Should i buy a canon s5 is or nikon d40?

Question

I need help choosing a new camera!!! These are the only cameras i can afford and i dont know which one to pick. The main thing i am concerned about is the image quality, the nikon takes good pictures but im just a bit worried about the 6mp. Canon has 8mp but im not too sure if i should choose it over this.

Answer 1

You're not just choosing between two different cameras here; you're choosing between two camera systems. The S5 produces great images, is easy to use, and has most of the features you'll find on a pro camera. But powerful as it is, it is still a point and shoot, which means a small sensor. It's like a dead-end camera -- you can only get so much quality out of it.

The D40 is a DSLR, which means you can change lenses, fully control the exposure, and play around with your images more. It also has a much bigger sensor, and that's what really matters when it comes to quality. If you blow up images from the 6-megapixel D40 and the 8-megapixel S5, the 6-MP image would come out cleaner because the pixels are not as packed.

That said, it takes skill to get your money's worth from any DSLR. If you're seriously into photography and are willing to invest in lenses, then the D40 would be a better purchase. If you just want good pictures and can't be bothered with the technicalities, then go for the S5.

Answer 2

I have a D40 and I love it.its the best camera I've had,and I had a buget and for $600 I got an amazing camera.the photos come out way better then I except everytime I take a picture.I've had a few people tell me "you should have gotten a canon" but I don't care,I love my camera and everything about it.I had a canon once and hated everything about it,I'd make it take a picture but it wouldn't,and it wouldn't say why,but when I can't take a picture with my nikon it says it needs more light,and if I don't want more light I just change the settings or the mode.overall,I love my nikon and when I get more money,I'd like to get the nikon d300.

Answer 3

You are worrying about the wrong things ... the size of the sensor is much more important than the number of pixels.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.h...

The S5 sensor is over 15 times smaller than the D40's.

You can buy up to 29 different Nikon lenses for the D40 (many more if you buy used AF-S or AF-I lenses made over the past 20 years); with the S5 you have only the lens that comes with the camera.