What's the difference??

[RBennett]

Ok, so I narrowed my decision on a new DSLR down to the Pentax K100 but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything so I started to look at the Nikons and I went to dpreview.com to compare the Nikons side-by-side and I can't see a whole lot of difference between the D40, D40x, D50, and the D80. Is there something that I'm not seeing or what is it? I know I've seen recently that quite a few people recommend the D50 that's now discontinued, but I also know from recent that you can still find a few here and there. So what's the deal? Thanks!!!!!

 

[ukcatfan]

Ok, so I narrowed my decision on a new DSLR down to the Pentax K100 but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything so I started to look at the Nikons and I went to dpreview.com to compare the Nikons side-by-side and I can't see a whole lot of difference between the D40, D40x, D50, and the D80. Is there something that I'm not seeing or what is it? I know I've seen recently that quite a few people recommend the D50 that's now discontinued, but I also know from recent that you can still find a few here and there. So what's the deal? Thanks!!!!!

Sticking strictly with what is different among them and leaving Pentax out, The D40 and D40x are essentially crippled when it comes to auto focus and that would rule them out for me. I am pretty sure that only lenses that have a motor in them can AF on these models. That means that the lens selection is more limited and some of the most popular lenses would only be MF to you. The D50 is a generation behind the others, but still very nice. It was #2 on my list. Feature wise, the D40, D40x, and D50 are essentially about the same. The D40x and D80 have more MPs. The D80 is the best of the group due to the feature set over the D50. They probably all use the same sensor(or at least very similar ones), so IQ wise all should be about the same. Also, the D40 and D40x are much smaller than the other two. I heard that they were made to attract the curious group that are deciding between a cheap DSLR and a bridge camera but not likely to be someone that does much upgrading.

Kevin

 

[Groucho]

I'm sure the resident Nikon Nuts can go through in more details, but the D40 also has a bigger LCD than the D50 (2.5" vs 2") but I believe that it loses the LCD by the shutter (which I find very useful on my Pentax.) I believe the D40 also has slightly "dumbed down" menus but don't hold me to that. I believe that picture-wise, the biggest thing is the inability to AF using lenses without built-in AF motors. That would definitely kill it for me, I really like the ability to use older lenses and don't like the idea of losing functionality.

The D40x, as I understand it, is just a D40 with a 10mp sensor and a much larger price tag.

The D80 is a more advanced camera, with more features and speed, though image quality should be basically identical. This is more comparable to the K10D than the K100D.

FWIW, the Pentaxes all have 2.5" LCDs and the LCD on top and all work with full functionality with any Pentax-mount lens ever made.

If I was going to go for a Nikon, I'd personally have to hunt down a D50, or dig deeper and get a D80.

 

[ukcatfan]

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/pentax_1855_3556/index.htm

I came across this lens review today that might be beneficial to your decision. From what I can tell from the other thread, you are pretty much going to go with the kit lens on every brand considered to keep costs down. There is often talk about which kit is better and so on, but this is an actual professional review stating that the Pentax kit is specifically better than the Canon and Nikon. "The build quality is good for a kit zoom and a level up from the rest of the gang such as the Canon EF 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 or Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 ED." To me the durability and ease of use are very important as I plan to use this lens for a decent length of time. Also, their MTF data show that the Pentax has slightly better resolution than the Canon pretty much across the board. With the Nikon, it looks like the Pentax slightly takes the tele end and Nikon slightly takes the wide end, but are pretty much equal in the middle. I would call it a draw for IQ. With bulid quality thrown in, I say the Pentax takes it.

Even better is the fact that Photozone is doing Pentax lens reviews now. I know that I do not remember any reviews on their site even a couple of months ago and the review dates indicate that they are all very new.

Kevin

 

[Geoff_M]

I've steered friends towards the D50 from the D40. The main reasons are:
1) The D40 doesn't have an in-camera focus motor for non-AF-S lenses. So if you want autofocus with the D40, you must use AF-S lenses. There are a couple of cheaper AF-S lenses that Nikon makes, but most of them add $$$ to the cost.

2) The D40 has fewer user adjustable features. If you only want to use the camera in a "scenic" mode, that's OK. But if you want to get the most out of a camera and learn how to use the controls yourself, that's a problem.

3) The D40 lacks a front command dial. As such more adjustments must be accessed by the LCD menu, which is a pain.

 

[RBennett]

What can I say Kevin? No matter what thread I'm on or what I'm talking about you and the others are always there with a response both knowledgable and friendly. Have you ever thought about a career in customer service? Seriously, thank you guys SO much for your help with this. I think I am to the point that unless I go and try out the Pentax and it bites me, that is the camera I am going with. Thanks to everyone SO much!!!

 

[KrazyPete]

DPReview.com has a nice camera feature comparison tool.

Link: All your cameras side by side

 

[Groucho]

Kevin, thanks for the link. Their Pentax 50mm 1.4 does state that that one is their first Pentax lens review and it's dated 4/19/07. Guess they've been busy adding them since there are a handful now.

I guess I hadn't realized that the C/N/S kit lenses didn't even include a "proper" focus ring... and they all have plastic lens mounts? I've never noticed as I haven't removed the lens any time I've played with the "competition" but I am really shocked, I just can't picture such a thing. It's worth noting that the Sony also has a rotating front element, like the C/N kits, making the use of filters difficult.

It does look like Olympus has a decent kit lens, also, and has a non-rotating front element. They didn't mention if the mount was plastic or metal, though...