nikon d40 or sony alpha 200 or a bridge with 18 * optical zoom

riggy

riggy

Suspended / Banned
Messages
48
Name
Paul
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi

Just found this site. I am just getting into taking photo's a bit more than just pointing in shooting. My main photographic interest is outdoor (inc wildlife esp birds), gig photo's (mainly at small gigs) and the family etc.

I can't see me printing anything larger than a4.
I tend to take my outdoor photo's whilst out walking.
I have a scope so digiscoping is a possibilty.

I am looking at the following

Nikon D40 (aprox £240 with lens (18-55) from jessops)
Alpha 200 (aprox £240 after cash back with lens (18-70mm) from jessops)
Fujifilm finepix s8100fd (aprox £175 from jessops)

The two dslr are just out of the price range I had agreed with the financial controller at home but may manage to get extension to funds!


Any suggestions from the above list or other ideas

(sorry if this has been done to death)

Cheers

Paul
 
riggy said:
Hi

Just found this site. I am just getting into taking photo's a bit more than just pointing in shooting. My main photographic interest is outdoor (inc wildlife esp birds), gig photo's (mainly at small gigs) and the family etc.

I can't see me printing anything larger than a4.
I tend to take my outdoor photo's whilst out walking.
I have a scope so digiscoping is a possibilty.

I am looking at the following

Nikon D40 (aprox £240 with lens (18-55) from jessops)
Alpha 200 (aprox £240 after cash back with lens (18-70mm) from jessops)
Fujifilm finepix s8100fd (aprox £175 from jessops)

The two dslr are just out of the price range I had agreed with the financial controller at home but may manage to get extension to funds!


Any suggestions from the above list or other ideas

(sorry if this has been done to death)

Cheers

Paul
Click to expand...

first of all..welcome to TP

i don't personally have any experience of the D40 or the fujifilm finepix,but i'm on my second sony DSLR.the Alpha 200 is a great little camera,and ideal as your first DSLR..and will allow you to grow with experience,as i'm sure the D40 will.the D40 is a few years old now,and lagging behind the current range of DSLR's,but will still be a good camera IMHO...and there's plenty of folk on here that still use them.the kit lens will cover most situations,but for wildlife/birds,you will need something like a 70-300 lens to get the reach.these cost around the £100 mark brand new,but can be had for around £60-£80 second hand...something you can add when funds allow.

the fujifilm camera is a bridge camera,which will have a fixed lens,but may have something like a 10X zoom,so may be okay to take your wildlife shots,but will at some point,limit your choice.out of the 3,i would personally go for the A200 or the D40,and would add to go to jessops and try them both out to see which you prefer.
 
Hi riggy.
I had the A200 for Xmas and I love it. But its my first camera, so i've got nothing to compare it with.
In most online reviews, the A200 probably comes out just on top.
In the 'Search' tab at the top of this forum, type in 'Sony A200, Nikon D40' and you'll see threads where this has been discussed before.
Also, go onto youtube and search for the review of each camera. There are some films on there that take you through everything.
Hope this helps
 
cheers guys for the quick replys

just one question about lenses is the same choice of lens available or the a200 as the d40
i think if funds allow then the d40/a200 is they way I am heading with a longer lens later in the year.

Paul
 
riggy said:
cheers guys for the quick replys

just one question about lenses is the same choice of lens available or the a200 as the d40
i think if funds allow then the d40/a200 is they way I am heading with a longer lens later in the year.

Paul
Click to expand...

hi paul

yes,generally..the same lens are available in 3rd party terms(sigma,tamron et al),but nikon and canon have a big catalogue of OEM lens,whereas sony,only entering the DSLR ring a few years back..have some catching up to do,but there's plenty of great minolta lens(sony bought minolta's camera division)like the beercan and the 50mmF/1.7 that fit the A mount system.
 
