Vagabond’s Caravan

I vote for 400D

ehhh, nikon quite good 1 ah, except some DC :-)

I like canon, cause it’s more user friendly than nikon. But nikon’s well-known for their reputation… GOOD reputation. Hehehe. But they’re both cool. I think ah, instead of just looking at the price of the body itself, maybe you should check the prices of the accessories as well. See if canon or nikon is cheaper than the other when it comes to accessories. You’ll be spending a lot on accessories anyhow, again and again and again. But the body? a one time thing.. Hehe.

@ Leader : Lol. I tot banzai-ist goes for cheap stuff eh?

Okay, somehow, they both look the same to me o_o

Go for canon =) i hate nikon!

Go for nikon.
Try getting the D40X instead.

@ Bad_dongz: Yes yes, I have the same feeling as you! =D I had a chance to test both D40 and 400D 2 days ago, in the photography club of my school. I didn’t get to compare the feature and photo quality and whatsoever tho. However, I prefer the ‘feel’ of D40! It’s much more solid than 400D, yeap yeap. xD

Oh, SD cards are better? I thought CF cards is better! Thanks for the advice, I’ll look into that in detail, thanks! =) My past experience with cheap SD card isn’t very good, but those are cheap cards, haha, I think the SanDisk extreme series will be good/reliable. =)

Yes yes, agree again on the lens, almost all their lens are L lens! While the non-L lens is very poor, both in the image quality and build quality! T_T Nikon’s lens are pretty good, some entry-level lens are superb, like the 70-300mm VR (not very cheap, but affordable, U$500), the review is superb. =D Maybe Nikon first, then when I am ready to go pro, I switch to Canon?

As you have said yourself. It’s not just choosing your first DSLR, you are going to make a choice on joining a whole system. So, perhaps you should looking a bit beyond just simply whether the Canon 400D or Nikon D40 is better.

Consider, the range of lenses and accessories like flash guns that Canon and Nikon offer. Compare them and think about your future desired path in photography. You probably cannot afford most of these things today, but one day you will and you don’t want to be in the wrong system.

Overall, Canon has the larger range of lenses, but Nikon do make a few lenses that Canon do not have like the 18-200mm VR and the 200mm f2.8 macro with VR. But Canon is much stronger in their professional “L” range of lenses. If you ever see any sports events on TV, notice practically all the professionals are using Canon “L” white lenses.

Ergonomics is certainly very important. In general, Nikon seems to make budget small DSLR that are more ergonomically friendly that Canon. The D40 certainly feels better in the hands than a Canon 400D, unless, you are a woman or a man with small hands.

But there’s one thing that Canon is still “King” amongst all DSLR camera makers, and that is the quality of their shots under high ISO settings and low light. Canon seems to get the right balance between image detail and noise level, whereas most other DSLR either give you excessive noise at high ISO, or low noise with loss of details due to excessive noise reduction.

Choosing a new DSLR is never easy choice. Both Canon and Nikon are capable to taking great photos. Good luck with your purchase!

i own a nion d40, and it is wonderful. everything i dreamed of and more.

I have this dilemma as well, but I have friends who are photographers mentioned nikon D40 is not lens friendly. You’ll have to stick to the default lens. If you want to get nikon, get D80. Otherwise, for my personal preference, Cannon would be a better choice. It gives this soft sunlight colour on the object of your focus.

I got myself a D40 some montsh back, and I absolutly love it. nIkon kit lenses which comes with 400D are not that grate - they tend to go soft around teh edges, and the big sensor coupled with 6 MPx actully let D40 capture more details. Regarding the non-lense compatable issue, it is a kind of mis understanding. D40 body dont have a auto focus motor. So, non AF-motor lenses wont be able to do AF with D40. But still you can use them in manual mode. And, more and more AF lenses ar ein teh ofing, so, i dont see any issue in teh future. As of now, therez already a good choice of AF lenses avilable from nikon and Tamaron. D40 is light, feel more well build, and performs well. At the end of the day, many small small differences dont count - what count is teh satisfaction your camera gives you - and I am happy that I chose D40 and saved soem precious $ so that I can buy my Gitzo tripod and flash gun. All the best for you :)

I also vote for Canon D40

I am in the same situation as you are….
However, i work in a camera store where i have the chance to test drive the said cameras. Lucky me.
Performace wise price wise and results all considered I have to go with Nikon. My idea is that the D40 is only 6 mg.
D40x 10mg when it come to quality of photo ( enlargement )Croping and other manupulation it counts, there too.
I also looked at waranty!
So if I go cheap on the body, which i can always upgrade and get a decent lense i have the best of what i can buy.
Only the d80 will work with old lenses from pre digital days

yannick

I have the same decision to make. I’ve been reviewing the current slr’s. I was thinking of the nikon d300, canon40d, canon 400d, & lastly tyhe nikon d40. I have read several reviews from the so called veterans. I also thought of my situation (entry level slsr user), my available cash, and my particular uses. Honetly i wont buy any slr camera because it looks great or has some very nice features.

