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I am thinking of getting my husband and SLR for Christmas and wanted to get some recommendations. Consumer Reports recommends the Nikon D40. I would like to keep the price under $600.OO. Do you guys have suggestions?

naturegirl wrote:I am thinking of getting my husband and SLR for Christmas and wanted to get some recommendations. Consumer Reports recommends the Nikon D40. I would like to keep the price under $600.OO. Do you guys have suggestions?

I don't have the D40 I have the D50 and I love it. Do you belong to Costco? I was in there last night and saw they had the D40 and it was only a quick glance but I think the price was $849. Don't know what was in the kit though.

Hi MaryBeth,

I don't belong to Cosco but I guess I can get a membership. How do you like the D50? There are so many choices; it is difficult to make a decision. My husband has an old Canon AE 1 which he loves but I think it is time for an upgrade. We just got our St john pictures back from the developer and 2 rolls got stuck in the machine. They happen to be the only really clear pictures of Trunk Bay (most of the days were overcast and there was major Northern swells that week). Can't tell you how upset I was! Besides that we had over $250.OO of film being developed. We also got the CD's for free. In hindsight, we should have just paid for the cd's and chose the pictures we wanted to be printed out. We are definatly need to update.

My canon 200 had so little memory it didn't last long and the battery's would run down after 2hours in the water.

I love the d50 but I don't know the differences between the 2. try looking at cnet.com
lots of reviews there and i think you can look at features side by side.

I'm not sure but I don't think you are going to get either of these for under $600.

and FYI this is probably going to get moved to the off topic board so see you over there

It generally boils down to either Nikon or Canon. If you already have any Nikon-compatible lenses then go with Nikon; if you have Canon-compatible lenses then go with Canon. My husband and I are big Canon fans but both are good.

Where's the off-topic board

Anyone have any particular reasons of liking the Canon over the Nikon or visa-versa?

My husband and I are looking into SLR's right now as well. We prefer the Nikon to the Canon rebel because of the size of the display. The Canon has such a small screen, it's tough for me to tell if the shot is good or not. The Nikon D40 gets really high ratings for everyday use. I think there are better, more expensive cameras for those who are more professional or advanced, but the D40 is highly recommended for the casual user or amateur.

Also, we've found good deals at Ritz/Wolf Camera and on eBay (NEW cameras, not used). Personally, I think $849 is very expensive for the D40, unless you're getting some crazy lens. Wolf offered a package at $589 that included another lens, some editing software, instructional videos, etc. There is a Power Seller (a store) in FL on eBay who offers some competitive packages as well.

Good luck - SLRs are awesome.

A friend of mine who is a photographer 100% recommends the Nikon D40. I trust his judgement so I'd say you have a good choice there. I also know several folks who have purchased one and are very happy.

I, however, am a Canon girl.

I don't think there is a real "reason" for choosing Canon over Nikon or vice versa. I think whether you are a Canon user vs. a Nikon user typically boils down to what you started with.

That's what I'm afraid of Vicki, my husband is a canon lover. Which canon would equate to the Nikon D40. Also, does the canon have a date stamp?.

The Nikon D40 is a great DSLR and a great bargain. You can get the body + 18-55 lens on Amazon right now for $480. If you want to add a more powerful zoom, you can get the 55-200 lens w/ vibration reduction for only $100 more (lens usually costs around $225, but there is a $100 off deal). I just got the 2 lens package for $590 shipped.

If it is your husbands 1st DSLR, I highly recommend to D40. It's great for beginners as it has very intuitive menus and help features. Oh yea- it takes fantastic photos too!

Island Hopper, I think I will probably get the Nikon D40 but do you know the difference (besides price) of the D40X. Is it worth the extra $$$?

Oh, one more question, how is the D40 at taking night pictures, pictures of stars etc?

Yup I do. I just went through this...

The D40x is a 10 megapixel cam, where the D40 is only 6 mp. The D40x also has a little bit faster continuous shooting than the D40, but prob something you wouldn't notice.

Some swear by more megapixels, but unless you are making really really big prints, the experts say you will not notice the difference from 6mp to 10mp, and I agree. I don't think the D40x is worth the $200 more.

The Amazon deal I spoke of above is the best deal I could find. If you interested in getting both lenses, you have to "proceed to checkout" before it shows the $100 discount. If you just want the body + the one lens, check out beachcamera.com . I just checked and they have the D40 with 18-55 lens + free 2GB memory card for $478. I have ordered from them before and they are excellent.

naturegirl wrote:Oh, one more question, how is the D40 at taking night pictures, pictures of stars etc?

I haven't taken any night photos yet, but I would assume they will be quite good. You will prob need a tripod because to capture quality night photos, the shutter will have to remain open a little bit.

Comprehensive review of the D40 can be found here:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/

The Canon XTI will be the competition for the D40. The Canon has some additional features and 10 megapixels, but also costs more. The Canon is a fantastic camera too, but it felt a little small in my hands, so I went with the Nikon.