Canon rebel xt. or the nikon d40.?

Question

first off. which one is better, cheaper, and takes the best quality pictures.

give me pros and cons.

and it would be nice if you could send me websites that i could get them at their cheapest.

I am gettin the cam for my birthday and i can spend between 300 and like 500 dollars. HELP ME!

Answer 1

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm

I don't like canon I use there products every day in my profession and well have a jaded opinion about the company but when I shoot I am NIKON all the way.

Answer 2

Honestly, you can't go wrong with either camera. Both take pictures of amazing quality and will last you for quite a while. The D40 has a lower number of megapixels, but when it comes down to it, the difference between 6 and 8 megapixels is minimal.

I'd personally choose the XT, but that's because I have a canon system. I've enjoyed using the XT/350D, and there's no reason why it couldn't take professional quality images. The main reason why I like the XT is a bit unorthodox, but I was attracted to the fact that with a small mount converter off ebay, the canon can accept Nikon lenses as well (albeit without autofocus). This is great if you're interested in photography and want pro glass without the price tag, if you're willing to buy used and forgo the autofocus. If so, you can find great deals on used, manual focus lenses from a decade or two ago that are amazing quality for a great price. Unfortunately, the D40 cannot accept many of these older lenses, they need at least a system called AI (~1980) in the lens to facilitate light metering (deciding how much light is reaching the sensor). Also, the D40 must use Nikon's newer, special lenses with the AF-S designation to be able to autofocus. Honestly, this probably won't be too limiting if you buy only Nikon lenses, as most new lenses have this AF-S, but you may start running into problems if you look at third party lenses such as Sigma, Tamron and Tokina, as they may not support autofocus for the D40.

Where the D40 excels is in its simplicity of use, ergonomics, and viewfinder. I find the build quality to be generally higher with the D40 in almost every aspect. In my opinion, it also comes bundled with a higher-quality lens than the canon, and the lens is what will be the deciding factor in the quality of your pictures (aside from skill).

To sum it up, if you're looking for a camera for the long-haul and you plan to invest more in the future, my choice would be the XT as it accepts the older Nikon MF lenses (with a converter), and doesn't have the AF restrictions on its newer lenses. If you're looking for a camera with better build quality and a better lens out of the box, the D40 would be my choice.

It's generally accepted in photography communities that http://www.bhphotovideo.com and http://www.adorama.com are reliable stores with great prices. If you look online, you're bound to find web sites that offer these cameras for a fraction of the price as BH or Adorama -- these sites are virtually always a scam. If you're ever unsure about the reliability of a web site, www.resellerratings.com is a great site to check.

Here are two packages that I found that will give you the basics of what you'll need:

Rebel XT w/ lens and 1gb memory card

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/56...

Nikon D40 w/ lens and 2gb memory and bag

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/56...