Which camera to choose?

I think I'm still leaning towards the D40...I'll try to go to the Wolf Camera soon.
Mav, those are some really nice pictures, love the first one, she's adorable :)
 
So, I thought of a question for the D40 and XT users, how well are they at shooting no flash with not too well lighting? My whole house has sucky lighting, lol. My point and shoot does okay, so I'm assuming it would be okay too, but do you know how well it does? I mean the lighting isn't bad it's just kinda low, I usually have a ceiling light, and anywhere between 2-4 lamps on lol.
 
This depends more on the lens you're using than on the camera. Both will struggle in poor lighting with the standard 18-55 kit lenses. But if your P&S does okay without a flash, then the DSLRs will do even better. If you go with the D40, get the great little SB-400 flash that I used above. You can flip it up for bounce flash unlike a P&S, and if you get your technique right you can make photos look like a flash wasn't even used.
 
Yeah that's what I figured. Yeah I think I'd be getting the 18-55 kit lens...I do need to get some sort of better lighting though, but I mean it's not too bad, just not really good lol, it's better when I have at least the ceiling and a lamp on (one of those tall lamps with the 3 desk like lamps that you can move around, haha I'm bad at describing things)
 
Yea, it will all depend on the lens for low light stuff.

Whether or not you get the XT or the d40 doesn't really matter to me a whole lot, but I just think the whole auto focus thing would be a HUGE feature that would sway you towards the XT, auto focus IMO is a much more useful feature than a slightly bigger LCD screen...
 
the d40 is a great camera. i got one for my girl for xmas. it takes great pictures and all the nikon stuff that i already have works with it. even though some lenses don't auto focus its still a great camera. had i not already been a nikon user with lenses and a speedlight i may have gone with the canon if it was between the d40 and the canon. when i got my d80 i made the choice between the xti and the d80 and went with the d80. if it were between the d40 and the xt i may have gone with the xt.
 
About the XTi and the D40....I have read that the lens that comes with the camera lacks the quality the buyers are looking for...for those who own the XTi would you say that this is the case?
 
Yea, it will all depend on the lens for low light stuff.

Whether or not you get the XT or the d40 doesn't really matter to me a whole lot, but I just think the whole auto focus thing would be a HUGE feature that would sway you towards the XT, auto focus IMO is a much more useful feature than a slightly bigger LCD screen...

But there are many other issues other than AF.

  • For starters, if you're not going to get many other lenses then it doesn't matter since the kit lense and a 55-200 mm VR lense are AF-S (and so do AF with the D40).
  • Second off, there's a pretty significant difference between a 1.8" screen and a 2.5" as far as image viewing goes. It doesn't sound like much but take a ruler and draw a 1.8" diagonal and then draw a 2.5" one. Draw boxes around both. Which one would you like to preview your images in?
  • The D40 can use SD cards, the XT uses compact flash. If you already have an SD card the D40 would save you a bit of cash.
  • Check out the reviews on Dpreview (link to rebel review, link to d40 review). They seemed to be impressed with the D40's kit lens while they said the XT's lens was "disappointing at telephoto with smaller apertures". That could be an issue in low light.
  • The nikon d40 goes from ISO 200 - 3200 while the XT goes from 100 - 1600. If you look at this test, the D40 appears to have less noise than the XT.
Admittedly, I own neither camera. However, I think it's pretty clear from what I've read that there are more important issues to worry about than being able to autofocus on all of Nikon's lenses, especially for someone getting their first DSLR.

No real comparison b/w the 2 if u can spend the 120 bucks more go for the Xti, gives u tons of more control & options which the D40 lacks.
If one were too choose between Xti with a D80 then u could go for the nikon'
The Nikon is a begginers SLR with linited options, now that you are upgrading get Xti.It is a small camera too for a SLR.

In the Dpreview review they mentioned the lack of bracketing, depth-of-field preview, and also the fact that the exposure steps are fixed. These features are all nice but I think they aren't really vital, especially for an entry level SLR. Are these the only options you are talking about or are there more I am not aware of?
 
I would say you should hold them in you hands before you buy one. I shopped around for a long time on the internet reading every review I could till I couldn't stand it anymore. Then I got into a store that had a good line-up of camera's and held each one I researched in my hand to see which I liked the feel of the best.

I ended up buying the XTi since I like how it felt in my hand. I have no complaints on the camera but I'm a total Amateur still so I haven't produced amazing quality images like ones found on here yet after learning the camera over the last 2 weeks. Also Living in the Canadian Arctic one can't do much in the world of grey... :p
 
I bought the XT when it first came out and today I wonder if the Nikon choice would have been better. When it comes to focusing it leaves a lot to be desired and the images are noisy.

I don't know if the nikon comparison is better but I'd like to try one.
 
About the XTi and the D40....I have read that the lens that comes with the camera lacks the quality the buyers are looking for...for those who own the XTi would you say that this is the case?
Virginia Beach sunrise taken with the cheap crappy 18-55 kit lens on my D80 and a tripod. :)

http://images27.fotki.com/v984/photos/1/1055548/5009339/DSC_7650av-vi.jpg


One of these days I'm going to get all of my best 18-55 photos together and make a thread out of it. There's no reason you can't take thousands of great photos with the 18-55 kit lenses.
 
Personally I think the Sonys feel a little light and weird in my hand if it wasn't for the familial investment in Nikon lenses I would have gone with Pentax but you'll get thousands of replies to a thread like this and you'll be more confused by the end than when you went in.
Funny you say that cause the Sony has a metal frame while your Nikon is plastic. and If I had to choose between a cheap piece of plastic or hard metal I have no doubt plastic is gonna loose every time in durability
 
canon L glass made the decision for me.

it really doesn't matter in the end though, every dslr on the market will take a great photo if put in the right hands.
 
ive seen amazing pictures off the xt, i have an xti, so im not sure. I love my camera though.

the lcd is a moot point i think, if that is what you are considering. You should only be using the lcd to view the histogram of your shots. Thats my opinion anyways.
 

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