Upgrade to a Nikon D40?

sasilverman

Currently I have a Canon Powershot S3 and have been really impressed with the pictures. However I'm looking to take these up a notch now as I get more into photography.

Can anyone tell me how much of a difference there is between the two?

I know that the D40 doesn't have an onboard motor for stablisation making the lenses more expensive, but for just over £200 this is still a bargain!

thoughts?

moonrakerz

The D40 is a brilliant camera for the money ! The lenses aren't that much more expensive because of the motor, you are paying for a quality piece of glass !
I think Sigma and Tamron both do Nikon style AF-S lenses now as well if you really want to save a few pennies !.

bradc

Yes, the Nikon D40 is fantastic value and also the D60 is a good camera (I have used both). What put me off upgrading to a DSLR was the size, its hardly a pocket camera.

sebastianj

CASIO F20 I hear is a good one too but £440ish
seb

sasilverman

Thanks all,

I'm more interested in how much of a different in quality I will see, ie is this worth the extra expense?

Marty_J

I had a bridge camera before I upgraded to a D40, and it was definitely worth it for me. The D40's performance at high ISOs is great, which makes it a lot easier taking pictures in low light. Even 3,200 (or H1 as Nikon call it) is usable for 6x4 prints. The auto ISO feature is also really nice, where the camera will automatically increase the ISO if the shutter speed drops below a certain level. No more missed photos because you're fiddling with the settings.

The ability to swap lenses is also a big bonus. You might not be using it right away, but an SLR gives you room to grow as your skills improve.

isofa

You may find you'll have to work at your photos a bit to get similar results to the Powershot, Powershots tend to be tuned to specific saturation and other settings to give a punchy image. The new G10 is very well regarded, against the consumer DSLR cameras.

However once you've mastered the flexibility, you'll never go back (unless you are travelling light, then DSLRs can be a pain!).

Any reason why you're not considering a Canon DSLR, they have very similar controls if you more from a powershot?

You can't go wrong with Canon or Nikon IMO. But remember they use different lens mounts, so if you buy into one, and buy additional lenses and then switch to the other brand, your lenses will be useless.

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