Is the Nikon D40 a good, professional camera to buy?

Question

I am moving up from a Canon Powershot A710 IS. I take all pictures in Manual mode.

I would like a camera that will last me a long time.

Will the least expensive package (im buying from Amazon) come with a good enough lens. I would like the lens to be able to take pretty good portraits, macros, action, etc. shots; although I will eventually buy dedicated lenses. Can it take macros and portraits with a blurred background (low f numbers)?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KJQ1DG/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=photo

Also, is it a good enough starting dslr? I take thousands of pictures with my canon powershot A710 IS, and i take them all on manual, setting the aperture, shutter speed, iso, etc. I want this dslr to last me a couple years at least.

Would it be worth it to buy this camera, or to save more for the Nikon D80?

Also, where might i buy a nikon lens designed for the d40 with f/1.8 for under $150?

Answer 1

First of all, do yourself a big favor and go to the Nikon website. There you will find all of the information you desire, straight from the manufacturer. The camera isn't considered a "professional" camera but is a good camera for a beginner. If you shoot a lot, consider the D80 or D200.

Again, for info on the lens beyond what is offered on Amazon, go to the manufacturer's website.

The 50mm f1.8 lens is a good lens but on a digital camera translates to the equivalent of a 75mm lens (a short telephoto) on a 35mm camera. For the equivalent of a "normal" fixed lens you would need a 35mm lens. The standard lens is an f2.8 - you will pay a premium for an f2.

Answer 2

Good, yes... professional, no. It is a good place to start. If you are interested in getting one of those two cameras, I suggest you actually go to the camera store and try them both out. See which one you're more comfortable with. For macro shots, it would be best to get a macro lens... but both are capable of taking macro and portraits with blurred backgrounds. The 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens is available on Amazon for $114.90.

Answer 3

Hmm. If you want to play with depth of field, you need a lens that has a large aperture. As suggested, the 50 mm f 1.8 (under a hundred) is a good one. The kit lens that it comes with is good for general photography, but its aperture is not large enough at the high end.

You need to know about crop factor. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_factor

The 50 mm lens will work as if it were 75 mm, a short telephoto, which is great for portrait. And at f 1.8, you can get really good background blur. Here is an example (keep in mind my camera is a full frame dSLR).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/little_pook...

left is at f 1.8, right is at f 5.6

Invest in the lenses. They will out last your camera. Remember that D40 only focuses the lenses that has motor built into it. Those lenses are called AF-S by Nikon. Others will have to be manually focused.

I have uploaded some photos at http://www.flickr.com/little_pooky  Each one is marked with the lens used and usually the setting, too. This one really shows the blurred background http://www.flickr.com/photos/little_pook...  (click on ALL SIZES to see a larger version).

Answer 4

The Nikon D40 is a good choice.  You would want to get an 18-200 VR lens for it, instead. This lens will cover all the lenses you are thinking of. It has fairly good macro. 3.5 will give you enough blurry background for your portrait - you can even let the camera compute it for you on their portrait mode. Professional or semi-professional camera - if you can get work using that camera then you can consider it a professional camera. It's a matter of how good are your works are - and you can get good works with that camera. I have used less inferior camera than that and still came out with professional work. Get the SB400 unless you are planning to do a lot of shooting at a time and need the power.  The SB400 is fine and it's not as bulky.  You'll need this for the extra wide angle of the 18-200 lens if you want less shadows.

The f 1.8 Nikkor d lens is pretty good lens, and it's only about $115 on Amazon which, you might want as a spare, just in case. Here's a site for it.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-50mm-Nikkor-...

Skip the Nikon D80, in a couple of years the better one will be a little bit more affordable... maybe one with 20-25 MP.

Here's a site for a review and opinion of the D40:

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