Which Nikon DSLR model is the best?

Question

1. D40x
2. D50
3. D80
4. D75
5. D2x
6. D200?


and why?

p.s.

for a beginner..
and which one is user friendly?

Answer 1

The best on your list for a beginner is the D40X. Here's my stock answer for the D40 followed by an addendum about the D40X.

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Nikon D40

The Nikon D40 is a great little camera, very easy to use and quite reasonably priced. It has a few "consumer friendly" totally automatic modes that make it very easy to use - including a "Child Photo" mode - but still offers total photographic control when you are ready to take charge. It will get you in the Nikon family which is a great place to be. If you buy accessories and lenses, you will be able to use everything on any Nikon that you might upgrade to later on.

Check out Nikon's "Picturetown" promotion, where they handed out 200 D40's in Georgetown, SC. http://www.stunningnikon.com/picturetown/

Here are a few reviews, in case you have not read them yet. Be sure to note that they are several pages long and some of the reviews also have some sample images that you can look at.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_reviews/nikon_d40.html
http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3756/camera-test-nikon-d40.html
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/d40-recommendations.htm

I hate to see people slam the camera because it can't autofocus with older Nikon lenses. It is true that there is a "slight problem" with older Nikon lenses not autofocusing on the D40, but if you do not own a bag full of older lenses, it is not going to be a problem. It is barely a problem anyhow. If you check www.nikonusa.com for "AF-S" lenses, which are ALL 100% compatible with the D40, you will find 23 lenses, including 7 "VR" (vibration Reduction) lenses and one true macro lens with "VR". There are another 25-plus lenses in the current catalog that provide all functions except autofocus as well as many (possibly dozens) "out of print" lenses that will work just as well. In addition, although these lens will not autofocus, most of them will still give focus confirmation. From the D40 manual: "If the lens has a maximum aperture of f/5.6 of faster, the viewfinder focus indicator can be used to confirm whether the portion of the subject in the selected focus area is in focus. After positioning the subject in the active focus area, press the shutter release button halfway and rotate the lens focusing ring until the in-focus indicator is displayed." (See http://www.members.aol.com/swf08302/nikonafs.txt for a list of AF-S lenses or see http://www.nikonians.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=read_count&om=16715&forum=DCForumID201 for even more...)

The D40 only has 3 autofocus zones arranged horizontally at the center, 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions. This might be considered a limitation, but realistically, most people will find this perfectly adequate, especially if you are moving up from a point and shoot with only a center zone.

There is no "Status LCD" on top of the camera, but Nikon chose to use the rear LCD for this information. This is actually a nice move, as the display is bigger than the top display and you aren't using the read LCD for anything BEFORE you take the picture anyway. This is not a step backwards and it actually makes sense to me.

You can get the D40 with the 18-55 kit lens at B&H Photo available through Yahoo! Shopping or at 1-800-622-4987) for $525 (June 2007). Add a Lexar Platinum (60X speed) card for $25 or 2 GB for $35. Or - get the D40 with 18-135 lens and 1 GB Lexar card for $750. This is a decent lens and it is very versatile. You will find it suitable for pretty much anything you want to do, other than really long telephoto shots. It will let you explore the range of focal lengths to decide where to start filling in your lens collection. If you don't want to buy any more lenses, this one will carry you through pretty much everything. B&H also have used D40's with the lens from $475.

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Nikon D40 vs. D40X

You can get a Nikon D40x, 10.2 Megapixel, SLR, Digital Camera Kit with Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens and Two SanDisk 2GB Ultra II Secure Digital (SD) Card from B&H Photo for less that $1,000 (July 2007), including shipping.

There are a few slight differences in these cameras that need to be considered. Rather than write it all out, I'll send you to a few sites.

See: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40x.htm

See: http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3896/camera-test-nikon-d40x.html for a glowing review.

See also:

http://www.popphoto.com/popularphotographyfeatures/4431/top-25-best-buys.html

http://www.bythom.com/d40review.htm

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_d40%2Cnikon_d40x&show=all

See also:
http://www.nikonians.org/dcforum/DCForumID201/17255.html

See the REVIEW here:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40x/

As far as the pixel issue, I say, if you have no other basis for making your decision, go for more pixels. If you always plan to compose your pictures perfectly, you don't need a whole lot of pixels. If you want to allow for cropping, which means enlarging only a portion of your image, the more pixels the better.

