Nikon D40 or Canaon XT?? or XTi??

Question

I'm going to purchase either and still not sure. For some reason I like Nikon but Canon's a contender.. I'm looking for a camera for artistic purposes (I'm a retoucher by profession) and want something just with a solid feel. Plus manual controls that will give me a traditional photography feel. Is the D40 (6 megapixel) a contender? Lenses are the major investment so I assume I'll upgrade the camera later on. Any suggestions? Will the D40 suit my needs for a while? The extra couple hundred bucks for either (10 megapixel) just doesn't seem like it's worth the cost.

Answer 1

Well, if you want a solid feel, you'll have to pick up these cameras and see what you think. The D40 is probably about the same as the Rebels, but any other Nikon is quite a bit more solid-feeling to me. If you think you might ever upgrade your body in the future, I think you will like the Nikon line. Of course, once you get up over $1,000-1,200, they all feel pretty good.

If you are including the XTi in the mix, then there is no contest and this is the camera you should buy. If this exceeds your comfort zone on the budget, you will be comparing the XT and the D40. I think I'd actually give the edge to the XT, even though it doesn't have a spot meter. The 8 MP is probably the tie breaker for me here, plus the fact that you can use more lenses on the Canon. As a retoucher, I think you might end up looking for top quality glass for your camera and the D40 is going to be somewhat limited compared to the Canon.

If you were to expand your horizons a little bit, I'd choose a Nikon D50 over the Rebel XT and I'd choose a Nikon D80 over the Rebel XTi. The D50 may be hard to find, though, and the D80 will probably put you over budget. I would not consider the D40X, by the way. It has too few improvements to make it worth the additional money.

Read the answers above me very carefully and follow their advice. If the D40 is the only Nikon you are considering, you should look at the Canon's and those guys know the Canon line from experience. I'm a Nikon man.

Answer 2

Well the D40 is a very nice camera. Nikon has a pretty good variety of quality lenses, and one to fit basically every kind of photographic style. I tend to lean towards Canon though mostly because I like the way the cameras feel a little bit more so than the Nikon. However, the Rebel XTi is a superior camera to the D40 for several reasons. One, you touched on is the higher megapixels. Even though it probably doesnt matter all that much, and you will probably never use all 10 offered by the XTi, it is better to have more than you need than not enough so 6 megapixels MIGHT limit you in some situations. Also the XTi has a faster shutter speed, so it shoots photos at 3 frames per seconds, as opposed to 2.5 on the D40. It may not sound like a lot, but if you put the two together on burst shot and compare it, it is an appreiciable difference. So the XTi is better for sport/action photos. Another benefit to the XTi is that it has a 9 point auto-focus (D40 only 3), so the pictures will have better depth and a cleaner focus overall. Finally, the XTi has the dust deletion feature which means that every time you turn the camera off the sensor shakes back and forth quickly to knock off any dust that might build up over time. As a result, it may or may not save you money in the long run, because most people end up having to send their cameras in for service to get the sensors cleaned after a while and this feature will at least delay that problem, if not almost eliminate it during the life of the camera. So in my personal opinion, the XTi is the superior camera, both in its design and its hardware. But the D40 is still a great camera and if the extra features are not worth the extra $150-200 just go with the D40.

Answer 3

As you say, Canon's a contender. But it's not the champ. I've used Nikon 35s exclusively for nearly 20 years, and have found them to be the biggest bang for the buck. A Nikon is still a Nikon. Everything else is a wannabe. Now for the N40. That is brand new, so I don't know much about it. I've had two D70's (the first one couldn't swim when my canoe turned over and the second one went up in a car fire) and now have the D80. If you can afford it, get the best your money will let you get. I shoot my pictures in fine and large, so there is plenty to work with. With Nikon digital you have 24/7 (even Christmas and Super Bowl Sunday) technical support as well. I don't know about Canon. That's important if you are getting ready one night and have a problem th.at you need to solve by the next day. I have friend with the D50 and he likes it a great deal. The D40 is the next one down. If you are a retoucher you will want as much to work with as possible too. FWIW

Answer 4

The D40 is close to the D80 in concept and superior in some respects to the D50 and D70, the only thing it it doesn't have the motor pin so some lenses for the Nikon will only work with manual focus.

There is a considerable different between 6, 8 and 10 MP.

