Upgrade?

[judybee]

I have recently been thinking about upgrading my camera again - I have a Nikon D40. I think the logical upgrade would be to the D90 and these are selling for pretty good prices at the moment.

What would the D90 do that my D40 can't? Would appreciate your opinions.

[ving]

hmm... the D40 club is losing another member hey? :(

90 will focus non-afs auto focus lenses, has 4.5 extra MP to play with, has more focus points than you can poke a stick at (11 i think), a bigger and brighter viewfinder, an aperture wheel, etc...

if you can get it at a good price then get it. its leagues above the d40, tho the d40 has better noise control at low ISOs (according to tests). you wont necesarily take better photos with it (for example your mono dandelion will look much the same at the size you) but it will make life easier for sure. the benefits are very numerous.

[judybee]

hmm... the D40 club is losing another member hey? :(

90 will focus non-afs auto focus lenses, has 4.5 extra MP to play with, has more focus points than you can poke a stick at (11 i think), a bigger and brighter viewfinder, an aperture wheel, etc...

if you can get it at a good price then get it. its leagues above the d40, tho the d40 has better noise control at low ISOs (according to tests). you wont necesarily take better photos with it but it will make life easier for sure. the benefits are very numerous.


Hi David,
Thanks for your advice. Not sure if I am going to go ahead with an upgrade, part of the reason I am so unsure is because I just LOVE my D40. Just thinking at the moment.
I am under no illusion that I would take better photos with a D90 over a D40 though. I think the Live View would be nice - sometimes it's hard to see through the viewfinder. :confused013

[Wobbles]

Hi Judybee,
have a look here to do a side by side comparisson of the specs of the two cameras http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp they also have detailed reviews and forums for both. I shoot Canon, but from a brief look the D90 is a much better (spec) camera. However I see you still have the 'kit lenses' and you may want to consider spending money on better 'glass' first before upgrading the body...

Cheers
John

[Darey]

Judy,
I recently bought a D90 myself and I have found it to be a good upgrade on the D80 so I expect it would be a very good upgrade for the D40.

The following link gives a good summary comparison for most cameras. This page compares the D300s to the D90 and the D40:

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/Image-Quality-Database/Compare-cameras/%28appareil1%29/336|0/%28appareil2%29/294|0/%28appareil3%29/229|0/%28onglet%29/0/%28brand%29/Nikon/%28brand2%29/Nikon/%28brand3%29/Nikon#116

The D90 will give you AF capability for all Nikon AF lens types, higher ISO with a lot less noise for low light shots, automatic exposure bracketing, a much improved view finder and live view, a slightly improved dynamic range (12ev vs 11ev on the D40) and if you want it a very good HD movie mode. Also the D90 shoots 4.5 frames per second as compared to 3 for the D40.

You will find the D90 is slightly larger than the D40 but the ergonomics are still very good.

All I can add is that I would highly recommend the D90.

You can have a try of my D90 on the Sydney Vivid outing if you like. I still have the D80 so I can use it.

[Kym]

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_d40%2Cnikon_d90%2Cnikon_d300s&show=all

(Fixed link)

[judybee]

Hi Judybee,
have a look here to do a side by side comparisson of the specs of the two cameras http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp they also have detailed reviews and forums for both. I shoot Canon, but from a brief look the D90 is a much better (spec) camera. However I see you still have the 'kit lenses' and you may want to consider spending money on better 'glass' first before upgrading the body...

Cheers
John

Thanks John for the tip about a good lens. I will definately look into that.

[judybee]

Judy,
I recently bought a D90 myself and I have found it to be a good upgrade on the D80 so I expect it would be a very good upgrade for the D40.

The following link gives a good summary comparison for most cameras. This page compares the D300s to the D90 and the D40:

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/Image-Quality-Database/Compare-cameras/%28appareil1%29/336|0/%28appareil2%29/294|0/%28appareil3%29/229|0/%28onglet%29/0/%28brand%29/Nikon/%28brand2%29/Nikon/%28brand3%29/Nikon#116

The D90 will give you AF capability for all Nikon AF lens types, higher ISO with a lot less noise for low light shots, automatic exposure bracketing, a much improved view finder and live view, a slightly improved dynamic range (12ev vs 11ev on the D40) and if you want it a very good HD movie mode. Also the D90 shoots 4.5 frames per second as compared to 3 for the D40.

You will find the D90 is slightly larger than the D40 but the ergonomics are still very good.

All I can add is that I would highly recommend the D90.

You can have a try of my D90 on the Sydney Vivid outing if you like. I still have the D80 so I can use it.

Thanks for the advice. See you on Sunday.

[DJT]

ving summed it up pretty well. looking through your posts you are getting very good results from the lens line up that you currently have so I wont suggest lens before camera in your case.
But if you find any spare coin check out a 35mm or maybe add a flash to your wishlist as you will be able to fire this remotely with your D90 also very useful for your macro pics

[judybee]

ving summed it up pretty well. looking through your posts you are getting very good results from the lens line up that you currently have so I wont suggest lens before camera in your case.
But if you find any spare coin check out a 35mm or maybe add a flash to your wishlist as you will be able to fire this remotely with your D90 also very useful for your macro pics

Thanks for that, I actually do have a flash on my WISHLIST ... :lol:
A prime sounds good.
Other than that, I am not really sure what a good Nikon zoom lens would be for my D40 or if I upgrade, for a D90.
Thanks for the advice.

[ving]

judy, the 35mm f1.8 af-s is a great little lens and its dirt cheap. it would make a good and cheap addition :)

[mcdesign]

Hi David,
Thanks for your advice. Not sure if I am going to go ahead with an upgrade, part of the reason I am so unsure is because I just LOVE my D40. Just thinking at the moment.
I am under no illusion that I would take better photos with a D90 over a D40 though. I think the Live View would be nice - sometimes it's hard to see through the viewfinder. :confused013

It is even harder through liveview during the daytime unless it is fairly dull, liveview also uses up a lot of battery so you need two on a shoot. I do love my D90 though and don't regret upgrading from the D70s, the viewfindier is much improved too. Liveview is great for macro work.

[judybee]

It is even harder through liveview during the daytime unless it is fairly dull, liveview also uses up a lot of battery so you need two on a shoot. I do love my D90 though and don't regret upgrading from the D70s, the viewfindier is much improved too. Liveview is great for macro work.

Thank you for that, I hadn't thought of that at all. Good to keep in mind.

[DJT]

maybe next time you are out shopping you should pop into a camera shop & have a look at one to see if the live view is someting that is going to really be of any benefit. And make sure you take it outside too so you can see if or not see if it will work for you. Perhaps the brighter viewfinder will be enough :confused013. Oh and leave the credit card at home or you'll be going home with a nice shiny D90 :lol:


I am not really sure what a good Nikon zoom lens would be for my D40 or if I upgrade, for a D90

Well not all lenses will work (autofocus) on the D40 so go the D90 & then you can look at almost any lens