Imagine taking a scenic view and then noticing that the middle 20% of the photo would make an even better picture. Suppose you take a picture of a whole group of people and Aunt Clara really, really looks great in the picture, but everyone else looks lousy. If you have the pixels to work with, you can still make a decent print of Aunt Clara that she would be happy to have. If you buy an 8-to-10 MP camera and don't want to TAKE large photos, you can always set the camera to a lower file size. You can never go the other direction, though. Unless the cost is a major issue, buy the camera with more pixels. You will never be sorry that you did, but you might one day be sorry that you didn't.

I have a few photos on Flickr to include in a discussion on how many pixels are enough. Go to my page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/tags/pixels/ Some of the pictures are from a 4 MP or even 3 MP camera, showing you what you might expect without any cropping. I think they are quite acceptable. Some of the pictures are from a 10 MP camera (the swan and the pansies), showing the value of having those large images so that you can crop a smaller image out of the original picture and still end up with a satisfactory image.

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Answer 2

I would choose either the D50 or the D80 as a beginner DSLR.

I have the D50(2 years running strong) It is a 6.1MP camera with strong low light and high ISO noise reduction. It also has an in body focus screw(which the D40/D40x mdoels do not have and the big reason why I do not generally recommend them). Why is the focus screw in body important? The D40 models MUST have an AF-S type lens in order to auto focus. An AF-D or AF-G type lens will meter, but not autofocus. The D50 will work with the AF-S/AF-D/AF-G lenses, autofocus and metering.

The D80 is really an upgraded D50, with a higher MP sensor(10) and a few more bells and whistles.

Image quality on both are excellent when paired with good optics(please do yor research. Nothing is worse than getting a DSLR body, then being disappointed in it's performance because you got a cheap lens to go with it and the images look like crud).

The D200 I generally do not recommend for a beginner, not because it is not a good camera(it is an excellent camera), but because for the money, a beginner would be better served with a D50/D80. The extra features are not going to benefit the beginner, and will probably confuse them. I'd wait a while to get something of that caliber.

Now once you're ready to get serious/pro...then I wouls start looking at the D2x/D2Hs/D200.

The D200 at the bottom, then the D2Hs if you need a fast motor drive for sports or photojournalism, and the D2x, which is the flagship Nikon DSLR. This is the best that Nikon makea at the moment. More than likely, by the time you are ready to move to a camera like that, the D3 will be out, so look for it.

Also, just because a new model comes out...don't be afraid to look at getting a used copy of any of the above mentioned bodies. Even though the price points are getting to the point where some of these camera appear to be in the "disposble electronics" market, the cameras are anything but.

Good luck.

Answer 3

The D40x, D80, and D200 all share the same CCD sensor (10.2megapixels), the same 2.5" lcd screen, and will save files in the same formats.

You should get virtually the same quality images from any of these.

Go to a camera store and pick these up and use them in the store - see how the controls feel to use. Many of the dials and buttons are different on each model.

Pick which model feels the best to use - tempered by your budget.

The D200 uses CF cards while the D80 and D40x use SD.

I like my D200 better than the others. Just feels good to me and I love to hear it go "click".

Aside from these three, none of the others are worth considering in my opinion.

Answer 4

The only two real serious candidates in that list would be the D2Xs and the D200.

The D2Xs is Nikon's flagship pro dslr, comes with a price to match, and more features that anyone could want.

The D200 has 95% of that same feature list, is 250g lighter, and costs a lot less.

Answer 5

Since you mentioned that you are a beginner and I guess you do not have lots of money. So depending on how much you will do in photography consider getting the Nikon D40x 10.2mb, with this camera you will not have to up grade for a few years. Since I was also considering price your next choice would be the D80 a little bit more expensive.

Hope that helps,
Kevin

Answer 6

the D2x is the easy answer it costs the most and does more.


so for me I would get the D200, more bang for the buck, easier to handle (off tripod), most of the extra things the D2x does I would never use

EDIT: for a beginner? get the cheapest and replace it in a few years

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Answer 7

This lens can fit with your Nikon D40