nikon d40x, or nikon d60?

[ALittleDisneyFan]

I currently have a d50. But since bringing my daughter home, I'm really needing more pixels in a DSLR, for larger prints.

I'm not sure what to get... d40x, or d60? Both of these are in my price range and are 10.2

Thanks!

 

[ukcatfan]

Nobody really knows what a D60 is going to be like yet. Have you considered the D80? It is a pretty good price now. The D40x and D60 are not an upgrade for you. In some ways, they are a downgrade. I know that I would recommend a D50 over the D40x and likely the D60 as well.

While I do not do much in the way of printing, I personally feel like 6MP on a DSLR is more than enough for all but the really large prints.

Kevin

 

[YEKCIM]

What kind of lenses do you currently have? My gut feeling is you would be better off staying with the D50, which is a great camera, and investing in some fast glass, rather than more megapixels.

~YEKCIM

 

[YesDear]

I agree with the previous posters. I shot a D70 before I got my D200. I have a picture of the WDW castle taken at dusk. It was shot in raw and converted to a fine jpg. I have a 24 x 36 inch print hanging in my office of that shot taken with my D70. It was taken from the bridge at Liberty Square. The detail is good enough to see Tinkerbell's guide wire. You do not need more megapixels to make a better image. The sensor on your D50 is a decent sensor.

Get some better glass and start shooting in RAW format and I think you will be happy with the results.

 

[Gdad]

I agree- the D50 is a fine camera. There are reasons to upgrade but megapixels is not one. I have this picture hanging on my wall in 18x24 and you can see every eyelash and fine detail in the print- taken with my old D70 which had an older version of the D50 6mp sensor. There are legitimate reasons for upgrading but megapixels is not one of them. As was said an investment in a good portrait lens- like a 50/1.4 or 85/1.8 or maybe a speedlight like an SB-600 would be a great addition with a new daughter at home.

BTW- keep in mind also not sure of what lenses you have to date- but the D40/D60 bodies will not auto focus on some lenses so it may be a problem with your existing pieces or something you may be interested in. Kind of a step backward from the D50 in that respect.

 

[ALittleDisneyFan]

Thank you so much!!

I see the suggestion above from Gdad (thanks, my husband and I have seen your photos and love them) about the lens. Any other lens suggestions?

 

[Gdad]

Thanks- What lens or lenses do you have currently? Is portrait work your main interest?

 

[ALittleDisneyFan]

I'm using the standard lens it came with. I mostly do portraits of the baby - but I do enjoy landscapes as well.....

Here are a few examples of the baby, and of Antigua, Guatemala

Okay, the others didn't work.... I'll try again.

 

[ALittleDisneyFan]

 

[ukcatfan]

My niece Ava is also from Guatemala.

I agree that if you are just using the kit lens, your money would be better spent on lenses and other accessories.

 

[Gdad]

Well the 18-55 kit lens should be fine for landscape work- so I will fall back on my original thought. The best way to improve on your efforts with baby shots would be a fast prime and an external flash you could bounce. If it was me and I was spending $700 (D60 Kit Price) I would go for the 50/1.8 Lens, the 85/1.8 lens, and the SB-600 Speedlight. I think you will be amazed at what your camera is capable of. If you prefer a zoom the 17-55/2.8 is a great lens- as is the 28-70/2.8 and from what I have read the 24-70/2.8 but they are also a lot bulkier and much more expensive.

 

[TinksDH]

I would concur with Gdad, ukcatfan, YECKIM and others - go for the glass. Even the thrifty fifty (50/1.8) at ~$100 will open up all kinds of possibilities in portraiture. You'll be amazed at what those extra stops at 50mm will get you. You'll be able to isolate your subject, get nice creamy backgrounds, shoot in much lower light, etc. I have this lens and its bang-for-the-buck is incredible. Getting a flash that you can bounce will help a great deal as well.

Regarding landscape, the kit lens is actually fairly well regarded for its sharpness at higher f/stops. You'll probably want to shoot at f/9 minimum in order to get great depth of field, so sharpness won't be an issue. You may find that you'll begin getting into shutter speeds that require a tripod.

I too have a D50 and have shot it enough to know that 6mp is plenty of resolution, particularly when considering how low its noise is at higher ISOs. If you like "available light" shooting, this lower noise is more important than megapixels. I too don't consider moving to a D40/40x/60 a step up, but a lateral move at best. If you didn't have a D50 this would be a different story, and they would be geat cameras to get into the Nikon system with. If you fill out your frame in your D50 and don't need to crop, you can get 8X10 shots at 300 dpi printing resolution, and in practice get great 16X20's when viewed at normal distances (versus pixel peeping).

The next real step up would be the D80, and quite honestly if I was stepping up from the D50 I'd REALLY want to go to the D300!!

 

[handicap18]

I'm using the standard lens it came with. I mostly do portraits of the baby - but I do enjoy landscapes as well.....

If you do a lot of portraits then don't bother with the D40x or the D60. Not that they aren't good camera's, but they will not auto focus with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8. Get that lens instead. Its no more than $120. Either that or get a Tamron or Sigma 17-55mm f/2.8 or 24-80mm f/2.8. If your going to change bodies from the D50, then either wait for the D80's replacement or get a D300. Forget about Megapixels.

The 50mm f/1.8 is a GREAT portrait lens on the D50 (or any of the other Nikon bodies that have a focus motor). With the wide aperture you can get some great natural light portraits and combine the 50 f/1.8 with the SB-600 (or SB-800) and a good diffuser and you can get studio quality prints with your current body.

I have this pic enlarged to both 8x10 and 11x14. I can't tell you how many people have asked where we had it done. Once telling them it was in our living room by me, they are shocked.

The detail at 11x14 is almost to good. The baby was only 4 months old when this was taken and unfortunately I didn't wipe the drool from his mouth. It shows up nice and clear (and VERY VERY sharp) at the 11x14 size

I also have these others taken with my D50, 50mm f/1.8 lens and SB-600 flash with Gary Fong diffuser. Some I used additional lighting that I bought at Home Depot to use as fill light. The backdrop is a large mural we have on the wall in the kids playroom in the basement:

and a few others. Low light portraits/candids.

 

[Zoesmama03]

I agree try some new lenses before you upgrade and do upgrade I don't really thing the D40x or D60 will be an upgrade for you either. Try the 50mm f/1.8 bhphoto.com has it cheapest I think. You will love it with your daughter's pictures. I adore mine. Here is me as I worship my 50 mm

I considered the D60 but the D80 was not that much more so I just went with it because really, I'd have been wanting to upgrade in a year I'm sure. Who knows I may want to go for a D200 or D300 in a couple years, or something new that comes along. But I know for now its going to get me learning.

 

[Zoesmama03]

I've been very amazed with Nikon's low light capabilities since I got my old point and shoot Coolpix P2. So this was no surprise to me really.

All taken without flash w/ ISO at 1600 around 9pm or later.