File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
I went and did the wrong thing a few months ago and got a D40, however as they say it is the photographer who makes the photo not the camera.

I have'nt got many extra's for it bar a tripod, bag, UV filter and Memory card.

What would be the best upgrade I could get, that would benifit me in the long if I decided to sell the camera, I am thinking lense wise. Would it be a good idea replacing the stock 18-55 with the better version?
>> Anonymous
Better lense, good flash
>> Anonymous
getting the more expensive 18-55 will give you a definate sharpness and quality in your pictures. It is the lense that makes the image good, not the body (to a certain extent).
>> Anonymous
it depends on whether or not you plan on staying with nikon in the future or not. if you do, just upgrade your lenses so when you upgrade your body you already have a good selection of lenses to mess with.
>> Anonymous
>>229199
probably will do, the re sell value seems to be good for the D40 so when I graduate from college in just over a years time I'll probably buy a new body.

however with the compatability options with the D40 I haven't got that great a choice, I was looking at one with a large apature maybe f1.7
>> Anonymous
A camera is just as good as the light that goes into it. Get an SB-600 and learn to bounce light, etc.
>> Anonymous
>>229201
what would improve my image quality greater?
a new flash or a new lense?
>> Anonymous
>>229203
Neither will "improve your image quality."

Also, cameras are tools, not investments. Buy to use. You will never, ever make money selling a camera unless it becomes a collectible. The D40 will not.
>> Anonymous
>>229207
I did buy it use it, as it was all the money i had at the time. I just want to know what will be a good investment for the future, when I finally do advance in photography and require a more advanced body.

Obviously things like lenses and flashes, as I can use them with any body. However I am limited to which lenses I can get due to AF-S only auto focusing.
>> Anonymous
>>229210
get a prime
>> Anonymous
>>229212
I would like a prime, are nikon or any other companys have any primes that will autofocus with the D40?
>> Anonymous
>>229212

This.

Cheap and gives sexy pictures.
>> Anonymous
>>229214
which one though? are there any that auto focus with the D40?
>> Anonymous
>>229219

Oh wait, whoops. Nevermind. D40 has that "quirk", doesn't it?
>> Anonymous
>>229219
Nikkor deffinately don't have an AF-S primes, although Sigma and Tamron might have one or two, you'll have to check. You're looking for a HSM in the name though.
>> Anonymous
>>229213
Sigma 30 and 50/1.4 is pretty much it. Everything else is specialized, expensive superteles.

Rumor has it Nikon is coming out with its own line of AF-S primes, but they'll be expensive top-level professional gear. Get those two Sigmas and you'll be set for almost all situations. Only things that might come in handy are a slightly longer medium tele for a portrait lens (I *think* there is an AF-S Nikkor 60mm macro, now that I think of it, but don't quote me on it) and, say, some 24 or shorter for a wide, which should be possible to scale focus pretty easily. (If you do get a wide, get an old AI or AI-S lens, so it'll have proper distance markers.)

But even a 30mm alone will do you well for most everything. A 50mm on DX (or any 75mm equivalent lens) isn't the most versatile of medium teles, IMO, but when it's the right lens it's perfect. Example: for some reason, any sort of performance (concert, play, dance, speech, etc.) it seems perfect for, oddly enough no matter what distance you're at it pulls good shots.

On the other hand, a 30mm (or any other normal) is probably the most versatile lens possible, great at everything.
>> Anonymous
>>229226
I was looking at the sigma 30 and 50 but they're £300-400 a pop! The Nikon AF 50 f/1.4 is only like £100!

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=12869#

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=12875
>> Anonymous
>>229228
thats what you get for having a D40, SRSLY sell that shit and get a D50/D70
>> Anonymous
>>229229
Or manually focus and use the focus confirmation...
>> HenryWinkler
>>229198

lenses stopped getting sharper 40 years ago. However as far as Nikons go my favorite lens of theirs is the 17-55mm Nikor. It is an expensive lens but lenses live forever, digital camera backs only for a short while.

If you get a flash get one that you can change the angle on (no red eyes or cats "chargin' their layzerz").

If you are going to be outside a lot and want rich blue skies then buy a 30 dollar polarizer at bestbuy or walmart.
>> Anonymous
>>229229
This might be the best option.

The Sigma 30/1.4 is comparable in price to other lenses in its class.

The Sigma 50/1.4 is £400 because it got cock-slurping press when it came out and because there's a captive market- people like you who are stuck with a D40/D40x/D60 and want an autofocusing 50mm.
>> Anonymous
>>229230
I haven't used a D40 (or any other entry-level DSLR), but any DSLR I've shot with above that has had focus confirmation work jack shit at f/1.4.

OTOH, anything above entry level has a finder good enough to manually focus with. (Yes, I've heard all that about not being able to see the difference below f/2.8. Not my experience at all.)
>> Anonymous
I use the 50mm 1.8 even though its manual focus only on the D40. It's a good buy, its my main lens right now.

It's really easy to manual focus on it compared with the kit lens... which has a pretty crappy manual focus ring.

only 100 bucks, go for it.
>> Anonymous
I have found the SB-800 to be the best addition to my D40 so far. You can clearly go through my various shots of my kid, and see a marked improvement and know exactly when I bought it. Pair of $20 cactus and you can even go off camera with it...

Got the 50 1.8 but find it impossible to focus perfectly wide open. Been going back to the kit lens a lot and using bounce flash instead.
>> Anonymous
OP here looks like I have 3 options, Get a flash and learn how to bounce light, get a prime and learn how to manual focus, or get a better paid job and the sigma ;_;
>> Anonymous
Go SB-600 rather than SB-800. If you don't know why you should get the SB-800 over the SB-600, you don't need the extra features the SB-800 has.
>> Anonymous
>>229452
what about the SB 400?
>> Anonymous
>>229457
Too small / underpowered. It's like a baby step from the popup flash plus vertical swivel.
>> Ånonymous
Let me tell you, about fast primes I do think the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 is awesome despite how it compares to others. Dunno how it compares.

