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[CRCrazy]

Jennie is graduating high school. She asked for a Nikon D40 for her graduation present. I'm a little concerned, as this camera is only a 6.1 mp. The price is right, but I'd hate to get something that is already outdated.

John's always loved the Canon Digital Rebel, but Jennie has no interest in that one.

All of John's and my cameras have been Sony's - we love them, and the Sony has an entry level SLR for about $600 or so, with a higher megapixel than the Nikon.

She's had a few digital point and shoots - with the most recent being a Canon Powershot (don't remember the number.) She takes some pretty good shots with it - and I think it's a 7.2 mp.

[wdwlovers]

I got the Nikon D40 a few months ago and I LOVE it. I was comparing that and the Canon and went with the Nikon. I'll be honest, I don't worry about the MP level as I've printed 8x10s with a 3.1 and they looked great. The only negative I have (and this was one of the main issues in the reviews I read and reread) was that the lens included could be better. I plan on purchasing the additional lens (better zoom) this year yet, and I know occasionally Best Buy offers a special promo with both the camera and the lens. The lens that comes with the camera is good, but if she takes more long range shots, she'll want that additional lens.

[iamgrumpy]

I have the Canon Rebel Xti I love my camera although I am still learning how to use most of the settings. I do want to get a better lens as the kit lense is great for close range but for close ups and for zooms it is not the strongest. But it does have 10.1 mgp but that only helps a little bit like Denise said you can take great shots with lower megapixels.

I don't know if you would want to do this but what I did was go to the local camera shop for us its Ritz. I was up front with them and told them I was only looking at that time but that I wanted to hold and take a few test shots of things in the store at least to see how I liked the camera. I held everything from the Nikon D40, D80, the Sony A700, the Olympus Evolt 500, the Canon Rebel XT, and the XTi.

I liked each one for many reasons and once you got between the Sony, D40 and the XT or XTi's the differences were a matter of mgp's and brand. Most everything was very similar. I didn't find the Sony Comfortable to hold in my hand, and the Evolt was nice it just wasn't what I was looking for. I had it narrowed down to the Nikon D80, D40 and the 2 Canon's.

The D80 was WAY out of my price range even though it was a gift so that left the D40 and the XTi and the XT. At that point I went with what felt good in my hand which felt most comfortable for me to hold and for me the XTi was the one.

So My suggestion is if she knows she enjoys the features on the Nikon, have her try holding it, taking any kind of photo with it and see if she still enjoys it before buying it.

Hope that helps a little bit

[DawnDenise]

I got the Nikon D40 for Christmas in 2006 and it! Like Denise, I too wasn't thrilled with the lens included but purchase an additional lens before Mousefest last year. I agree with Amy that she needs to test out how each feels and let her decide. Do not let the 6.1MP deter you. I took some amazing pictures at Mousefest and fell more in love with the camera after that trip.

[Chikabowa]

I'm a Nikon shooter. The D40 and the D40x are good entry level cameras. I would also look at the Nikon D60. I highly suggest that you take your DD in and have her play with the settings and menus on the D40, the D40x, the D60, the D80 and then compare against the Canon XT, XTi and the XSi. They are all similar in features and abilities. Oh... and then compare against the Sony A350 and A750 (I think those are the correct model numbers). Both have great reviews (although the A350 has some issues with noise over ISO 400 from what I understand) and Sony is really ramping up their DSLR lens selection... they are trying to make a splash in the market.

You want to have a camera than produces 6 megapixels or higher.... that will allow you for generous blow up's (like poster size) without too much issue. Remember, the larger amount of megagpixels, the larger the file, so eventually the more memory and storage space you need.

Regardless of which camera you end up purchase, I suggest buying the body and then doing a lens selection separately. I don't personally have any of the kit lenses, but from what I've heard they are lacking (although the D60 kit lens does has VR and the reviews thus far are pretty positive).

[bradk]

IMO, anything above 4MP is icing anyway.

historically, i found (as did others) that out of the box, Nikon produced better colors, but Canon produced sharper images.

I found the Canon EOS 40D excels in both areas (not sure about the 450 and others)

[Tonichelle]

I'm a Canon supporter all the way

that being said, what are her reasons for wanting the Nikon? If she just prefers Nikon to Canon or if it feels better in her hand then that's the camera brand for her. It doesn't mean it's better or worse technically, but it is better for her.

