D40 or 2nd Hand D70s

[li0nheart07]

dilemma in choosing a DSLR for beginner,
all the while i've been using PnS but wanna go for an upgrade but wanna get something cheap to learn first, initially want to get prosumer but guess i shouldn't be wasting time on that...
any suggestions on this?
some also suggest i get a 350D... haiz... dilemma
please help...
THANKS

 

[jmmtn4aj]

D70s definitely The D40 lacks many features you'll wished you had later on. Even better, save for the D80!

 

[li0nheart07]

thanks...
the only minus point for D70s is warranty only, other than that, in terms of features and functions... it wins D40 far far...

btw as i've mention i use it as amature or beginner stage, so wont want to spend too much on the machine, while lens wise, i guess i can bring over to the next machine if next time i'm getting better and upgrade for a better machine by than

 

[jmmtn4aj]

btw as i've mention i use it as amature or beginner stage, so wont want to spend too much on the machine, while lens wise, i guess i can bring over to the next machine if next time i'm getting better and upgrade for a better machine by than

Yep. Quite a few lenses (non DX) don't come with their own AF motor, so you won't be able to AF them with the D40/x

 

[benleez]

A fren of mine has D40 and can't use many of the lenses which I have and could have lent to him. You'll encounter the same limitations with lenses as well if you get D40. Furthermore, the good DX lenses are generally more expensive, and BnS here has a lot of AFD lenses which will be good for new DSLR users to try out, but with D40, that'll be a limitation.

 

[ramboo24]

D40x

10MP
great entry level DSLR

 

[konahead]

am also in this dilemma albeit choosing between the d40 and a used d50

thing is, with a d40 kit with the 18-55VR and a 55-200VR, it basically covers all my needs and i do not anticipate that in the future that i will go into "serious-hobbyist" mode lor...

but i have to say the d50 is tempting me...solely because of the possibility of using lenses other than those with the self-driven motors...

*argh*:dunno:

 

[ExplorerZ]

am also in this dilemma albeit choosing between the d40 and a used d50

thing is, with a d40 kit with the 18-55VR and a 55-200VR, it basically covers all my needs and i do not anticipate that in the future that i will go into "serious-hobbyist" mode lor...

but i have to say the d50 is tempting me...solely because of the possibility of using lenses other than those with the self-driven motors...

*argh*:dunno:

go for the d50... there are many more lenses than a 18-55 and 55-200 (btw, 18-55 is nt VR)
even if this 2 is all you need, d50 can also use them. :bsmilie:

 

[li0nheart07]

alamak!...
now another contender for my entry level DSLR...
D50
can we just stick to the 2 main contender and emerging contender of 350D

 

[xtradot]

Personally, I really can't understand the huge obsession some here have with the problem of lens availability for the D40. While I have several screw-drive lenses, the AF-S or HSM type are so superior to the old clunky and slow gear drives that I would prefer all my lenses to be internal motor type. And if you look at Nikon's current lens lineup, with the exception of short focal length primes which are screw drive only, the vast majority of their newer offerings are the AF-S type lenses.

AF-S is the standard of the future. The problem of a lack of an in-built motor in the D40 has been overstated, and is in fact likely to further diminish in importance as Nikon continues to release more AF-S lenses.

 

[Big Kahuna]

I had my D70 for almost 2 years now.....the camera is a solid work horse and with good handling balance....my only gripe is high noise at high iso and...."blooming"--to me taking sun ray is like lottery which until now I am still not very confident despite trying out with different f stop like someone else mentioned.....it nearly ruined my recent sunrise trip at world tallest sleeping volcano and I just have to keep shooting praying that at least one is good....but we do not have the luxury most of the time :sweat: See two bad samplers :sweat: Not sure if other Nikon model is having this problem though :cry:

 

[Rashkae]

The blooming may have been a lens problem...

Or is it the sensor?

 

[Big Kahuna]

The blooming may have been a lens problem...

Or is it the sensor?

D70 is notorious for the Blooming due to the electronic shutter I believe....but somehow I could surpress it with f8 and beyond previously...but it became apparent again with my new big mama....so you can understand my frustation :bheart:

 

[Rashkae]

D70 is notorious for the Blooming due to the electronic shutter I believe....but somehow I could surpress it with f8 and beyond previously...but it became apparent again with my new big mama....so you can understand my frustation :bheart:

ouch...

 

[ExplorerZ]

Personally, I really can't understand the huge obsession some here have with the problem of lens availability for the D40. While I have several screw-drive lenses, the AF-S or HSM type are so superior to the old clunky and slow gear drives that I would prefer all my lenses to be internal motor type. And if you look at Nikon's current lens lineup, with the exception of short focal length primes which are screw drive only, the vast majority of their newer offerings are the AF-S type lenses.

AF-S is the standard of the future. The problem of a lack of an in-built motor in the D40 has been overstated, and is in fact likely to further diminish in importance as Nikon continues to release more AF-S lenses.

that is if you can afford it... :thumbsup:
do you know how much the AF-S 17-55 cost? :sweat:

 

[Yatlapball]

kona: sell your wheels lah :bsmilie: I know you! You will not stop at just having those you mentioned. So go the way of the D50. heh.

AF-S is the way to go? Yeah maybe. But till the time comes that Nikon sticks that little motor into its entire range of very good primes, I give a :thumbsd: to any new body that limits your usage of the older line-up of lenses. And do not forget the additional cost.

Just look at the AF 80-200 2.8D and the AF-S version. When the AF-S version was still available (before the 70-200 VR model arrived), it was so more expensive.

IQ? Similar. AF speeds? Although the SWM does focus faster, the older screw-driven AF doesn't lose out by much. Is that fractional increase in speed worth the difference in price? You decide

 

[Azure]

dilemma in choosing a DSLR for beginner,
all the while i've been using PnS but wanna go for an upgrade but wanna get something cheap to learn first, initially want to get prosumer but guess i shouldn't be wasting time on that...
any suggestions on this?
some also suggest i get a 350D... haiz... dilemma
please help...
THANKS

If you are really here to learn first (like you mentioned in your post), then a 2nd-hand D70/D70S will be a lot more worth it. Look for one that has low shutter count, (ie, lower usage by previous owners) and couple it with a cheap and good 18-55 kit lens. You'll be surprised how good the pictures you can get. As mentioned by other above, the D40 is really not a good idea, unless you are swayed by pixel counting, a pointless chore.

I've listed you some D70 + 18-55 shots below, with permission from the author.

 

[konahead]

alamak!...
now another contender for my entry level DSLR...
D50
can we just stick to the 2 main contender and emerging contender of 350D

sorry lah bro...it's just that the pricing for a used d50 comes really close to the pricing for the new d40 kit...and in fact might just dip below lor...

i think i still have a preference for the d40 tho...cos i am not anticipating advancing over the kit lens, the 55-200 VR zoom and possibly a 50mm f1.4 prime (hopefully released in AF-S)...money's the issue and the empress dowager will chop me up and make curry if i spend too much...:bsmilie:

 

[konahead]

kona: sell your wheels lah :bsmilie: I know you! You will not stop at just having those you mentioned. So go the way of the D50. heh.

brudder brudder, i still need to indulge in a bit of sideways action ok...only a RWD car's ever gonna satisfy that requirement (or perhaps a awd rally rocket with the dccd turned max to the rear)...not an option of selling the wheels ;p

dunno man, still thinking about it...will purchase by end june anyway so have a bit of time to do further research...

 

[Yatlapball]

Gimme a call then. I would be back in SG for a short spell from 3rd week of June onwards.