The time is getting closer for me not to bite the bullet and actually buy a digital SLR. I like the Nikon cameras, and I suppose I'm a bit loyal too as I am the proud owner of a Nikon F90x, which I bought many moons ago and it has served me very well.
I don't take a many pictures as I use to these days (but that may change when I get my hands on a DSLR), so I can't see the point in me opting for a really expensive all singing, all dancing camera. I first thought about the Nikon D40 but like so many others, I was a bit disappointed that it didn't have more than 6.1 mega pixels as a rival Canon camera had 10MP. But still, I knew that if I had a 10MP camera I would probably change the setting to about 6 anyway so I could take more pictures, plus 6 MP is more than enough for my needs.
Then, along came the Nikon D40x featuring the same sensor found in the Nikon D80, and a faster continuous shooting speed of 3 frames per second. My F90x is 4.3fps and it sounds fantastic! Noisy, but fantastic.
I done a fair bit of research and found that the Nikon D40x (and the Nikon D40) takes the Nikkor AF-S lenses. You can put any other Nikkor lens on such as the D mount, but you will have to manually focus the lens. The AF-S lenses have their auto focus motor built into the body of the lens, whilst the other Nikkor lens types are driven by the motor in the body of the camera.
This is where the dilemma comes in. The Nikon D80 is similar in style to my F90x and will take the same lenses, which means that I would just need to buy the body. I know that my 24-70mm lens put on a digital SLR would no longer be a 24-70. Well it would, but the field of view is altered as the sensor in a digital camera is smaller than a frame of 35mm film. Another thing about the D80 is the size and weight. Yes it has some great features but it's a big semi-pro camera.
The D40x fits better in my hand and is a bit lighter, and I think for the amount of photography I do these days it would probably suit me better. I could buy a body and lens kit for less than the price of the body of the D80.
What I will miss the PC socket, and I'm not talking about computers here, I'm talking about a little round socket that you plug a flash gun into. I often used my Nikon F90x with my Metz Mecablitz 45CT4. It was such a simple combination. I actually preferred my Metz to my Nikon Speedlight. It's very complicated to use.
The thing is, this year I have a few social events to photograph. I had my arm twisted in order to agree to do this. I would like to go digital for these events but don't want to go crazy and buy a semi-pro camera and not do it justice, on the other hand I don't want to go too basic and miss out on feature like good flash control.
Anyway, I will be deciding soon and will let you know how I get on.
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