should come with a lens hood in the box.

pm63 · May 23, 2008

montyb1990 said:
and would a lens hood be worth the money?

thanks again for all the help!

The 55-200 will (or at least should) come with a hood.

The 18-55 kit will not, though you can purchase one seperately for very cheap. I haven't got a hood for the kit lens, so I can't comment on how much of a difference it will make, though I might buy one soon for protection mainly.

John L · May 24, 2008

montyb1990 said:
and would a lens hood be worth the money?

I think its worth the money. Im still a newb when it comes to this kind of stuff but I look at it as a way to block stray light and added protection.

montyb1990 · May 25, 2008

Almost ready to buy the camera, but stillll debatinggggg.... D40 or D60? $200 difference.... Maybe should i forget about getting a 55-200mm lens and spend the extra money or getting the Canon XSi, which has live view and upgrade later. I am just getting into photography, but once I am spending the money, I want to get something that will last me a long long time!
Any opinions would be wonderful!
Thank you very very very much!

goodoneian · May 25, 2008

montyb1990 said:
and would a lens hood be worth the money?

thanks again for all the help!

the lens hood should come with the lens

jg123 · May 25, 2008

I would go for the XSI, that is the one I am probably getting...I am just waiting for another good package deal, they had it on sale here at bestbuy for 1159 with 2 IS lenses. I have read tons of reviews and this seems like the best value. I would like to see what the d90 is like if it comes out next month (as rumor has it).

passerby · May 26, 2008

montyb1990 said:
I am just getting into photography, but once I am spending the money, I want to get something that will last me a long long time! Any opinions would be wonderful!
Thank you very very very much!

It is technology that only last either by luck, by good maintenance and/or by long warranty. I had once a TV that run day and night for more than 10 years, but TV has no moving parts in it. Yet my car now has been running for full 8 years with no problem, and I have not even service it (tune up) now for 12 months!!. Yet look at the link below it tells different story. It is your money.

I bought cheap DSLR that won't cause distress if anything happen to it, because I only want to have fun by it while learning slowly without any pressure. I do believe my D40 will last at least 3 years. Of course, it is under warranty for 3 years btw. Also I bought it from major local retailer. So if there is any problem - it won't be my problem - but theirs.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124331

Mav · May 26, 2008

montyb1990 said:
Almost ready to buy the camera, but stillll debatinggggg.... D40 or D60? $200 difference.... Maybe should i forget about getting a 55-200mm lens and spend the extra money or getting the Canon XSi, which has live view and upgrade later. I am just getting into photography, but once I am spending the money, I want to get something that will last me a long long time!
Any opinions would be wonderful!
Thank you very very very much!

The D40 is better than the D60 in a lot of ways and also $200 cheaper. Just get the D40 and the 55-200mm lens too. The 55-200 is great for portraits, and can even do a good job indoors with a flash. Features like live view are more or less considered gimmicks on DSLR cameras.

JimmyO · May 26, 2008

pm63 said:
The 55-200 will (or at least should) come with a hood.

The 18-55 kit will not, though you can purchase one seperately for very cheap. I haven't got a hood for the kit lens, so I can't comment on how much of a difference it will make, though I might buy one soon for protection mainly.

Dont get a hood for the 18-55. If it would make use of one it would have came with it. When i first got my d40x with that lens i made the mistake of getting a 52mm pedal hood. The problem is the 18-55 has a rotating from element, so if you get one of those hood it will be lined up correctly one second, then the lens will focus and it will protrude into the picture. The other alrernative it to just get one of those cone hood but still you dont know if it will get in the frame and it most likely wont be effective,

Atreus · May 26, 2008

Mav said:
The D40 is better than the D60 in a lot of ways and also $200 cheaper. Just get the D40 and the 55-200mm lens too. The 55-200 is great for portraits, and can even do a good job indoors with a flash. Features like live view are more or less considered gimmicks on DSLR cameras.

other than the 1/500 vs 1/200 flash sync, how is the d40 better exactly?

Michael.McBee · May 26, 2008

You will not be disappointed with the D40. It's a great camera to start and learn with.

Mav · May 26, 2008

Atreus said:
other than the 1/500 vs 1/200 flash sync, how is the d40 better exactly?

One stop faster in normal use (iso200 vs 100), a half to a full stop better as far as high ISO noise and overall image quality (subjective, YMMV), smaller file sizes, I generally don't need to crop a lot or print larger than 3 feet (hence no real need for 10MP), the output is sharper straight off the camera (vs my D80), and its $200-300 cheaper.

It's arguably one of the best cameras in Nikon's entire lineup.