D3000 for £300 or D40 for £200?

M

Mike1980

Suspended / Banned
Messages
49
Name
Mike
Edit My Images
Yes
Excluding the flash speed, the D3000 seems to be incrementally better across the board.

However, some reviews I've read have said that the D3000 can produce dark and/or harsh photos because of the flash delay.

I'm really looking to save money and can't see the classifieds for another 30 days... This is early research for a Christmas present so I'm not in a big rush.

So, is the newer model worth the £100 premium?

What are your thoughts / opinions on the two cameras?

Thanks a lot


Mike





p.s. please use simple language when replying... I'm very new to photography :)
 
I wouldn't imagine any D40 would be worth £200 nowadays, even £150 is probably pushing it....
 
Flash In The Pan said:
I wouldn't imagine any D40 would be worth £200 nowadays, even £150 is probably pushing it....
Click to expand...

agreed..

Kerso has a couple of D40x's left body only for £200 but add a kit VR lens on to that and price would not be that different to the D3000 with kit VR lens for £304 delivered on Amazon.

I have a D3000 its a decent little camera, cannot say I have experienced any problems... what exactly do you mean by 'flash delay'?

remember if buying 2nd hand the D40 is an older camera and might have been used a hell of a lot more, plus IIRC the D40 does not have sensor shake tech so might have a few dust bunnies that might need addressing, of course you also have the few gems where someone bought one on clearance as a 2nd body and never used it..
 
I think by 'flash delay' the op means the sync speed - the D40 will flash sync at up to 1/500 against 1/200 for the D3000.....
 
Flash In The Pan said:
I think by 'flash delay' the op means the sync speed - the D40 will flash sync at up to 1/500 against 1/200 for the D3000.....
Click to expand...

aahhh blimey 1/500 on a D40 :eek: I did not know this..

its a toughie to call then as I have a D70s which also has 1/500 sync speed I find it better with flash on and off camera...mmm probably OP you could check out the D70/D70s if flash sync is important as you would also be gaining a 1/8000 shutter speed, an in body motor and a 2nd settings LCD..My D70s was boxed as new with 3 month warranty from MPB, only taken 1350 shots, all for £159
 
I'd look at the d90... some on ebay going for 400-500...

D70s second hand wouldn't be bad for a starter camera neither. Personal preference tho, so get to a Jessops and handle as many as you can. Whichever feels good, go and search online for a cheaper deal. You may want to find a local second hand camera store too... London Camera Exchange?

Good luck in the hunt :)
 
i say save a £150 more get yourself a D90 and you will be a happy man.
 
ecniv said:
I'd look at the d90... some on ebay going for 400-500...

D70s second hand wouldn't be bad for a starter camera neither. Personal preference tho, so get to a Jessops and handle as many as you can. Whichever feels good, go and search online for a cheaper deal. You may want to find a local second hand camera store too... London Camera Exchange?

Good luck in the hunt :)
Click to expand...

If its a present its a hard call, so much of using an SLR is down to the 'handling' I remember way back when, being dead set on a Canon 350D - I took the 30 page DP site review printed off on holiday with me and over 2 weeks absolutely sold it to o myself over the other options. I went into Jessops the day we got back and I was gutted............ It just flet uncomfortable in my hand. I bought a D70s instead and have never looked back - I have smallish, but wide hands and it just fits, so ideally you need to make sure the recipient will find your (very generous) gift a pleasure tto use :)
BTW - my choice would be that you can buy a D3100 (body only) for £330 ish - and that's a cracker, then your recepient can buy them selves the lens of their choice ;) It will also shoot 1080p video if that's an advantage to your recipient ;)

GL with your search, and if you hold on till nearerthe time the kit will almost certainly get cheaper.

Heres a link to a review of the 3100, a great site for reference.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond3100/

Also check this one for prices :)

http://www.camerapricebuster.com/cat_Nikon_Digital_SLRs.html
 
Thanks for all of your replies.

Flash In The Pan said:
I think by 'flash delay' the op means the sync speed - the D40 will flash sync at up to 1/500 against 1/200 for the D3000.....
Click to expand...

Yes. That's what I meant. Really, it doesn't mean anything to me. I don't think that flash performance is the biggest concern. It seemed to be consistently mentioned as a con in reviews I've read.

strumstrum said:
My D70s was boxed as new with 3 month warranty from MPB, only taken 1350 shots, all for £159
Click to expand...

Was that a body only? Is that a typical / fair price or did you get a bargain? A 30 second google search shows them for around £300 c/w a 18-70mm lens.

What does MPB stand for?

@ ecniv - I'll certainly hold some cameras. Thanks for pointing out it's important. 400-500 for the D90 is quite a bit more than I want to spend!

