2007-07-19 16:59:30 · 5 answers · asked by gbi;pghbkib 1 in Consumer Electronics ➔ Cameras
The Nikon is $525, with the 18-55 lens. The Canon is $500. These prices are from B&H Photo, available through Yahoo! shopping.
You didn't ask for a comparison of the cameras, so I won't go into this too much as you may already know, but the D40 is MUCH more camera. Yes, the S5-IS has a really long zoom and "IS," but the overall quality and feel of the D40 and its images is a notch above the S5-IS - in my opinion. You would be MUCH better off spending your money on the SLR that can grow with you in the future than getting a comparatively limited camera.
2007-07-19 17:23:06 · answer #1 · answered by Picture Taker 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
The D40 costs a little bit more than the S5 but there's a lot more to it, and in my opinion, when you get to that price range, the D40 is a bit of a bargain while the S5 is a bit too steep. The S5 is expensive because it's full of gadgets... tilt/swivel LCD, 12x zoom lens, video, etc... strip all that stuff away and you really have a typical compact camera with a super-tiny sensor, which will produce images of a quality that are nowhere near what the D40 would give you.
The D40 with the 18-55 lens has much less zoom (sort of, but that's another topic) vs. the S5... at max zoom with that lens, the S5 has about 5x-6x more zoom. The advantage to the D40 though (and this is where it proves to be much much more expensive ultimately than the S5) is that you can buy lenses that'll match the S5's range and beyond... but now we're talking an investment of thousands of dollars... but with image output that the S5 couldn't even hope to match.
Both cameras have good reputations (S5 is new but user reports are positive) so it boils down to what you want: an all-in-one camera for fun with a bunch of bells & whistles (S5) or a camera that's not too much more expensive at the outset, which has mostly traditional photographic functionality, but will cost you more $$ over time to build a system on (D40).
2007-07-19 20:28:45 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Dr. Sam has once again pretty much said it all.
The only contribution I would add is this. The Canon's a nice camera but the Nikon D40 is the beginning of a potential system. For $249 you can add a 55-200mm VR (vibration reduction) zoom lens and there's world of optics out there to suit any photo situation you may have now, or in the future. Personally, I would expect to grow in my abilities and interests and wouldn't want to be limited.
2007-07-19 19:50:19 · answer #3 · answered by George Y 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both the Nikon D40 and Canon S5 are selling around $ 500. Nevertheless, the Canon S5 is the better camera because of built-in image stabilization and of course, it takes outstanding stereo sound videos. Whereas, the D40 cannot take any videos, nada.
Good luck!
2007-07-19 18:31:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
The S5 would be cheaper, and that should inform you of what you will receive.
The d40 has a sensor about 20 times larger so your picture quality and color depth should be phenominally better. Plus the camera will perform so much better. Then, you can of course, exchange out specialty lenses to get the photo YOU want. you'll understand.
2007-07-19 22:27:21 · answer #5 · answered by Jim 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