But I have it on my D40 and I love it.
>> Anonymous
>>229569
but its too expensive ;(
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
The D40's a fine camera, makes a great looking image. Get some old ass non-AI Nikon glass. You can pick up fabulous lenses for dirt cheap. They won't meter, so get good at guessing the light, sunny 16, reading the histogram, whatever works for you. You'll learn a lot and make images that look a whole helluva lot better than anything that 18-55 can do.

http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductDetail.aspx?groupsku=NK060090145130&brandcategoryname=35MM
&Mode=&item=0&ActivateTOC2=&ID=24&BC=NK&BCC=1&CC=6&CCC=2&BCL=&am
p;GBC=&GCC=

http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductDetail.aspx?groupsku=NK06999021632N&brandcategoryname=35MM
&Mode=&item=0&ActivateTOC2=&ID=24&BC=NK&BCC=1&CC=6&CCC=2&BCL=&am
p;GBC=&GCC=

http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductDetail.aspx?groupsku=NK069990230190&brandcategoryname=35MM
&Mode=&item=0&ActivateTOC2=&ID=24&BC=NK&BCC=1&CC=6&CCC=2&BCL=&am
p;GBC=&GCC=
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
>>229658
well those links seem fucked up already, so you can direct yourself to keh.com, nikon manual focus, fixed focal length, and I was referring to the non-AI versions of the 24mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4, and 105mm f/2.5.
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
>>229660
Three awesome optically superior lenses for less than the total price of that Sigmoid, by the way. Pop a DK-21 on the viewfinder to give yourself something larger to work with, and maybe drop a hundo on a katzeye, and you're still coming in at less than the Sigma.

You've got a D40, and this is its ONE strength: it can use lenses other Nikons can't, even the D3. So, you can ignore that strength and pick some decent AF-S zoom like the 18-70, or you can work it, get a great kit within your meager budget, and look like a total bamf when everyone sees you with goofy ass chrome lenses on your modern Nikon. Conversation starters? You betcha. Bitches love old lenses.
>> sage !i/euDJmWr2
>>229665
This is true. Any time I see a guy with a nice older lens, I mentally add an inch to his expected size.
>> Anonymous
>>229660
105mm? Isn't that a little long for DX, as awesome as that lens is?
>> Anonymous
I know he's worse than Hitler round here but I was looking on the ken rockwell site, he recommends getting a flash and bouncing light as well :P

he also says to always set your D40 exposure to -0.7 lolwut?
>> Anonymous
>>229671
No one is worse than Hitler. Hitler was evil. Ken Rockwell just doesn't know what he's talking about most of the time.

Bouncing light is fine, though.
>> Anonymous
>>229686
what about the exposure thing? does the D40 often over expose things?
>> Anonymous
Don't make the mistake of buying DX lenses, because soon enough you might be upgrading to full frame. Digital or film.
>> Anonymous
>>229721
Don't make the mistake of buying 135 lenses, because soon you might be upgrading to 120.

Don't make the mistake of buying 645 lenses, because soon you might be upgrading to 67.

Don't make the mistake of buying 120 lenses, because soon you might be upgrading to 4x5.

Don't make the mistake of buying 4x5 lenses, because soon you might be upgrading to 5x7.

Don't make the mistake of buying 5x7 lenses, because soon you might be upgrading to 8x10.

Don't make the mistake of buying 8x10 lenses, because soon you might be upgrading to 11x16.

Don't make the mistake of buying 11x16 lenses, because soon you might be upgrading to 16x20.

Don't make the mistake of buying 16x20 lenses, because soon you might be upgrading to 20x24.
>> Anonymous
get a 400D or a 450D or a 40D
>> Anonymous
>>229201
flash light always suck
fast lens / tripod > flash
>> Anonymous
>>229723
I would point to the key phrase in OP's post ("benifit me in the long if I decided to sell the camera"), and the fact full frame sensor cameras becoming more common (and thus more affordable), and full frame lenses still being compatible with DX cameras, but there's no point arguing with an illiterate idiot who misses the point completely.

GTFO, stop shitting on my /p/.
>> Anonymous
>>229755
>would point to the key phrase in OP's post ("benifit me in the long if I decided to sell the camera")

Which is a ridiculous consideration. No one is going to make a profit selling an entry-level DSLR that's ten years old. OTOH, they'll still be able to make perfectly good pictures with it- what it's made for. And if a DX lens helps them do that better than an FX lens, then why should they go for the FX lens.

>and the fact full frame sensor cameras becoming more common (and thus more affordable

Okay? What's your point? People still bought separate lenses for their 645 and 67 systems, even when they could share lenses, and lots of people stuck with 645, even though 67 was by no means uncommon.

I'm sick of everyone treating the existence of a larger sensor size as having it be something everyone should aim to own, that everyone should "plan" for, or most insanely of all, that it's all there's going to be in a few years. It's just a larger format, something around since day one of photography.
>> Anonymous
>>229771
Protip: FX is not the larger format. It's DX that's the smaller format, and DX lenses were designed to accommodate for digital sensor's specific drawbacks (eg. requiring light to fall at as close to right angle as possible, due to sensor's pixels being "wells"). And cut costs too. With FX sensors being newer technology, many of those drawbacks are reduced, and you get lenses that you can also use with film.

I for one am glad to see the technology coming back from that stray path. OP wants a lens investment, so investing into lenses crippled by design would be just counterintuitive. He'll benefit better from proper lenses both if he decides to sell the whole gear altogether, or if he decides to upgrade to an FX body after all.