The only advantage to the Fuji is the 18x optical zoom. For me it would have to be the D40. The 18-55 is a cracking kit lens and if you add the relatively cheap Sigma 70-300 APO you'll have a nice kit for little £££s.
 
Hi Riggy,

I have a D40 and find it a cracking camera for the outlay. The Nikon 55-200 lens can be found at decent prices s/h although you do need to remember that to have full function they need to be AF-S or third party equivilent which can be a bit more expensive:suspect:.

This is my first DSLR and I have found it a great camera to learn on. The best piece of advice I can give you though is to get out and have a handle of the Nikon and Sony (and Canon:razz:) to see what feels right to you. I was all set to get a Canon but it just did not feel right to me but the Nikon did.

Whatever you get have fun with it:thumbs:
 
Hi Riggy,

If your just starting out on the SLR route and want to watch the pennies then why not look at s/h kit. There are some cracking camera's to be had at reasonable prices, they might not be the latest model but most have stood the test of time. i.e. Nikon D70
:shrug:
 
Don't get the Fuji. From memory that model has a motorised zoom, which slows your shots down and also eats battery. The s9600 if you can find one is more DSLR like, its replacement is the s100fs, which is £350 ish!!
 
i have just joined the dslr world. i got the a200 its great nice and easy to use and it can be had a bit cheaper than from jessops.i got mine from amazon have a good look on the web and i am sure there will be a good deal to be found. mine arrived in about 3 days .
 
As coincidence would have it, I do own both a D40 and a fuji S8000 (which is virtually identical to the S8100 except for that less couple of megapixels, I think) so I think I am qualified to add to this thread.
The D40 and S8100 are totally different in terms of picture quality and being able to experiment with settings. For a start, the S8100 does suffer with picture noise quite badly under all conditions, especially indoors and with the zoom to the max. And if you're into night photography you will be severely limited with the S8100's max 4 seconds long exposure setting (yet the S5600 is capable of taking 15 seconds long exposure!).
However, having said that, the S8100 is a great little knockabout camera and does represent good value when I take into account what it can do. And what my S8000 really can do is wide angle shots, zoom the lens right back and it could easily take in the view MUCH more than the D40's supplied kit lens. This single-shot picture below was taken with the S8000 (only the top and bottom half was cropped).

folkestonepano.jpg


If this was taken with the D40, I wouldn't be able to take in as much view as that. I'd have to buy a sperate lens for that kind of thing.

The D40 on the other hand is great for taking more experimental shots and it goes without saying that the picture quality is much more superior. However, cropping will become an issue as it only has 6 mp max. However, if you want zooming capabilities then you will have to budget for an extra lens.
Also battery life is different with the two cameras. With the D40 you could rattle off literally hundreds of shots on a single charge of it's dedicated rechargeable battery. However the S8100 uses 4 AA batteries and boy, it eats them for breakfast. You might get 60 or 70 shots out of it before they go dead, so you will want to invest in a rechargeable battery kit.

Compare and contrast:

With the S8000:

catandmouse.jpg


And the D40:

chadandmouse.jpg


Hope this was of some help to you. :)
 
Thanks again for the advice

Looks like I will be going for the D40 (£227 on amazon) but will be going to Jessops to see if they can match that price and to have a feel of the camera. Hopefully the adapter I have for the scope will fit the D40 so for hide work I can use that setup until I buy a 300 lens later in the year.

Cheers

Paul
 
riggy said:
Thanks again for the advice

Looks like I will be going for the D40 (£227 on amazon) but will be going to Jessops to see if they can match that price and to have a feel of the camera. Hopefully the adapter I have for the scope will fit the D40 so for hide work I can use that setup until I buy a 300 lens later in the year.

Cheers

Paul
Click to expand...

You might have a struggle getting a D40, I was in Jessops in Glasgow a few days ago with someone to get them one and there wasn't one available anywhere even remotely local. I assume it's just down to the camera being a popular xmas present, but the new stock probably won't arrive until after the price rise is due if usual business practice is followed.

