Looking to upgrade my camera from Nikon D40X

[agompert]

Hello, I am looking at upgrading my camera from a Nikon D40X to something that is a lot better. The problem that I have been having with my camera is that it takes really poor photos in low light settings. Also am not looking to spend $5000, but I do want something that will be able to perform.

 

[ammgramm]

I wonder whether you've considered upgrading your lens? Would this improve things and cost less than a new body?

 

[arclight]

How much are you willing to spend, Ashley and what lens(es) do you use with your D40?

 

[AtominoTalk]

Difficult to say. D40 is still a good camera. High ISO values are better for newer cameras. However please test it in a shop . http://joergvetter.oyla.de/cgi-bin/hpm_homepage.cgi

 

[karmagarda]

A couple of good options are the D90 and D300. They work quite well up to 800/1600. Not sure about the D90, but the D300 can shoot right up to 6400 (you might need the battery grip to boost it to this, not sure). The results are varied depending on what/where you are shooting! But here's a couple of examples of 6400 I took on a D300:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/karmagarda/4169449653/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/karmagarda/4170160612/

 

[Merc]

This guy http://ianbramham.com/index.html Uses a D40 to great affect with low light. Maybe i'm getting it wrong and it's the high ISO that you're after. In that case it's not the best of cameras.The D40 is a very capable camera. Just not at high ISO.

 

[agompert]

The results are varied depending on what/where you are shooting! But here's a couple of examples of 6400 I took on a D300:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/karmagarda/4169449653/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/karmagarda/4170160612/

That is exactly what I am trying to avoid. If you look at the larger format pictures you can really see the noise start to come out. So, I guess the D300 is not the camera for me.

 

[B3R]

that's at 6400 thou, knock it down a couple of stops and your sorted, where your d40 would be giving up.

What kind of low light do you do? Hand held?

Do you have a lens with a large aperture to let more light in? That will help massively.

 

[karmagarda]

That is exactly what I am trying to avoid. If you look at the larger format pictures you can really see the noise start to come out. So, I guess the D300 is not the camera for me.

As B3R pointed out... Remember that was at 6400 iso. The bad performance of the D40x is at 1600 and less. The D300 is far superious at 1600. 800 iso, in circumstances, is barely noticable at all. On saying that, some people have argued that the D90 performs even better. It has some extra noise handling on the camera which reduces the grain somewhat.

But, what it really comes down to is:

1. What's your budget
2. What will you use it for?
3. Do you need good body build etc? Or do you want a lighter camera?
3. What's your budget!

If you want something reasonably priced then a D90 could be the way to go.

If price isn't a problem then start looking at the full frame cameras... but that will also mean replacing all your lens too. The D700 outperforms the D300 at 3200+ by far. Even at 24,600 it looks similar to a photo from the D300 at 6400.

Or get a second hand D3.

Or just put up with the fact that for the D300/D300s/D90 market you're not going to find something that will perform seemlessly like the higher bracket cameras... at least none I'm aware of.

Then there's film...

 

[ruvor]

This guy http://ianbramham.com/index.html Uses a D40 to great affect with low light. Maybe i'm getting it wrong and it's the high ISO that you're after. In that case it's not the best of cameras.The D40 is a very capable camera. Just not at high ISO.

that's the D40, it was better than the D40x. Much like the D70s was better than the D80.

 

[karmagarda]

that's the D40, it was better than the D40x. Much like the D70s was better than the D80.

The D40x was an upgrade to the D40 if I recall correctly. I have heard people say that the D40x is better than the D60 though.

 

[ruvor]

The D40x was an upgrade to the D40 if I recall correctly. I have heard people say that the D40x is better than the D60 though.

it was meant to be an upgrade, but they made it worse. The sync speed is slower and IQ was down. They were just trying to up the MP assuming that was all that the consumer wanted.