need help picking the right camera

[drew]

im going to ireland in august and my grandma is going to let me put a camera on her credit card so i can take advantage of 0% financing. because of that, i have to buy from best buy. that said, aside from my trip from ireland the only thing i want to photograph is cars and perhapse some of the sights in philly to show my family back in WA.

i'm a little partial to nikon since i have used one a little before, right now im REALLY looking at 2 options, the nikon d40 and the nikon d40x. my question is this; is the d40x worth the extra $300?

also, im open to suggestion for other cameras on bestbuy.com aslong as they're under 800 preferably

[grimm]

i like my canon rebel xt. Don't know much about the nikon other then I'm told people like how it feels in their hand more.

[jspek]

i hate the d40. for me its too small, and there isnt any top lcd screen for info. the d40x has the same sensor as the d80 i believe and its a 10mp camera were as the d40 is basically a d50. but it is capable of taking awesome shots. both are good cameras, just not to my liking.

try this site...
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/

but yea def. pick one up and hold it.

[drew]

decided to get an xbox 360 instead thanks guys

[Renegade_]

Originally Posted by drew

decided to get an xbox 360 instead thanks guys

I would have recommended the Rebel XTi which is what I use every now and then. I love it but I don't know every single little setting it has so I am still learning.

[drew]

yeah odd i know, i've wanted a better camera for a while but i don't edit my photos so i don't really see why i should upgrade ( after talking to some people )

this is the picture quality i get from me 3.2mpx 3 year old cannon camera





i just don't think buying a 700 dollar camera will make my photos better. i think i'm better off with my old POS and just learning better techniques

[grimm]

as long as all you do with your pics is post them on the web then your good to go. but if you ever wanted a print of that pic, it won't be much bigger then 4"x6".

edit:
Kudos on the 360 purchase!

[drew]

okay i'm buying a d40x, bumping this up for quick advice

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...7378&rd=1&rd=1

does that look like a decent deal? i dont want to spend over $700 on a camera, and that's the best price im finding for d40x+kit lense+4gb card

[i like rice]

Pretty good price considering most stores will sell just the body for about $620-640. The only two things in that 'kit' that are worth using - memory card & kit lens.

[S4toSTI]

The d40 is pretty small for my hand i would say a used d50 is the way to go.

[howielong]

I think Ritz camera had a sale going on that for $800 you get the D40 with two lens and a bag.

Yup here is the link.

http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/SLR1160.htm?bct=t1134


I second the D50 if you can swing it. I just love mine.

[sisforsurfing]

You can pick up a used w/warranty D70S for $500 or less at some camera stores. Just so you know.
Good luck.

[drew]

I have to use paypal though, have 700 in it and cannot withdraw since i've already hit my monthly limit and I want the camera before august ( for ireland )

I'm really into the d40x for the 10.2 mpx and the super fast power up, the d40 doesn't have that does it? i'll check ebay for d50's; do they have th fast powerup?


also, is the kit lense decent for taking scenic pictures ? or should i be looking at a different lense ( ie; the 15-200mm or whatever )

edit: i dont really mind the size of the d40x, i played with it at best buy and it was fine,my current pos camera is almost the exact same size

[drew]

just ordered that ebay kit, should i just throw away everything but the camera, lense, and memory card?


also, the guy was trying to convince me to buy some battery thing saying the battery only lasts an hour but i didn't go for it. was he being honest?


and who wants to show me how to use this before i go on vaca?

[S4toSTI]

Originally Posted by drew

just ordered that ebay kit, should i just throw away everything but the camera, lense, and memory card?


also, the guy was trying to convince me to buy some battery thing saying the battery only lasts an hour but i didn't go for it. was he being honest?


and who wants to show me how to use this before i go on vaca?

Yeah they try to trick you with the battery thing they tell everyone that. What place on ebay whats the name of the seller?

[drew]

Originally Posted by S4toSTI

Yeah they try to trick you with the battery thing they tell everyone that. What place on ebay whats the name of the seller?

j and k cameras

here is the auction

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...7378&rd=1&rd=1

he was getting annoying trying to convince me to buy stuff until i told him i was going to cancel the order and buy elsewere

[i like rice]

When in August?

I've offered to help people learn their dSLR (settings, framing, etc) but no one has taken me up on my offer... probably because I'm 1-2 hours away in Lancaster.

[drew]

I leave August third

I'm working 3:00pm-11:30pm this week, saturday and sunday i'll be at the shore, so my only chance to learn some basics would be monday-friday july 30-aug 3

Lancaster is a hike! but if nobody local wants to step up I'd be willing to make the drive for sure

[sisforsurfing]

Good luck with it, you'll have fun.
Lighting and framing are going to be the most important things at first. Do some reading, then it's just up to taking hundreds (and hundreds, and hundreds) of pictures. Remember, at first you'll get very few pictures you're proud of, but you'll get more consistent as you go. And if you're just trying to get some better pictures to remember things by you'll more than set

[i like rice]

7/30-8/3 is a bad time for me. It's the end of the fiscal quarter so my work schedule sucks.