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going from D40 TO D200

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i like the 80-400 for birding but it wont autofocus on my d40 if im correct. thats one reason i was thinking about switching over the bodies.
Diddlbiker said:
tloon said:
so another words just keep what i have unless i want to use
screwdriver lens is the d40 as good as the d200 body? isnt the d200
af faster mfps ?ty mike
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tloon1/ D40 18-55 70-300vr
Click to expand...
Mike, the pictures on you flickr site are quite nice, well done!
The biggest difference in picture quality are lenses. Autofocus is
the same story; autofocus speed relies largely on how much light the
AF sensors are getting (compare focussing in the dark to focussing in
bright sunlight. What is faster?). A fast f/2.8 lens on a D40 will
focus quicker than a slow f/5.6 lens on a D200 in that respect.

Consider getting good "limited" glass. For instance the Sigma
18-50/2.8 HSM lens will focus (quick) on a D40, has good sharpness,
is a fast (2.8) zoom and well within your budget.
Instead of getting that 50-500 lens, consider getting the 70-200VR or
even the 80-400VR instead. Those are very sharp lenses. Especially
the 70-200 is very fast. Any 10x zoom lens is stretching its
performance envelope in many ways; moderate 3x or 4x zooms will be
faster, sharper, and with less distortion.

For FPS the D200 will indeed be quicker. It also allows you to change
virtually all settings directly, as opposed to the D40 where
virtually everything goes by menus. But the quality of your images
will not improve when you're using the same lenses.

If you enjoy tinkering with the settings while shooting - bracketing,
vary exposures in different ways, if you want to do a lot of shooting
in manual mode (think studio-like setups), then by all means get a
D200. It is a great camera and a joy to hold and you'll have a lot of
fun using it (then again, the D40 is a lot of fun too).

If your primary concern right now is image quality (although your
flickr images look fine to me) then better glass will give you the
most bang for your buck - but go for fast glass with "modest"
specifications, not high-ratio ultra long focal length zooms.
--
Cheers,
Bart
Click to expand...
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tloon1/ D40 18-55 70-300vr
 
So maybe look for a nice used d50 for the lens i cant use on my d40 i would really like to get a 80-400mm for birding ,wildlife whats your thoughts on that or a used d80 for the lens still trying to decide i mainly shoot everything in raw.
Cpt Galant said:
I have both and use both regularly, so I can compare them pretty
well. First off, the D200 is a fantastic camera, and even though
there will always be something "newer, faster, etc." the D200 is not
obsolete. It produces great images and has amazing ergonomics.

Is the D200 right for you? Only you can decide. But here are a few
points of difference to consider beyond support for screw thread
lenses.

First, images out of the camera will look quite different and the
D200 could, potentially, be disapointing at first. They are each
tuned for different uses. The D40 is designed to look "finished"
right from the camera. While you can tweak the D200 for a finished
look, I've found the images are more neutral and perfect for post
processing. (maybe it's just the way I have mine set up)

Despite the D200's higher resolution, I personally find the D40 image
quality to be slightly better when care is taken not to blow
highlights. This is a personal opinion, but I feel the D40 images
look crisper and actually record more detail above ISO 800. The
higher noise of the D200 will obscure the finest details above this
level that the D40 retains. And 6MP vs 10MP is not as large a jump
as the numbers imply in real world shooting and printing.

The D200 is a significantly larger, heavier camera. If you have
large hands or don't mind the size/weight, then it souuldn't be a
problem. If you want small, light and unobtrusive the D40 is the
camera to beat.

The pop-up flash on the D200 can trigger an SB-600 or SB-800 flash
remotely. Even if you don't do this now, once you've played with it
it becomes a powerful tool for pleasant lighting of interior scenes.

The D200 has numerous external buttons, dials and controls that make
setting various camera functions much faster than menu diving.
Conversely, the D40 has a wonderfully uncomplicated layout and makes
for a better "point and shoot" camera for fast grab shots.

The D200's buffer is MUCH larger than the D40's, particularly if you
shoot RAW. If you shoot only jpg, you may not see as significant a
difference because the D40 writes to the card amazingly fast.