@ Badboy1984. £150 more is quite an increase in the budget!!!

@ Syd. Should have clarified - the present is for me. From my wife but I'll simply send her the link to whatever I'd like :) i.e. I can't up the budget and then go and buy myself a lens too!
Video is unnecessary as we have a camcorder.

Lots to think about.

I held the 3000 this afternoon. Felt nice. I'm in The Philippines at the moment so might have to wait until I'm next back in the UK to find a D40.

Having said that, I think I've been put off the D40 a bit by these posts.

Does a 1/200 vs 1/500 sync speed make much real life difference to someone like me - lets face it, I'm going to be impressed with the results vs my compact camera whatever DSLR I get and will spend the next couple of years simply getting to grips / experimenting with all of the features.

Thanks all. I can see I'm going to like talkphotos... very helpful members :)
 
I ordered the d3000 for my brother-in-law last night off if Amazon - got it for £299.99 with the 18-55 vr which I thought was good value
 
damianmkv said:
I ordered the d3000 for my brother-in-law last night off if Amazon - got it for £299.99 with the 18-55 vr which I thought was good value
Click to expand...

its excellent value your BiL will be chuffed..

MPB is MPBPhotographic, a well respected used seller and forum sponser, I think £159 is around the right price for body, its the condition I got mine that made it a bargain.

you probably in the real world will not see a difference between 1/500 and 1/200, 1/500 is mainly on seen on the pro spec cameras nowadays.
 
I picked up the D3000 + 18-55 a couple of months ago for £304 from Amazon, and at that money I'm absolutely delighted with it. It's purpose built to give beginners a helping hand, and as a result I've taken some shots I'm very happy with already.

Prior to buying I used the search function on here, looking for D3000 in the 'Sharing and Critique' sections and was impressed with the quality pictures some people were taking. Also,take a look at Ricardo's threads... some lovely work in there.
 
I've spent the evening looking at the D3000, D70s, D3100 and my brain's spinning!

Seems that people here like the D3000 ad 99% of reviews are very positive.

I like the HD video on the D3100. Could be a selling point as we were thinking of looking for a new camcorder in the Jan sales.

Thanks for all the replies. Timeto sleep on it!
 
Mike1980 said:
Yes. That's what I meant. Really, it doesn't mean anything to me. I don't think that flash performance is the biggest concern. It seemed to be consistently mentioned as a con in reviews I've read.
Click to expand...

:thinking:

Not sure what you mean by "con", the only thing having a a faster flash sync speed available is is a benefit, there are no negatives to it ;)

I'd still suggest going for one of the newer cameras, I'd also suggest going and trying one before making a purchase as the D40/3000 series bodies are quite small....
 
Last edited:
Flash In The Pan said:
I wouldn't imagine any D40 would be worth £200 nowadays, even £150 is probably pushing it....
Click to expand...
Amazingly my local used camera shop had a D40 and non-VR kit lens for £279, couldn't quite believe my eyes...
 
i sold my D60 here for 160 :'(
D3000 has more focus points i think that is the only benifit over the D60
both have a newer sensor than a D40 + more on cameras edit options
 
Last edited:
I just got £201 for a D40 kit non VR on ebay, they are still a popular beginners camera. I had one for two years and it served me very well. I took some great photos with it and never regretted purchasing it.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
That's £79 more than I paid for mine new, 3 years ago :lol:
Click to expand...
Yep, picked mine up from Amazon with Nikon cashback for about a tenner more than that... What's even more surprising is that it has now gone from said shops window, so it's possible someone coughed up for it!
 
I love my d3000 - I am learning more and more with it every day.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
:thinking:

Not sure what you mean by "con", the only thing having a a faster flash sync speed available is is a benefit, there are no negatives to it ;)

I'd still suggest going for one of the newer cameras, I'd also suggest going and trying one before making a purchase as the D40/3000 series bodies are quite small....
Click to expand...

Sorry, meant that the con was the slower sync speed of the D3000 vs the D40's faster speed..

jomantha said:
I love my d3000 - I am learning more and more with it every day.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

I'm kind of divided between going super budget; almost the cheapest I can find be it a D40 or whatever else

or...

Jumping up a level and going for a D3100 as it has the benefit of the HD video which justifies (IMO) the extra cash.

Curently counting down the days until I can view the talkphoto. classifieds!

Thanks for all of the replies.

Probably given me more points to think about than answers but I guess that's because each model has pros and cons and there's no one solution :)
 
Last edited:
I'm always concerned if I'm making the "right" purchase - I personally think if it suits your needs, then fine. If you don't like your choice, you can always sell it and get something else
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top