DSLR: Nikon D40 or used D80?

benhuddleston

benhuddleston

Well-known member
I've finally decided to throw in the towel on shooting stills on film. It's just getting too pricey and inconvenient. I've been shooting Minoltas for years, and I have a stellar collection of primes, which I also use on my Letus Extreme.

Anyway, it was down to either Canon Rebel or Nikon D40, with kit lenses to start. kenrockwell.com convinced me that the D40 may be the way to go. However, I was thinking it would be nice to start investing in high quality lenses that may be used on 35mm adapters, or maybe on the Red I'll someday own.

Anyone have any convincing reasons for me to start off with any dslr other than the D40? I read somewhere that the D80 had some kinds of lenses that were "more" compatible with adapters. Any thoughts before I drop the $500?

Thanks!
 
D80 has better control at your fingertips. It will also work with screw-drive AF lenses (most older primes). The D40 will AF with AFS lenses. Most of the newer AFS lenses are G Type (no aperture ring) and will not work easily with a DOF adapter.
 
If you don't have an investment in canon/Nikon gear would you be open to a different brand like Sony or Pentax? I've got the Pentax K100d which is in the same class as the d40 but has more features like in-body anti-shake and an lcd top-panel. I believe it does weigh more than the rebel and d40 though. Same goes for the higher resolution, and more expensive, k200d when compared to nikon and canon's 10mp cameras.
 
You know, now that you mention it, I'm not married to any one brand at all. Sony or Pentax would be fine by me; I have a new system to learn (and gear to purchase) either way.

My only two criteria are these: affordability of both the body and decent lenses for the dslr (the D40 with 2 kit zooms is $550), and if there's a way to invest in good glass that functions on a 35mm adapter too, all the better. In fact , that second one supersedes the first: I'm willing to spend more on the body to have better, more versatile lenses.
 
Do you want a camera that can use your old Minolta lenses with the appropriate adapter? I'm guessing that a Canon could, but I'm not sure and I have no idea about whether or not pentax/nikon/sony could. Sony bought Konica-Minolta so their new DSLR's may use Minolta mounts, it's worth checking.

To me that sounds like a good option as it would allow you to keep using all your minolta lenses and you could still buy new lenses that Sony and Zeiss make for the newer Sony DSLRs.

davide

edit: here is a link to a review of the Sony A700, a 12mp camera. http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/Sony -A700.shtml
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top