What is better, the Nikon D40 or the Nikon D50?

Question

I'm saving up right now for a camera, and I want one that takes sort of proffesional looking shots. Which one would you suggest for a begginer?

Answer 1

The obvious difference is that the D40 no longer has a status LCD on top of the camera. All of the same information is available, however, on the larger rear LCD. I don't know what impact this has on battery life.

The less obvious difference is that the D40 only has 3 autofocus zones and, therefore, only 3 spot meter zones. The D50 has 5 zones. The D50 also lets you define the size of your center-weighted metering zone and the D40 does not.

The D40 will not autofocus with anything other than the newer AF-S and AF-I lenses, while the D50 will autofocus many older AF lenses, including G and D lenses as well as most other CPU lenses. If you do not own any lenses, this will not present a problem, but if you want to expand your lens collection (and who doesn't want to eventually?), you will have to bear this in mind before you make your purchase. There are MANY older lenses that are excellent and still available new.

One thing I like in the D40 is adopted from the more expensive cameras in the Nikon line. You can set a maximum ISO in the auto-ISO mode and you can set a minimum shutter speed in the auto-ISO mode. Frankly, I have the same features on my D200 and I don't use them, but I can see how they might come in handy if I was in a rapid-fire shooting session (haha) where I couldn't pay attention to these values for every frame.

I do use the programable FUNC button on the D200 and I see that the D40 has this feature also.

The D40 has a lot of in-camera retouching, but I would never use this as I do all of my own work on the computer. If you are going to use a store kiosk to do your prints, maybe you would like this feature.

If you read the review from the page I list below, you will see a comparison of the D40 and D50 right on the first page of the review. They used a green highlight for the "winner" of each category.

The bottom line is, my wife has the D50. I use it and like it. If we waited and bought the D40 for her, I am sure I would like that also. The biggest thing I would miss is the 5-zone auto-focus/spot-metering capability.

Check out this comparison page. Click on "In-depth review" and "Read Owner Opinions" for each camera. Be sure to note that the reviews are many pages long so you don't stop after page one. Check the sample images, also. You can enlarge these to full size images if you click on the link below the picture. You will have to then put your cursor in the white space to the right of the picture and click once. After that, you can pass your cursor over the image and it will turn into a magnifier. Click it as a magnifier once and the image will go to full size and you can really examine the detail or look for artifacts like fringing or noise.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_d40%2Cnikon_d50&show=all

Answer 2

I would not say that one is better than the other. The question for you is whether you plan to regularly use the more sophisticated features of your new digital SLR camera. If you are getting a digital SLR simply in order to get faster response times and better lenses, but plan to keep your camera on the AUTO setting most of the time, then the D40 might be the better choice. If you are getting a digital SLR because you want to explore the many capabilities and expansion possibilities of a digital SLR, and view this as an entry-level step into the world of more sophisticated photography, then the D50 might be the better choice. I say this because while the D50 is bigger and a little bulkier, it is much more similar to higher-end Nikons, with more flexibility for the photographer and more of the controls easily accessible via wheels, buttons and status menu on the outside of the camera body. The D40 buries many of the more sophisticated features in the LCD screen menu (which by necessity was improved vs. the D50). The D50 also has longer battery life on a charge. That being said, the D40 packs a lot into a small body, including the same 6 megapixel sensor as the D50, and continuous 2.5 frame per second shooting capability. Note that if you have old Nikon lenses, the D50 is fully backwards compatible, but the D40 may not work with them. Whichever you choose, make sure you save some money for at least one large memory card, a protective UV filter for your lens, and a sturdy camera bag. I would also recommend the SB-400 speedlight as your first accessory. It will give you much more professional results than the built-in flash.

Answer 3

D50 for both. The D50 came first as a kind of bridging camera between the professional and amateur markets.

The D40 was a later attempt from Nikon (and perhaps not it's best move) at creating an amateur camera that looked fancier. The body itself is basic, and you have very little room to grow with it. The D50 can be set to a fully automatic mode and used quite efficiently. As you feel more confident with it- learn another feature, play with the focus metering options, manipulate the priority settings etc.

The D40 is a waste of time and money- You may as well get the D50 so that you have an opertunity to grow as a photographer- wether it be as an amateur or proffessional.

Answer 4

The D40 is smaller and lighter but it doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it's a lot cheaper.

It only supports S and I lenses in autofocus mode as it doens't have a built in drive motor pin.

What this means is some lenses you have avaiable to you or get may have to be manually focused.

On the upside it has some features not found in the D50, like 3200 ISO.

As for picture taking the CCD and Kit lens are identical so you really won't notice any picture quality difference between the two.

They take an identical picture.

The D50 is patterened after the D70 while the D40 is patterened after the D80.

The D40 will take a 4 GB card the D50 won't.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/

Answer 5

D40 is much better, it is the new generation DSLR in the market and had many better functions than the D50.
D40 is very easy to use and a good CCD sensor too.now the have D40x which have 10 mega pix.
D50 is obsolete model.

Answer 6

D50 is really obsolete. D40 is very limited.

For a starter camera I would go with the Rebel XT, it's better than the D40 in every single way.

Here's a sampler of photos I've shot with the XT:

http://www.photo.net/photos/ifeito

Take care!

Ignacio

Answer 7

the d50 is a better camera imo...as it has a auto focusing motor. unlike the the d40/40x which main disadvantage is this point. however the d40 is a much lighter camera the fps are pretty much the same. there's nt much major difference between the two. for a beginner...i suggest u get the canon 400d instead. it is a much better camera than teh d50 or the d40 hands down. it has wat u need and it is relatively new in the market. it is a great camera for traveling...nt heavy to be a burden...and it produces stunning images too. it is easy to use too..and value for money.

why nt head down to ur nearest camera store and try out all the dslr that u are interested in. then settle for one tat u feel more comfortable with. check out review site like www.dpreview.com for more in-depth reviews on the cameras tat u are interested in.

do not tat it is ur skills tat count tat would deliever u professional lookin shots...ur eye on photography too..
it is nt basically solely on the kind of camera tat u use...

Answer 8

u know i really appriciated the two model. i think nikon d50 is the latest and it shows more feature than d40.

i would suggest, choose a cam that would fit to your budget.