IF the reason is she's just heard that it's the best one because it looks like it in the ads on tv and in the magazines, she needs to do a bit of research outside of the media.

[A & J's Dad]

Nikon, Canon, Sony. All boil down to personal preference. When I bought my first DSLR I prefered the features of the Canon XT but the small body was uncomfortable to hold and the 20D was out of my price range so I got the Nikon D50. The D40 is a fine body. However, it does have a pretty big drawback, IMHO. It only accepts electronic focusing lenses and not the screw-type focus. Yeah I know electronic is the future and Canon has been doing it for ages. But it will limit you to those type lenses. If you can handle the extra $ I'd go for one of the models that accomodates both.

Cheers
Craig

[LizardCop]

I'll chime in with everyone else, they're all pretty much the same. Unless she's planning on making 18x24 or bigger prints, the 6MP camera will work.

However, you do need to take her with you when you buy it as the different cameras feel different. As some others have said, one felt right, others didn't.

My DSLR is an 8MP Olympus Evolt E-500, and I it...

[Pax]

Originally Posted by CRCrazy

Jennie is graduating high school. She asked for a Nikon D40 for her graduation present. I'm a little concerned, as this camera is only a 6.1 mp. The price is right, but I'd hate to get something that is already outdated.

For most purposes, a non-professional should be able to get by just fine with 6.1Mp. Since I intend to make Photography a new hobby (now that Digitals have eliminated the cost of film), I've been reading up on it, including buying a couple books on the subject (with more to come in the future, of course). The first pair of books I bought were by Scott Kelby ("The Digital Photography Book", and "The Digital Photography Book [Vol. 2]").

Both from those books, and from other sources, what I've learned is this: Megapixels does not mean Quality. It really means maximum print size. A 6 megapixel image, according to Kelby, means a print size of up to 13x19".

To an extent, more Mp also means you can crop more of the picture, and still end up with a useable-size image.

So, if she's not going to be doing paid photo shoots? 6Mp is probably plenty for her. In Kelby's words: "Actually, 10- and 12-megapixel cameras are for pros who need to print 24x36" poster-sized prints. If that's you, then it's time to pony up, but if you're not routinely printing poster-sized prints, a 6-megapixel camera is all most people will ever really need, so put away your checkbook."

(For the record, my own camera is a 7.1Mp Fujifilm Finepix S5700 - not an SLR, but enough to learn with. And I just got my first tripod yesterday!)

[DVC_Increda_Man]

Get her a nice Camcorder instead

[lukeandbrookesmom]

We just bought the Nikon D60 in May and so far we it!! We've taken pictures outdoors, of Luke's graduation at school and lots of practice/learning shots and all the pictures are beautiful! It is also very easy to use, for this camera idiot at least! We can't wait to try out fireworks photos in a couple of weeks on July 4th!

[CRCrazy]

Wow - you've all got some great advice.

I think the only reason she wants the Nikon is because of the song "Kodachrome!" (It's all about music with that one!) "I got a Nikon camera...."

Seriously - our local stores are seriously lacking - so the D40 is the only one they carry (We only have a small Walmart and a Staples) - so it was the only one she touched. She's since played with a Canon, and loved that too. I'm thinking we need a road trip south to some real stores, so she can play with a bunch of different ones, and test out some different lenses too.

She now is looking at the D60, since the megapixels are the same as the Canon.

We'll see! She is a pretty good amateur photographer, although her forte seems to be up close self portraits, and goofy shots with her friends for Facebook! Every now and again - she goes for the artsy stuff!

I'll let you know when we decide!

[lukesmom]

My DSL is a Canon. I love it- it takes sharp pictures and is easy to use.

[CRCrazy]

Well, we ended up going with the D40, since she graduated Saturday, and we didn't have a chance to go south to get to any real stores. That was the only one I could get THAT day!

She is totally in love, and since the price was low enough, we'll be able to buy her a nice lens for her birthday next week, so she will be totally set!

She has been having a blast taking action shots, and they came out great! I'll try and attach a couple later tonight.