Thinking about the D40

[NirvanaFan]

I think it's about time to get a new camera. I am looking to replace my old (~6 years) Sony Mavica CD1000. It still takes good still shots from a distance, but macro shots are just not that good. Anything that is moving looks like a blur. I would still definitely consider myself a novice. I'm looking to take good macro shots and good shots of moving objects as well. My new job will have me traveling around the US 5 or 6 times a year, so I would like a good camera to use when I do sight seeing things. I'll be going to Vegas, Atlanta, Washington DC, to name a few.

I'm sure you know of the "kits" on eBay. I was looking at getting a D40 with the Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G Lens and 55-200mm f/4-5.6G Lens. It comes with memory cards, charger, flash, batteries, tripod, etc.

First, do you think this a good deal that will satisfy my needs?
Second, are the prices of the kits on eBay a good deal?

I'm sure I'll have more follow up questions, but that's it for now. Thanks

 

[Jacob D]

It sounds like your needs include macro shots, so you'll need a macro lens. 'Moving objects' can be just about anything; to find a suitable lens you should define your need better - indoor sports? outdoor sports? people on the street? kids in the house? birds in flight?

The kits are packaged so you can hit the ground running but none of the accessories will be outstanding and some (such as the tripod) will likely be junk. Building your own kit will be more expensive but you can purchase quality gear that will work with you instead of against you. Of course that means that you need to know what you want/need. So if you're the researching type, do some homework then buy gear that suits *your* needs, otherwise buy a kit and you'll have ok stuff for the average joe.


My advice re. eBay would be stay away unless buying used, in which case you really need to know what to look for. B&H Photo, Adorama, and Amazon are all good online vendors.

 

[swjim]

I agree with Mothra, the only thing I would add is that if you are thinking about going with a lesser known online vendor be sure to check them out on www.resellerratings.com first. There are a lot of shady camera outfits online.

 

[luisgo]

I purchased a Nikon D40x with the kit lens 18-55mm at ebay on December 2007. It was brand new and the price was $540 + $40 shipping. The vendor was a power seller with over 50,000 items sold and 99% positive feedback. Quantity of items sold and feedback is very important at ebay.

Later I purchased an almost new Nikon 55-200 zoom for $117.

The kit with two lenses was available at Costco for $850. There was a saving of $150.

Later I sold the 18-55 kit lens at ebay for $70 and purchased a used better quality Nikkor 18-70 for $160. I can say that the improvement in sharpness with this new lens is evident.

I was looking for a macro lens but the price of the AF-S 105 was to high. I discovered that for coral photos there was no need for auto focus and purchased a Nikkor AI-S 105 macro. It is a film lens but fits on the D40. The only thing is that there is no metering or auto focus. After some trial & error you can find the correct exposure. The AI-S cost me $168 and the results are amazing.

My bag, a new disk card, extension tubes, filters, etc were purchased at ebay without any problem. I have over 3000 ebay transactions with only three losses.

Check my web page for photos of my tanks with the Nikon D40x and these lenses. Check the macros!! click on the images for the photos.

http://www.prtc.net/~luisgon/luisgoreefcam.htm

 

[nickb]

The 18-55 and 55-200 lenses comes in two versions: VR and non-VR (VR = vibration reduction). According to reviews, the VR versions are better quality than the non-VR versions (especially for the 55-200). VR helps produce stable images when shooting in darker areas, at slower shutter speeds or long zoom focal lengths. You won't need VR for tripod supported photos though.

B&H is selling a D40 kit with both of these lenses (non-VR version) for $630; with only the 18-55 lens, it is $450. The D60 kit with the VR version of both lens is $850. I thought that the D40X had been discontinued although I'm sure that second-hand versions are still available.