Another camera thread, but not a speed one!
 

Hey all,


After looking at the various photos on the photos section and also starting to get to the limits of my wee compact I am now looking at a supa dupa SLR.

Yeah!!

I have been thinking and looking about for a while and have sort of narrowed it down to 2 options and i have no idea which one to go for??

Nikon D40 x Aprrox £430
6 Mega Pixel

OR

Nikon D40X Approx £690
10.2 Mega Pixel

OR

Cannon EOS 400D £520
10

Prices include extras like 55-200mm lense and memory etc.

Anyone got any idea which one and why? Do other folks have these camera and how do they rate them?

Cheers

Duck-man!

Re: Another camera thread, but not a speed one!
 

www.dpreview.com do back to back comparisons with their reviews, as the models are competitors you should find some answers there...

Re: Another camera thread, but not a speed one!
 

Dunno about SLR's or anything else but the best pix we've had in our office lately have come from the Panasonic Lumix compact camera, bloke has just come back from Thiland and the photo's are stunning. Better than some of the ones the blokes with the proffessional digitals come up with. Dont know whether its the photographer or the camera though

Re: Another camera thread, but not a speed one!
 

The definition of the ping pong balls arcing through the air must be stunning ;)

Re: Another camera thread, but not a speed one!
 

Canon or Nikon ? It's a personal thing. I had (still have) and old EOS620 35mm SLR which is why I opted for the Canon, as the lenses fit. The 400D is a very, very good camera for the money and I'm considering getting one so I have two camera bodies.

If you have experience of either make of "normal" SLR, that may be your best route. However, both Canon & Nikon give exceptional results and are worth the money. I'm not sure about Nikon, but Canon now have a range if lenses with "Image Stabilisers" which are really helpful when shooting sport and wildlife etc.

I guess I haven't been much help really, but drop into a decent camera shop (not the local Jessops run by school boys...) and have a chat with them.

.

Re: Another camera thread, but not a speed one!
 

Errr, thats 3 options :lol:

The D40x is a great camera. However, the new Lumix from panasonic is a serious contender to the DSLR market. With 10x optical (@3.1mp) and a std 7mp rating, fully manual control, and a 28mm wide angle lens, its really worth a look.

As for DP review, its a great site, but left me very confused when i looked for a camera. So much so, i gave up. I iwsh they would just say...this is the best compact for your money, or similar for DSLR's

Out of your choice, id have the D40x though, if you can afford it.

Re: Another camera thread, but not a speed one!
 

Dpreview is good, its just really really difficult to find the info that you're after, its got to much info really.

Anyhoo...

I've got a D40 and I think its brilliant, its easy to use in Auto mode, but once you get confident with it you can get some really good shots with it in the more advanced modes, but it does take some getting your head around, but if your not afraid to fiddle with the settings and read the tips in the manual after a while it does get easier.

TBH IIRC, then anything above 4mp, is fine to blow up pics as big as A4 size, personally if I was you, I'd get the D40 and then spend a bit more and get a bigger or better quality lens to go with it.

I bought a kit from Jessops, with the kit lens ( 17- 55 ) and also the 55 - 200mm lens you're looking at to.

It's not just the camera its the person using it that can make a difference to.

Personally, I found that the Nikon gave a better sharpness to the picture and also the colour depth was better than the Canon's I looked at.

If you've been getting good results with a compact, take the plunge you wont regret it. Jelster is right some of the bigger zoom lenses come with image stabiliser technology on the Nikon as well, makes a huge difference if you're taking pictures from along way away or of sport.

HTH

Re: Another camera thread, but not a speed one!
 

I've got the 400D and it is ace! Would buy the same again happily :)

Re: Another camera thread, but not a speed one!
 

Dude check out 7-day shop they do digital SLR's at good prices and very very very cheap memory prices check 'em out.
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=777

Re: Another camera thread, but not a speed one!
 

Out of the 2 i would go with the Nikon. However if buying myself i would get the Pentax K100D which is on offer for 300 quid with the kit lens. Reason being is
1. In camera image stabilization works on all lenses and no need to buy expensive lenses that have the stabilization built in. I have good pics taken at night at 1/6th sec shutter speed and hand held...
2. K100d can use any pentax bayonet fit lenses while the D40/X need to use certain type of lens that have built in motors otherwise you need to manual focus.
3. The Nikon lacks a very much used top mounted LCD display. Far easier to see info and settings than on a rear LCD in sunlight and the info avaliable at a glance
4. The kit lens (the one bundled with the camera) is better on the Pentax.

The Nikon D40X has a larger 10mp sensor but image quality on both is great. The nikon also can take more shots continuosly which makes the D40x an excellent camera all round.

What really swings it for me is the built in image stabilization of the K100d.......works very well.

Good luck with what you choose as you can not go wrong with many of the dslr as they are all an improvement over consumer cameras.

Gotta add.....try before you buy. See which feels good in your hands and which has a brighter viewfinder as they are all different. K100d fits my hands like a glove where as it may not for you.

If you want to see what the Pentax k100d can do then tell me what you want to see and i will have a look and post an image if i have one