What to do getting my first DSLR

[CDubz]

First post in the Photo/Video Talk thread, but I figure I pretty much trust everyone on here about all my other gear needs might as well throw my camera questions to the collective as well.

So heres the deal I have been doing reading on getting a DSLR for awhile. I have some basic knowledge of film SLR's and photography and took some photography in school so some photography language makes sense to me but when it gets to digital SLR specific stuff I'm pretty much an idiot.

My last, and I guess current, SLR is a Nikon N65 with a few Tamron lenses. The 28-80mm is not great but worked while I was in college and my 75-300mm while not the most expensive telephoto took some decent images.

So initially I was thinking I'd get a cheap Nikon body so I could use my old lenses, then as I read more the entry level Nikons only supported AF-S and AF-I mine not being Nikon branded are only AF. While not a complete waste these lenses would be pretty much useless trying to shoot skiing or any other action sports without auto focusing.

So then I thought about the Nikon D80 body since it has an internal Auto Focus and could use my old lenses, but for the price of the body alone I can get the D40 with two lenses and still have money left over for an external flash (and from what I read the lenses with the D40 would pretty much dominate the ones I have now anyway). I read Ken Rockwells stuff and then was swayed to get the D40 again. At this point my head is spinning. I don't need the latest and greatest, I need a functional camera I can take with me that takes crisp skiing, biking, and vacation photos and allows me some more advanced user control than a standard point and shoot.

I'm leaning toward selling off my current stuff and picking up a D40 with the two none VR lens kit. What does the collective think? Sell old stuff? Buy a nicer body keep old lenses? Something different entirely? Frick this stuff gets confusing. And on a side note why won't Nikon list model numbers numerically, D40 is newer than the D50, but the D60 is newer than the D40; like there wasn't enough to be confused about, WTF??!! Is image quality going to be better with the D40 and new lenses or D80 and old lenses? What makes the most sense in the years to come? Are there features on the D80 I'll miss on the D40?

And for those who are going to say sack up and buy the D90, I wish I could that camera looks fantastic but budget limitations simply won't allow for that. Help, Jonging and the like are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[eCr412]

I don't know much about cameras, as i just recently got into Photography, but I'd try and buy used. If you decide on a D40, they've been out for awhile so you could probably find a good deal on one.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

I would not buy the D40 or any of the other Nikon bodies that don't have the internal focusing screw drive. Reason being is that there is some very nice older Nikon glass out there that can be found used for cheap that will work fine with any of the newer Nikons that do have the screw drive. For example, I bought a 50 mm f1.8 off Ebay for $50, a 24-120 (older, non VR version) for $180 at a camera shop, and an 18-35 brand new on clearance for $400. None of those are AF-S lenses so the autofocus wouldn't work with a D40 or D60. On the other hand, any Nikon lens, including the new AF-S lenses and the old manual stuff will work on a D80.

Think of a camera like buying skis. You can buy cheaper, skinnier skis, and they'll get the job done in many situations, but once you get really good at skiing and want to challenge yourself in deep pow and/or steep terrain, you're going to want those higher priced fatties. Makes sense to just buy the good stuff up front so you're not paying for it twice.

I got my D200 in like-new condition with less than 5000 shutter actuations off Ebay for $800 a little over a year ago and it even came with three batteries.

A quick search on Ebay reveals D80s with buy-it-now prices of $600. That's not much more than a brand-new D40 and you can use your current glass. Since the D80 has been discontinued in favor of the D90, shop around, I bet you can find a screaming deal on one if you're patient.

[Trainwreck]

Do you mean D40x? Definitely keep your old glass, and I would keep an eye out here and on your local craigslist for used bodies.

Edit: An 18-200 VR lens just went for $450 on Fred Miranda.

[CDubz]

[QUOTE=Chainsaw_Willie;2350435]
Think of a camera like buying skis. You can buy cheaper, skinnier skis, and they'll get the job done in many situations, but once you get really good at skiing and want to challenge yourself in deep pow and/or steep terrain, you're going to want those higher priced fatties. Makes sense to just buy the good stuff up front so you're not paying for it twice.
[QUOTE]

Thanks all for your input. ^^^This makes sense to me but in my own head I'm still stuggling a bit with it. I have found a D40 for 400 bucks with 2 of the none VR lenses. The best I can find the D80 for is about 600 body only. For 200 less I can get a body and upgrade my lenses. Wouldn't the D40 with better glass take better pictures than the D80 with my current glass? Plus now I have two better lenses and can upgrade the body later down the road since good lenses last for ever but bodys change from one month to the next. Am I crazy?

