Difference in Nikon Digital SLR Cameras?

Question

I would like to buy a Nikon Digital SLR Camera. However, I don't know which one will meet my needs. All I want is a camera that will take the highest quality photo without me having to do anything. In other words, I'm not an avid photographer and I want a camera to do all the work for me - but I don't want to overpay for features I don't need.

I currently have an Nikon N60 which I'm happy with. However, sometimes when I take action shots (e.g. someone playing sports) the camera doesn't always shoot as quickly as I would want. So, I may want a camera that is better and taking action photos.

I've looked at the Nikon website that compares cameras located here, but it is too technical for me:

http://www.nikonusa.com/fileuploads/pdfs/DLSR_comparison_chart_V2_060905.pdf

Answer 1

The entry level D40 or D50 should be fine.
The main differences are that the cheaper D40 has 3 AF points vs. 5, and it can only use AF-S lenses (lenses with an internal motor). The D50 can use all AF lenses.
That last bit might be an issue so check your current lenses... classics like the 50mm f/1.8 AF do NOT have an internal motor. Manual focussing is still possible but I wouldn't recommended it. The D40 and D50 have fairly small viewfinders and lack a split prism focussing screen.
Also note that all Nikon dSLR cameras magnify your lenses 1.5 times. So a 50mm lens will appear to be 75mm, etc. This is great for your telephoto current lenses, but it plays havoc with your wide end lenses and standard zoom. You can get the 18-55mm kit lens to compensate - the effective range is 27-83mm.
With the D70 and up, you'd probably be buying more camera than you need. That is, unless you need a blazingly fast AF system and more frames per second. If the D40/ D50 don't meet your needs in this department, the D200 with a 70-200mm f/2.8 should do the trick - but that package is 4 times more expensive.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

We love our Nikon D50. We aren't photographers and we love the fact that it has a bunch of predefined settings in an easy rotary wheel on top. One of the settings is "sports" and we love how quickly it takes photos. In rapid fire mode it can take 2-3 photos per second.

Get a package that has a 18-50 and a 50-200 lens. I'm not sure what the numbers mean but the first is for portraits and landscapes and the second is telephoto.

Our Kit cost $1200 with a case, card, 2 lenses, spare battery etc.

When we asked the expert at the store they said the D70 and D80 were higher mega pixels but that it was way more than even avid photographers needed.

Good luck.

Answer 4

I'm going to go against the crowd here...undoubtedly, Canon and Nikon make excellent cameras (and for the sake of full disclosure, I'm a Nikon guy!) BUT, unless you are planning on going pro and spending LOTS of money I would look at OTHER brands, and here's why: In order to compete with Canon or Nikon's reputation, they have to put out BETTER cameras. Check out the Olympus, Panasonic or Pentax varieties. They certainly are capable of stellar photographs, and you'll get better feature sets for the money.

Answer 5

Get a Nikon D50. There is no delay between pictures at all and no delay between the time you press the button and the camera takes the picture. It has a few "consumer friendly" automatic modes, including a "child" mode, that make it very easy to use, but still offers total photographic control when you are ready to take charge. The "kit" lens is a decent lens optically, but you might want to upgrade to the Nikkor AF-S 18-70 f/3.5-4.5G ED DX lens for a bit more range and a lot more durability. When you are ready to add lenses, the sky is the limit with Nikon. Then, when you upgrade your camera, you will have a nice, useful collection of lenses.

Get a 1 GB memory card, such as the Sandisk "Ultra" for decent write speed.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d50.htm

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_d50.asp

Circuit City has it for $630, with the lens.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Nikon-D50-Digital-Camera/sem/rpsm/oid/127029/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Walmart had it for $660, but they are out of stock on-line. Maybe a local store has it.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4058046

The memory card will cost $50-60 or so, depending on sales or rebates.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com has a kit with lens AND 2 GB Sandisk memory card for $650. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=1082&A=details&Q=&sku=420992&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

The D40 is the hot new cute DSLR from Nikon, but frankly, it costs the SAME as the D50 and is not as versatile, should you decide to learn more about what you are doing. I'd just buy the D50 and be done with it, as the D40 is going to be hard to find anyway.

Answer 6

I'm looking at the Full Line Product Guide and the N60 isn't in it, but the N65 is. It says that the camera automatically sets the shutter speed and aperture for you, but that you can choose one of the camera's five Vari-Program Scene modes (optimizes for common picture taking situations): Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports Continous and Night Scene. Check your camera's manual to see if you can choose the options I described. If so, then switch to "SPORTS CONTINOUS" that should give you a fast shutterspeed that will stop action.

Why buy a different camera & spend money if you're happy with the camera you already have? Cheers!

Answer 7

For entry level, the D50 is a very nice camera. What you get as you step up to the D70 and the D80 is a little higher resolution and more features/creative control. For day in-day out photography, though, I think you'd be fine with the D50. If you plan on blowing anything up to a large size, consider the higher rez D80. D200 and above are for pros, though many hobbyists do buy them.

Good luck.

Answer 8

Nikon just came out with the D40 (6MP) which is replacing the D50. It retails for around $599 and would be more than enough camera to suit your needs.

Answer 9

The Nikon D40 should suit you nicely. It has a variety of scene modes that will adjust the camera's settings for you.

Answer 10

if u r a professional photographer, sure u should buy. if u want it for ur own domesticuse, a regular one does the task. try pentax,, i have a very good experience with optio s40. nikon, being made entirely in plastic had a poor make. pics were of course not bad. it is coolpix 5200. but surely pentax is wonderful.
by the way both have parallax if u use the view finder. using the lcd doesnt give the error