Ultimately, the decision is yours based on your needs. I personally
use my D40 for "everyday" shooting when I don't want to spend much
time processing and my D200 for "high end" shooting. (for primes,
lately I've been using my pre-owned D50 as the perfect comprimise
between the two)

--
A camera is just a tool - no matter how much one loves it.
Click to expand...
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tloon1/ D40 18-55 70-300vr
 
I have found that the bigger, heavier lenses are more comfortable on the D200. The larger, heavier body gives the whole setup a better balance point. Onthe smaller, lighter D40 the lens weight tends to pull the camera forward and downward. Therefore, if you decide to go with the bigger, heavier lenses, I believe you will find the D200 more comfortable and manageable to hold and carry.
 
tloon said:
So maybe look for a nice used d50 for the lens i cant use on my d40 i
would really like to get a 80-400mm for birding ,wildlife whats your
thoughts on that or a used d80 for the lens still trying to decide i
mainly shoot everything in raw.
Click to expand...
A d50 would be a nice companion camera to the D40. It offers lens compatibility with screw-drive models, is still quite small and light, high ISO capability near that of the D40, and the images are tuned very simmilarly for out-of-camera use without a lot of processing. If you can find a good, clean D50 it would be a good choice.

I haven't used the D80 as extensively, at least not for quite a while, but it is also a good choice. The menu system is closer to the D40, the LCD is slightly larger and it has the in-camera editing features like D-lighting in the same way the D40 has.

Overall, considering that D50's are generally less expensive, for the price I would go for the D50 personally. But, I'm something of a minimalist and my needs may differ from yours. Either the D80 or D50 would be a good choice, offering the lens compatibility you're looking for with image quality tuned simmilarly to the D40.

--
A camera is just a tool - no matter how much one loves it.
 
ty now only if i can find a clean d50 from what ive read the d200 has high iso issues above 800
Cpt Galant said:
tloon said:
So maybe look for a nice used d50 for the lens i cant use on my d40 i
would really like to get a 80-400mm for birding ,wildlife whats your
thoughts on that or a used d80 for the lens still trying to decide i
mainly shoot everything in raw.
Click to expand...
A d50 would be a nice companion camera to the D40. It offers lens
compatibility with screw-drive models, is still quite small and
light, high ISO capability near that of the D40, and the images are
tuned very simmilarly for out-of-camera use without a lot of
processing. If you can find a good, clean D50 it would be a good
choice.

I haven't used the D80 as extensively, at least not for quite a
while, but it is also a good choice. The menu system is closer to
the D40, the LCD is slightly larger and it has the in-camera editing
features like D-lighting in the same way the D40 has.

Overall, considering that D50's are generally less expensive, for the
price I would go for the D50 personally. But, I'm something of a
minimalist and my needs may differ from yours. Either the D80 or D50
would be a good choice, offering the lens compatibility you're
looking for with image quality tuned simmilarly to the D40.

--
A camera is just a tool - no matter how much one loves it.
Click to expand...
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tloon1/ D40 18-55 70-300vr
 
Hi, that's a tough choice! I've not owned either. With that said, the D50 is a great all-around camera but has a few warts. Doesn't have a dedicated function button (D40 does), has a small 2" LCD (D40 has 2.5"), only goes to ISO 1600 (D40 goes to 3200), can't set upper limit for auto-ISO (D40 can), JPEG engine isn't as optimized for producing final images (D40 is better in this area), D50 doesn't have the in-camera retouching options (D40 does), battery doesn't last as long (D40 is better in this area).

D50's main advantage is that you can take advantage of AF lenses that aren't AF-S, such as the 80-400mm. Question is, can you live with the D50 "warts"? If you can, then it's a fine camera.

I own a D200 and D300, and before that, the D70s and D80. From my experience, D200 is overall a great improvement compared to most of the older cameras... but its high ISO performance wasn't as good as the newer D300 or D40/D40x/D60. Still, one workaround for that is to "add light" such as using a SB-600 or SB-800 to keep ISO at or below 800. D200 autofocused much faster than the D70s or D80 that I owned, and 5fps shooting was nice the few times I actually needed it. The 2.5" LCD was heavenly after dealing with the D70s' 2" LCD. My eyes felt like they were shrinking when I handled the D70s after using the D200 for a while. :-)

I agree with others' suggestion for going for better quality lenses; that will do wonders for your photos. And, yes, the lack of an AF motor in the D40 makes life "interesting". Some people don't mind using these lenses manually, but most prefer to get a D50 or up if this is a dealbreaker for them.

