D80 over D40x?

[LikesBikes]

How much do you really get for the extra money with a D80?

I'm a keen(ish) amateur photographer and I seem to have settled on the idea of a Nikon for no particular reason and had my heart set on a D80. However there seems to be some very good deals on D40x twin lens kits at the moment. I've been away from photography for a while due to time/cash restrictions but am pretty familiar with using 35mm SLR's and feel its time to go digital.

What I really want to know is, is the D80 loaded with enticing features that I'll never use or would the higher price tag be money well spent?

Any help, suggestions or opinions greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Darren.

[flat-planedCrank]

I'd guess the major difference is that the d40x doesn't have a focusing pin, thereby restricting the lenses that are available for use.

From http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40x/ -

"Auto Focus only for AF-S or AF-I lenses

As with the D40 the D40X doesn't have an built-in focus drive motor which means it can auto focus only with lenses which have their own drive motor (AF-S and AF-I lenses). The lack of a drive motor can be seen by the missing mechanical focus drive pin on the lens mount"


Also check their D80 review -
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/


If you haven't had the chance to take a look at them in a shop then i would urge you to do so. You may find that handing the camera's makes your mind up for you

Edited by flat-planedCrank on Wednesday 8th August 03:48

[LikesBikes]

Ah thank you. I did hear something about the choice of lenses, however I thought the range of compatible lenses for the '40 would continue to grow. In the meantime I felt that as the twin lens kits covered a focal length of 28-200mm that they would be more than adequate to start with.

I have only handled the D80 so far as the D40x was out of stock the other day and have to admit it sat in my hand very nicely. In fact I was tempted to buy it there and thenbut common sense suggested I try the D40 first.

[flat-planedCrank]

LikesBikes said:

Ah thank you. I did hear something about the choice of lenses, however I thought the range of compatible lenses for the '40 would continue to grow. In the meantime I felt that as the twin lens kits covered a focal length of 28-200mm that they would be more than adequate to start with.

I have only handled the D80 so far as the D40x was out of stock the other day and have to admit it sat in my hand very nicely. In fact I was tempted to buy it there and thenbut common sense suggested I try the D40 first.

That common sense is annoying isn't it ?

The lenses for for the d40x range from 28-200mm ? So with the 1.5x crop factor thats equivalent to 42-300mm. Thats a fair bit of zoom but not very wide on the short end. Depends what you want from your camera of course

I'm on the Canon side, my 30D has a 1.6x crop factor. I find that 17mm (so thats approx 27mm) is generally wide enough. Though it doesn't seem that unusual to see people buying 10mm wide angles.

If you have SD cards then try going down to a camera shop and taking a few frames that you can analyze at home. Might give you a better feel for the range that the lenses will be giving you

Cheers.

[VxDuncan]

Basically the camera is cheap, but you will only be able to use recent Nikon AF-S lenes (which tend to be more expensive to start with due to the built in motor), and none of the Tamron/Sigma/Tokina etc offerings apart from the Sigma EX (pro grade) range with HSM. For me the extra spent on the body is worth it to save on lenses later on, but may not be the same for you.

For instance if you want a macro lens a year down the line your looking at Sigma EX or genuine Nikon AF-S micro lenses. £££££

[flat-planedCrank]

VxDuncan said:

.. For me the extra spent on the body is worth it to save on lenses later on...

I have to agree with this
Personally, i'd be miffed if i wanted one of those great well-respected Nikkor primes but it turned out i'd need to change my camera body

[GetCarter]

I'd just like to say that I use two Nikon bodies with the same lenses, one cheap, one expensive... and they are MILES apart in consistancy of quality of picture.

I guess you still get what you pay for.

Unfortunately, the more you want, the more you pay.

[beano500]

I noted the new line in AF-S only bodies. It's not a complete disaster, though. Radical thought but manual focus is a possibility. Sometimes it is a preference - macro anyone? I regularly use 3 MFs - in fact my 45mm AI-P is arguably the best lens I own.

[VxDuncan]

Yeah, good point and I do manually focus quite a bit do to my love of wide appertures and inability to use focus points quickly (LOL). THat said the D80 and probably the D40 / x can't use older Nikon lenses and still meter, which is a bit of a pain. I'd love an old Nikkor Micro AI-S but it's not worth the hastle of metering over the cost of a newer AF Macro lens.

[LikesBikes]

beano500 said:

I noted the new line in AF-S only bodies. It's not a complete disaster, though. Radical thought but manual focus is a possibility. Sometimes it is a preference - macro anyone? I regularly use 3 MFs - in fact my 45mm AI-P is arguably the best lens I own.

Can you not focus manually on both then?

[kojak]

Thought this thread was mine that had been reincarnated.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=407...

I went for the D80.

[beano500]

VxDuncan said:

...and still meter, which is a bit of a pain. I'd love an old Nikkor Micro AI-S but it's not worth the hastle of metering ...

Just one reason I bit the bullet and went D70==>D2x - see Steve's comment on differences from one end of the range to t'other...

[LikesBikes]

kojak said:

Thought this thread was mine that had been reincarnated.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=407...

I went for the D80.

Just read that thread, cheers for the link. After reading that and considering that it would seem that the lenses for the '40x are of a cheaper build and quality, I'm heading back towards the D80. Also Finally held a D40 yesterday and, as someone said in the other thread, it doesn't fit my big hands as well or as comfortably as the D80 - So that pretty much seals it!

Cheers for the comments and suggestions gents, now to find where the best deals are to be had. So if anyone knows any good online sites or anywhere...?


Thanks again, Darren.

Edited by LikesBikes on Friday 10th August 11:03

[beano500]

"Best" as in cheapest? Pixmania.com or any number of price comparison sites.

Best Nikon service: www.graysofwestminster.co.uk

[LikesBikes]

That'll do nicely, thank you

[flat-planedCrank]

beano500 said:

... or any number of price comparison sites.

...

I'd guess http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/ is probably the most famous.

Personally, i'd not just head for the cheapest place, but it'll let you see the cheapest well-know retailer.

Also gives you a bit of leverage if you know the absolute lowest price when your bargaining with your store of choice

[imperialism2024]

kojak said:

Thought this thread was mine that had been reincarnated.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=407...

I went for the D80.

Yes, it seems as though the "search" option apparently doesn't work in thhe P&V forum...

[LikesBikes]

Hi gang. Me again, sorry

On the verge of making my purchase (D80) so looking at the various options and starting to confuse myself.

Found 2 at a similar price - one is a D80 with a Nikon AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED lens, the other has an Tamron Autofocus 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR (iirc). Would the Nikon lens be better or is that not the case/not as simple as that.

I know I'm a pain in the arse but i really do appreciate the advice of those of you who are more in the know than I am.

Cheers in advance, Darren.

Edited by LikesBikes on Wednesday 22 August 04:29

Edited by LikesBikes on Wednesday 22 August 04:31

[oldskool]

LikesBikes said:

Found 2 at a similar price - one is a D80 with a Nikon AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED lens, the other has an Tamron Autofocus 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR (iirc). Would the Nikon lens be better or is that not the case/not as simple as that.

The Nikon 18-200 has optical image stabilisation built into the lens (the "VR" bit) whereas the Tamron does not. And the Nikon will let more light in at the telephoto end than the Tamron. If they are both the same price, its a no brainer - go for the Nikon.

[beano500]

I always think this way: photograph is made by light so I want good optics. That leads me to Nikon glass (they know a thing or two)... Now! What camera goes with that?