I also studied the lenses for both the nikon and canon. I disregarded the other less famous slrs (olympus, panasonic, etc..) regardless of whether they have the same or better features as with the current models of both nikon and canon. For a beginner its always good to play safe, and be involve with a massive user base where you can literally get tips to about any topis in the internet from veteran users.

So here’s my choice that suit my needs : a Nikon D40 (Not a D40x) with an 18-200 VR lens.

why: 1.) the D40 is cheap. 6.1 MP size is enough. 10 MP of the D40x is unnecessary. what’s importnat is the quality. and this is where i decided for the choice of lens.
2. 18-200 VR Nikkor lens is expensive than the dual kit lens than the D40 lens defaults. But it is an all around, highly rated lens.
3. The D40 body is light. The lens could be a little bit heavier than the default lens. This makes me more mobile.
4. Since the D40 body is cheap, i could easily and unpainfuly disregard it within 6-1yrs time when I become proficient. And may be i can invest directly to a full FF or the higher end Dx sensor with a faster fps camera and I can still use my lens. :)
5. Im not much on the current hype (large MP, faster fps, etc..) The D3’s could be cheaper by 2009. If i buy it now, its like buying a mercedes when you only hold a beginners drivers license- where you expect bumps and scratches because your literally learning.

So I did not choose Canon. I was thinking initially of the 40D, or the 400D even the FF 5D. Sorry I didnt decide much on the technicalities, but when I compared the Grip of the Canon vs the Nikon series, and the lens reviews..its just like magic.. Im in for the Nikon group :)

I have D40x. Its a very nice camera and I love it but fast AF-S lenses are very expensive and I am stack with my slow lenses.

I suggest to buy 400D because of the greater lens selection.

Canon 400 d is a great Camera . The results are fantastic and pictures are very crisp. Its is a real value for your hard earned money.

Canon 400D uses CMOS sensor, which is common known to have better control of noise (small dots on your photos, you’ll notice it if you try to dig one of the photo you took in a dark place without flash using small point&shoot digital camera, lol) compared to the CCD sensor used by Nikon D40.

Furthermore, if you shoot a lot of night shots, you’ll definitely wanted to have the cheap but amazing 50mm f/1.8, which is a cheap investment but deliver amazing result in low-light. However, Nikon D40 (at the moment) can’t auto-focus with the latest Nikon 50mm f/1.8, yet. This is probably the main reason I would recommend you a Canon 400D, although I am clearly a Nikon fan and D40 user, hehe.

If, however, you really like Nikon (seriously, you should try to handle both camera in person, I think Nikon’s ergonomic design is really attractive..), you should go for a D80 straight away (since the 50mm and many other lenses will auto-focus on it) or learn manual focus. =)

nikon, no dought. I had the same dought, even against 400d, I wouldn’t change my d40 for a 400d, I have friends with 400d, no way… it’s like a little porche against a huge american car, the porche can seem to have less, but it will win in any race. nikon d40 is a new generation camera, if u are starting in fotography, you’ll loose lot’s of months to start getting the photo u want with canon. nikon is love from the first time. I would prefer a thousand times d40 and spend the extra in better lens. there’s no owner of d40 that won’t talk with u pationately, the reverse is not true. belive me. anyway, both are good cameras. good luck. =)

SAF: Sorry for my late reply, didn’t notice your reply, hehe. =) Well, IF we’re talking the kit lens alone, nothing beats Nikon IMO. =) Especially the new D60, the only thing that is worth going after (for the D60, over a less expensive D40) is the new VR (vibration reduction) lens, it will beat every other lenses in the consumer grade. =) Never go for D40x, it’s either D40 or D60. =p ALL photos on this blog is taken either by using 50mm f/1.8 or my kit lens (with is without VR. With VR, you can take sharper shots, because it reduces hand shake, hehe).

So, if you have limited budget, go for a D40 + 50mm and learn to manual focus while waiting for an AF-S version (which would auto focus on D40). Else go for a D60, and since the kit lens have VR, you might not need 50mm (and D60 also won’t auto focus with the 50mm), but you’ll eventually get it as it’s a cheap but versatile lens. If you have the cash, and you really love Nikon, go for D80 + 50mm + the kit lens. I don’t think the kit lens 18-135mm is very good tho.

Well, if the above doesn’t look too appealing for ya, then go for canon 400D (or 450D). Canon is good also, but Nikon makes me feel better with the sturdy built and really ergonomic design. =) You’ll love Nikon when you try it, believe me, haha.

Xisman: Yeap, all Nikon users love their Nikon (neglect those over DPreview, hehe). it makes you feel personal and their design is really really erm, how to say, fits the consumer? They don’t put in craps although it’s a pity that they took away the servo motor (although I am quite sure that Nikon is planning to kick out all their old non-AFS lenses in the near future, n replace them with AFS at the rate of 5-10 per year, lol). I love to compare Nikon to Apple and Canon as Windows, hehehehe. =D

Nicky: yeap, it’s a popular criticism that Nikon’s photo is a bit over-saturated or warm. =) That’s not a problem for us amateur right? =D What’s more important is the feel of your camera, it’s like driving. feel is important. =D