But frick I look at Willie's quote above and think about it like that and I can't seem to buy skis fat enough. These are the kind of decision that make me crazy

[Trainwreck]

Don't do what I did. I started with a "budget" then exceeded it by a factor of 10.

I have a nice camera though

[smmokan]

Hey Ian, what's your current setup look like?

And yeah, I second his statement- don't start with any kind of budget. It'll be about as useful as a home reno budget.

[Trainwreck]

D300 and 18-200 VR, 50mm 1.8
D100 (modified) and 28mm 3.5, EL-Nikkor 105mm 5.6 (for IR and UV)

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Well, $400 *is* a good deal with two lenses but you're assuming those lenses are better than the ones you have. I really don't know because a) I don't know much about the particular Tokina lenses you have and b) you didn't say what lenses come with that D40. I have a Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 in a Pentax mount and it's a great little lens, easily as good as Nikon lenses in the same price range (not f2.8 Nikon glass). And, of course you're right that you can always upgrade the body later but my personal take on it is that it's still better to buy the best body you can afford and then hunt around for good deals on used glass. Cheap and good used glass isn't all that hard to find, and isn't that hard to evaluate when you do find it.

[kinosoo]

you can find new d200 bods for 600$ a lot better in my opinion then the d80.. if you go that way.

[JimmyCarter]

All your old nikon lenses will work with the D40, just no autofocus/metering (yeah, minor detail ).

I believe the D40x = D60 now, but still no screw drive.
The d40 package is a good price, but those lenses are probably garbage too (or at least something you'd want to upgrade out of in the future). If the D40 is an ebay package deal with two non-Nikon lenses I'd say avoid it.

Also, the D80/etc seems to be holding value on the used market, so if you buy it (used) and decide you don't like it, you can probably resell it for close to what you paid.

[CDubz]

^^^nah not an ebay packege the lenses are the ones it comes packaged with
1. Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Nikkor Lens
2. Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED AF-S DX Nikkor

also included are
UV filter
Circular Polarizer
Two batteries, wall charger, car adapter, euro plug adapter
and a 2 and 4 gig sdhc card

also I maybe able to get him to toss in the sb-400 for 50

just seems like its everything I would need to get back into SLRs for a great price.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Just another thought - DX lenses only work good on crop-sensor cameras. If you ever want to upgrade to an FX sensor you'll need to replace/sell any DX lenses you have. On the other hand, non-DX lenses work just fine on either type of camera. Only DX lens I have is the 55-200 VR and that's because it was nice and cheap and is really lightweight yet takes pretty good pictures. I won't buy another DX lens because I plan to go FX next year (D700).

[Trainwreck]

^^^nah not an ebay packege the lenses are the ones it comes packaged with
1. Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Nikkor Lens
2. Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED AF-S DX Nikkor

also included are
UV filter
Circular Polarizer
Two batteries, wall charger, car adapter, euro plug adapter
and a 2 and 4 gig sdhc card

also I maybe able to get him to toss in the sb-400 for 50

just seems like its everything I would need to get back into SLRs for a great price.

Thats a good deal. You have a good range with those lenses and can always upgrade the body later if you get really in to it.

[CDubz]

thanks everyone for your help, after exhaustive reading and going to some photo shops and taking in all the advice from here I'm just going to keep my eye open for the best deal I can find. While a D80 would be nice a D40 will be fine, so I need to start hunting. With that said anyone have any insight to as how many shutter activations should affect the value of a camera. Is 15K-20K an acceptable range? Is there a lifespan of how many a camera can do? Thanks.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

Yeah, they have a lifespan. I *think* Nikon rates their consumer grade bodies at 150,000 actuations and their pro-level bodies like the D3 for 300,000. Don't quote me on that, though.

[CDubz]

Thanks everyone for your help, I just won an auction on ebay for a...

"Nikon D40 camera body (15k-20k shutter activations), MH-23 Quick Charger with cable, Nikon neck strap, USB Data cable, 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 G II ED AF-S DX (original D40 kit lens), 55-200mm F4-5.6 ED VR DX, 2 x Hoya 52mm UV Filters (presently attached to both lenses), SB-400 SpeedLight w/ soft case, SanDisk Ultra III 4GB SDHC memory card, and finally a LowePro Micro Trekker 100 Camera bag"

excited to get it and start shooting, unfortunately won't get many ski shoots with it this season but bike season should be fun. i'm sure i'll have lots of questions as i start to work with it but thanks for everyones help up to this point!