D50 instead of D40x?

The D50 will work with a ton more lenses. The D40/40x will only autofocus with the AFS lenses as the camera does not have a auto focus motor in it. That means that the 50 1.8 (which is really sweet on the D50) will not AF on the D40, but the 18-70 that you mentioned would be fine on the D40. My girlfriend has a D50, and I have used it and enjoyed it quite a bit. Connie had a D40 at the Cafe get-together...and it was a neat little camera (by little I mean, actually very small) but AF lens compatibility would be a issue for me. Also, the 3 area AF of the D40 would seem a little strange to me.

For me personally, the difference between 6 and 10mp isn’t a very big deal. As for metering I don’t have a clue which is more desirable.

I hope I didn’t make thing worse!

 

Mason already addressed many good points - the lack of support for non afs-lenses is probably the biggest reason I wouldn't consider the 40x. That excludes some really great Nikon's glass such as the 85mm primes, 60mm micro, all of the 50mm primes, etc.

I haven't used the 40x yet, but I have owned a D50 (along with a D70, D2H, D1H, and D200). Among all of these, I really like the D50. Every camera has its niche, so a lot of your decision will likely come down to what type of shooting you do. I liked the D50 for its compact size, image quality, ease of use, and high iso capability. For the money, the D50 seems like a good value right now if you don't need anything more.

 

Henry, Looking at you signature, you'll have to go with the D50 or D80 if you can swing it. You have in your signature an 85 1.8 and 50 1.4. Those two in Nikon will not work in auto focus on the D40/x.

As for going to the D50 after a 20D, if you can swing it I would look at the D80. AND NOT FOR THE MEGAPIXELS. :biggrin: The 20D is not a bad camera (and I'm not saying the D50 is in any way). It's just that most people like to upgrade when they buy new. The D50 is probably closer to a lateral, where as the D80 is an upgrade.

 

Never picked up a 40 but being limited on lenses is a deal killer for me. I have been tinking about a second body for some time now and thinking about the 50. When I made the switch to Nikon I bought the 50 and think it's one darn nice camera.

Mike

 

Many people have commented on the D50's excellent low light performance. I think having fewer pixels actually helps in this respect. The DX sensor is always the same size. So, a 10mp chip vs a 6mp chip will have smaller pixels. Therefore each individual pixel will collect less light making it even more sensitive to exposure. Just my theory.

 

The glass is key. My view is that the glass is a long term investment
whereas when we buy a body we are buying the latest computer.
In a situation like yours I would try to find the body that best puts
your glass to work.

 

When I bought the D40 it was to use in lieu of a P&S camera; it's small and light enough to stash in my bag and carry around with me everywhere. I was surprised at the relatively decent quality of the kit lens which comes with it. That said, I would NEVER purchase the D40 as my ONLY camera. The limitations have already been discussed: it works fine with AF-S lenses but all other lenses must be used in manual focus, which can be somewhat limiting. The few focus points and the one command wheel instead of two also are a bit disconcerting. This camera was geared towards the consumer coming from a P&S who will maybe buy the 18-200mm VR in addition to the kit lens and never change lenses again. I'd gotten frustrated with the limitations of my P&S camera so that was why I decided to try this as an alternative and so far it works just fine for that purpose. It takes better images than my P&S under varying light conditions and of course I do have the option to swap lenses and use a specific lens for a specific situation, offering more flexibility than my P&S.

If I were looking to purchase a single camera, I'd go with the D80, unless you can find a D70s somewhere..... One of these will offer you a lot more bang for your buck than the D40, as you can have more flexibility and options when using autofocus or manual lenses. Coming from a 20D I think you would be disappointed in the D50, as it doesn't offer some of the features that the others do. The D80 is an excellent little camera and offers many outstanding features that it has borrowed from both the D50 and the D70, as well as even a few from the D200.

 

D80 over D40X but I think the D50 is a great camera Have one still myself and use it often still

 

I agree with all of the previous posts. I made the jump to DSLR with the D40. It was a great little camera for the couple of weeks that I owned it, but I soon found myself wanting more. Not just more lenses, but more features at my fingertips. I am brand new to DSLR, so for me to feel limited so soon really says something. I absolutely love the D80. I still have quite a bit to learn, but appreciate all of the extra features and do use them a lot. One reason I would consider the D80 or D70(s) over the D50 (if you can swing it) is the second command dial in the front of the body. I shoot in manual or aperture priority and having to hold down one button while spinning the rear command dial was a bit of a pain. Though I still think you would be very happy with the D50; especially over the D40.

 

D50 fer shure. Much more versatile and a much better feature set. I could see dedicating a D40x to a big AF-S telephoto but, as Connie said, using one as a primary or only body ... no thanks.