Anyway, Dixons are doing the D40 + 18-55 kit for £214.92 delivered, if you use the code SALE25 at the checkout on their website ;)
 
I love the D40 but am aware the Sony is very good value - Aesthetically I thought the Sony range displayed in Jessops looked rather tacky, maybe it was made worse by the fact that there were several next to each other but that illuminous orange alpha logo on the camera looked very naff.

Naturally has no bearing on the quality or features of the Sony just didn't look right to me.
 
Ian D J said:
And what my S8000 really can do is wide angle shots, zoom the lens right back and it could easily take in the view MUCH more than the D40's supplied kit lens. This single-shot picture below was taken with the S8000 (only the top and bottom half was cropped).

folkestonepano.jpg


If this was taken with the D40, I wouldn't be able to take in as much view as that. I'd have to buy a sperate lens for that kind of thing.
Click to expand...
Surely not.

The Fuji S8000 has a zoom range of 27-486mm (full frame equivalent)
The Nikon kit lens is 18-55mm, which is 27-72mm full frame equivalent on a D40.

You could have taken exactly the same pcture with the D40.


As a general point, DSLRs are better for wide angles because the tiny sensors in P&S cameras make it very difficult to produce lenses with short enough focal lengths to be wide.
 
After using a D40 and A200 I can honestly say the A200 is better
 
I have the D40 and I have to say if I ever upgrade I will probably keep it as a backup rather than sell it. Partly as if I upgrade it will probably be to a bigger body and the D40 is relatively light for taking out walking.

I have a lot of shots that I am pleased with. Some are not technically perfect but I have been reasonably happy with them.

I think you should be able to access my gallery for some examples. If you want me to add another couple of animal photos in let me know and I'll try and add them in as there aren't too many in there and I have loads. The animal photos are all taken with a 55-200 lens and the landscapes pretty much all with the kit lens. They are also all reduced to 800 on the longest side so have obviously lost some quality because of that.

Hope that is of some help.

Andrea
 
The D40 was rated recently in a PP group test as having better metering, and the Nikon flash system is second to none - if you've got the big external guns (£150+). Nikon fit lenses are rather more plentiful than Sony / Minolta fit (same thing) and sometimes a higher spec - inbuilt focusing motor rather than using the camera's motor. But the D40 won't autofocus with anything but the latest AF lenses - older lenses need an in-body focus motor which it doesn't have.

The A200 is a generally higher-spec body from what I remember, and I think the one to buy of the two. But there are some good Nikon used deals out there if you're OK with that.
 
StewartR said:
Surely not.

The Fuji S8000 has a zoom range of 27-486mm (full frame equivalent)
The Nikon kit lens is 18-55mm, which is 27-72mm full frame equivalent on a D40.

You could have taken exactly the same pcture with the D40.


As a general point, DSLRs are better for wide angles because the tiny sensors in P&S cameras make it very difficult to produce lenses with short enough focal lengths to be wide.
Click to expand...

Ooo, I didn't actually know that. Looks like I may have to do another contrast and compare shots. :D :naughty:
 
Going to get my camera today (at last payday always seems a long way off when your waiting for a new toy!)

Getting the A200 after tracking price changes etc £239 with kit lens (after £30 refund from Sony. Only trouble is I am working this weekend.

Thanks for all the advice. Just got to safe for a longer lens now

Cheers
Paul
 
I think that you have made the right choice (although you can get the A200 for £210 after cashback if you buy elsewhere, maybe Jessops will price match?). You need to buy it (or at least get the invoice dated) by the end of January to qualify for the cashback though.
I know that when I moved up from a 6Mp (to 12Mp in my case) the difference in ability to zoom in on/crop images of far subjects was noticeable so I'm sure that will also be the case for your wildlife shots.
 
I have a d40 with twin lens and other stuff for sale if your interesrted

Matt
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top