Why not give the D50 a try? If you find you don't like it, you can always sell it easily and recoup your money. They're still popular because of the D40/D40x/D60 non-AF focus motor issue and because it has a better JPEG engine than the D70/D70s.
 
Have you considered the Fuji S5 Pro, which has taken quite a reduction in price lately.

Same great body and most of the features of D200.

Cons - smaller/slower buffer
Very slow FPS on RAW
only 6mp(not an issue for me)
Large RAW Files
Menu system takes some getting used to.

Pos - Same Body as D200
Takes all Nikon F Lenses
Takes all Nikon Speedlights
Better High ISO performance than D200
Best DR on market
Possibly best OOC JPEGS on market

I just picked up one new for £500, and sold my D50. I still have my D40 though, it is a great little cam.

Just my $0.02

Mark.....
 
yea i love the fuji color also i have a few fuji ps love them what about the lens will ihave to change them out
markphoto75 said:
Have you considered the Fuji S5 Pro, which has taken quite a
reduction in price lately.

Same great body and most of the features of D200.

Cons - smaller/slower buffer
Very slow FPS on RAW
only 6mp(not an issue for me)
Large RAW Files
Menu system takes some getting used to.

Pos - Same Body as D200
Takes all Nikon F Lenses
Takes all Nikon Speedlights
Better High ISO performance than D200
Best DR on market
Possibly best OOC JPEGS on market

I just picked up one new for £500, and sold my D50. I still have my
D40 though, it is a great little cam.

Just my $0.02

Mark.....
Click to expand...
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tloon1/ D40 18-55 70-300vr
 
i dont see a s5 for under 1000 so far ty mike
markphoto75 said:
Have you considered the Fuji S5 Pro, which has taken quite a
reduction in price lately.

Same great body and most of the features of D200.

Cons - smaller/slower buffer
Very slow FPS on RAW
only 6mp(not an issue for me)
Large RAW Files
Menu system takes some getting used to.

Pos - Same Body as D200
Takes all Nikon F Lenses
Takes all Nikon Speedlights
Better High ISO performance than D200
Best DR on market
Possibly best OOC JPEGS on market

I just picked up one new for £500, and sold my D50. I still have my
D40 though, it is a great little cam.

Just my $0.02

Mark.....
Click to expand...
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tloon1/ D40 18-55 70-300vr
 
tloon said:
yea i love the fuji color also i have a few fuji ps love them what
about the lens will ihave to change them out
Click to expand...
The S5 Pro uses the nikon F Mount, it is compatible with more Nikon lenses than your D40!!

Im not sure if you are in US or UK, but in the UK most of the major camera retailers have them at around £499.

Mark
 
tloon said:
any idea who has them a a decent price i buy alot form cameta ty mike
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tloon1/ D40 18-55 70-300vr
Click to expand...
Yes, Cameta is the spot! I bought mine from them brand new only a few months ago - $1235 I believe. I chose to buy a new one rather than used so I could get warranty repair within the first year if I needed. I could not be happier with my decision to go D200. To me, the output is perfect. (but I don't shoot ISO's over 800 ever, so YMMV)

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcovert
 
i think im going that route d200 new i dont go over iso 800 either what was you using before the d200 ty mike
jizzer said:
tloon said:
any idea who has them a a decent price i buy alot form cameta ty mike
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tloon1/ D40 18-55 70-300vr
Click to expand...
Yes, Cameta is the spot! I bought mine from them brand new only a few
months ago - $1235 I believe. I chose to buy a new one rather than
used so I could get warranty repair within the first year if I
needed. I could not be happier with my decision to go D200. To me,
the output is perfect. (but I don't shoot ISO's over 800 ever, so
YMMV)

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcovert
Click to expand...
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tloon1/ D40 18-55 70-300vr
 
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