I find 8 to be equal to or supieor to film. Thus 6 is probably like 200 speed film. 10 is like better than 100 speed film.

The big thing is the Nikon V Canon imaging phiosophy.

Canon builds in sharpness with edge hardening, which also tends to mottle solid colors.

Nikon builds in smoothing, with edge dithering or anti-aliasing, which smooths out the colors but makes things like writing less distinct.

It's hard to say if Nikon leaves the picture as is or if it's similar to taking a NORMAL picture putting it into Photo Shop and then giving it

SHARPEN 50% for the Canon philosophy or
SMOOTH 50% fo the Nikon philosophy

Answer 5

Well. I have a Nikon. So, I would have to advise you to also buy a Nikon.
D-40 is an excellent camera, but, if you're not a Nikon user, buy a Canon.
Canon cameras are as good as Nikon, but cheaper in each category. Autofocus is faster on the Canon.
The problem are the EF lenses. Some cameras like the new 5D don't accept atual EF lenses.

The resume is:
If you have a limited budget, buy the new D40, but I must alert you that will be more expensive when you decide to buy a most advanced/professional Nikon model than would be a similar Canon model.

Answer 6

Well, it really depends. Nikon has the D40X which is 10MP. But I think its not worth it. D40 has 3 focus points vs 9 on the XTi. Also the D40 DOES NOT work with older Nikon lenses that DO NOT have a motor in it. So if you get a lens that does not have the autofocus motor in it you will not have autofocus. I wont consider the XT just because its old and out dated. Ill just compare the XTi to the D80 which is the better comparsion than the D40 vs the XTi

My choice is the Xti (400D). Its cheaper the the D80 and it takes about the same quality picutres as the D80. The D80 does have more professional features on it such as the spot meter, but most of the features on the D80 I didnt need like trimming, red eye reduction, small picture, etc. The D80 is a great camera but for the price, I could get the 30D, but I do a lot of sport shots so the 30D isnt the most appealing camera if you dont need the fast FPS. The Canon cameras do take better JPEG files, which are great if you do not want ot do any post production after wards. But at the RAW level, both the D80 and the XTi are evenly matched, from there it depends on your skills and the type of lenses you get. For Canon get their red ringed lenses, I tried one and I couldnt go without one, any Canon with a red ring should have xx-xx mm f/x L <--- the L stands for Luxury which is Canons pro line. For Nikon their gold rings are the best ones they have (I do not know the name for their pro lenses). The D80 has the same imagine quality as Canon, why pay $300-400 more when you can get it for $700 with the XTi? Unless you already have glass invest in Nikon.

The reasons why I didnt choice the D80 over the XTi for myself.
1) Nikon does not have as fast auto focus as Canon lenses do. I needed all the help I can get since I do a lot of indoor sport shots.
2) More IS lenses, although I only have one it helps alittle bit in low light situations, other wise I just leave it off to conserve energy.
3) Full frame sensors at the end of their line (Mk-II's and the 5D)

Nikon vs Canon, this agrument can go on forever with flame wars. Nikon has better optics in my opinion (my dad owns a film Nikon) and Canon seems to have better in camera firmware than Nikon ( I own the XTi so I am a little biased to my camera).

The D80 if your going with Nikon, all lenses work for it and it will blow your mind with the imagine quality.

Just remember 80% of chocing a SLR is based on personal opinion (rough est.). If you have used a Canon use a Canon, if you have used a Nikon use a Nikon. Go to a local camera store and try one out yourself and see which one you like.

Answer 7

D40 all the way. I find Nikon's entry level cameras far superior to anything from the rebel line.

Answer 8

possibly. it rather is going to paintings provided that the lens has a Nikon mount. Sigma makes lenses for various cameras and the mounts are not an identical with each and each variety. in basic terms verify each and each lens you purchase has a Nikon mount. Then there is the undertaking of autofocus. Your digital camera does not have an autofocus motor. in case you may not stay devoid of it, be certain you purchase lenses with a equipped-in autofocus motor. With older Nikon-mount lenses that are completely handbook, you will be compelled to apply it in basic terms in handbook mode including your digital camera. often even the lightmeter will on no account be there that could be useful you.

Answer 9

Go for D40 or D40x for 10 mega pix.
Nikon is famous for the good quality lens and its cheaper compare with canon. You won regert it