What are the differences between the Nikon D40 and D70?

Question

Also, if I buy one used and it has no software disc will my current photo program work to download the photos?

Answer 1

First of all, the owner of DSLR will have the software ... if they don't there is a high possibility that it is stolen.

The answer to your first question, is that the D40 has newer technology

Look on this link:

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

Answer 2

About 3 years ago, Nikon had the D70 as an advanced amteur camera and the D50 as a budget model.

The D70 was first given a minor upgrade as the D70s and later replaced by the current D80.

The D50 was further stripped down and sold as the current D40. Mainly, they gutted part of the auto-focus system.

The D40 with a 10 megapixel sensor was sold as the D40X, and the D40X was replaced by the current D60.

That's the development line. The D70 is a step above the D40 in terms of hardware features but the D40 has newer software. This gives each camera a different selling point.

If you're an advanced amateur, you'll like that the D70 has an extra LCD screen on the top of the camera to check your settings. And you'll really like that unlike the D40, the D70 can auto-focus with all of Nikon's AF lenses. You can use the D70 with prime lenses such as the 50mm f/1.8, old macro lenses, old tele-zoom lenses, etc. This opens up a vast selection of old and new lenses that you can work with. The D40 'only' works with about 30 different AF-S and AF-I lenses.

If you don't need those extras, the D40's simpler layout and newer software gives you a camera that's slightly easyer to use - it can even do simple in-camera image editing. The D40 also has a larger LCD screen on the back for reviewing pictures (2.5 vs 1.8 inches).

Here's a side-by-side of the specs with links to in-depth reviews (keep in mind that these reviews were written at the time each camera was released - the conclusions are a bit dated by now)

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_...

As for the software, you can download Nikon Viewer for free to transfer & view pictures and convert RAW images (if you want to shoot in RAW). If you shoot in jpg, you can use any image editor you want.

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Oh man, I never noticed that Fhotoace had already answered. That Ken Rockwell article could have saved me a lot of typing...

As for Fhotoace's comment about the CD, if the camera comes with a charger and usb cable, that's good enough for me. Who even cares about a 3 year old CD? Download the latest version from Nikon's website. (And personally I don't even use the included USB cable - I prefer card readers.)

One last thing to consider if you're comparing prices for a kit: the D70 came with an 18-70mm lens and the D40 came/ comes with an 18-55mm lens. The 18-70 is better.