Is D40 with 18-135 good for a leady?

[evgenyg]

Hi
My wife wants to upgrade from her point-and-shoot canOn box to an SRL.

I need to buy this week in order to get SLR before her birthday.
I think about D40 with 18-135 lens kit.

1. These kit lenses (18-55 and 18-135) have problems with focus. Should I ever buy a better lens for her first SLR?

2. Will a leady be able to handle weight of the D40 with 18-135 lens?

Waiting for your comments!
--
Evgeny

 

[Vandyu]

I think the combination of the 18-135 and the D40 would be a nice setup. I don't think the weight would be a significant factor unless she has problems with her hands, such as rheumatoid or severe osteoarthritis, or if she has a tremor.

There is a weight difference from a P&S model with everything compact and in one smaller body. Has she told you what she might like? Has she ever held a D40?

The kit lens that usually comes with the D40 is the 18-55. Much smaller and lighter than the 18-135, but more limiting. The 18-135 will focus quickly and give her a longer reach, so she can shoot from farther away, so to speak.

As far as lens compatibility goes, this can be confusing. The general lenses that she may need will autofocus on the D40. By this, I mean the following lenses: 18-55, 18-70, 18-135, 18-200VR, 70-300VR, 17-55, and 70-200VR, among others.

The one lens you may read about that doesn't autofocus on this camera body is the Nikon 50mm 1.8. This lens does not have a built in autofocus motor. It can be used for manual focus on the D40, but she may not want to do that. It's not difficult, however.

Lots of older Nikon lenses do not autofocus on a Nikon body that does not come with a built in focus motor (D40 and D40x). The D50, D70, and D80, as well as the pro models, have built in focus motors in the body. There must be a focus motor either in the lens or the body. The lenses listed as compatible with the D40 series by Nikon are:

Compatible Lenses*1: Nikon F mount with AF coupling and AF contacts Type G or D AF Nikkor
1) AF-S, AF-I: All functions supported
2) Other Type G or D AF Nikkor: All functions supported except autofocus

3) PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D: Can only be used in mode M; all other functions supported except autofocus

4) Other AF Nikkor*1/AI-P Nikkor: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II

5) Non-CPU: Can be used in mode M, but exposure meter does not function; electronic range finder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster
6) IX Nikkor lenses cannot be used
1. Excluding lenses for F3AF

For your purposes, I think the D40 and the newer Nikon lenses would be fine.

 

[mrbr]

Hi
My wife wants to upgrade from her point-and-shoot canOn box to an SRL.

Coming from a p&s there will be learning curve. A great advantage is hat the D40(x) has a point&shoot and scene modes wich can help to start with !! See page 15 of the D40 users manual (can be downloaded as pdf document).

I need to buy this week in order to get SLR before her birthday.
I think about D40 with 18-135 lens kit.

1. These kit lenses (18-55 and 18-135) have problems with focus.

I own the D40 + 18-55mm kit lens and the kit lens has no "problem" with focus in my experience. From what i read on this forum the Nikon kit lens focuses a bit slower then the canon dSLR kit lens , but the Nikon kit lens focuses more precise !!

Also regarding focus : focus mode on the p&s compared to the D40 will be different and something to read and learn about. See also page 23 ( selecting focus mode ) and 24 ( selecting AF-area ) of the users guide.

Keep also in mind that a p&s has much more DOF for thesame aperture in dSLR !!

Should I ever buy a better lens for her first SLR?

IMO : let her start with the kit lens. When she will be ready for another lens she will choose a better lens depending on her needs herself !!

2. Will a leady be able to handle weight of the D40 with 18-135 lens?

Waiting for your comments!
--
Evgeny

--
Greetings,
Marc

my photos (under construction):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrbr03/

 

[evgenyg]

I got an advice to buy 18-70 AFs.
I can sell 18-135 lens to a friend when I will get the kit.

So, is 18-70 a better choice than 18-135 ?

Thanks

 

[Ron LHeureux]

I got an advice to buy 18-70 AFs.
I can sell 18-135 lens to a friend when I will get the kit.

So, is 18-70 a better choice than 18-135 ?

Thanks

My advice would be to get the 18-55 kit lens. This s a good lens and is VERY inexpensive when purchased with the camera body. Your wife can shoot with it and decide later if something else would be better. I can't imagine why you would go through buying, then turning around and selling an 18-135 lens. That seems like an awful lot of trouble. I believe you are over thinking this situation. IMO the 18-135 with the D40 is a MUCH different animal than with the lighter kit lens. If your wife it petite, especially. Don't worry, be happy.
--
Take care,

Ron

D40, 18-55II, 50mm f1.8, 70-300VR & SB400
Canon A550

 

[Vandyu]

Personally, I would not do that. The 18-70 is a fine lens. I had one with my D70s. But, it will not really help matters. You will have a shorter range zoom. While the construction of the 18-70 is slightly more robust, I don't believe your wife is going to be hard on the lens. I would stick with the 18-135.

You can compare all of the typical zoom lenses at this website.

http://www.digitalreview.ca/content/Nikon_Lens_comparison_intro.shtml

Look at the difference in zoom capability between the 18-70 and 18-135. Considerable. And the 18-135 weighs 5g less than the smaller 18-70. This is because of the lighter weight construction. I agree that the there are advantages to the 18-70, but for your wife, I don't think it's the best choice. Others may disagree.

 

[Kim Letkeman]

--
http://letkeman.net/Photos

 

[truflip]

D40 has better weight balance with the kit lens. The 18-135 is great all around but the weight will then be much more towards the front. It gets tiring if she takes photos for hours on end. However if its casual, then I think its one of the best you can get for transitioning into the dSLR world.

I found myself wanting more with the 18-135 though. Although, the lens is very sharp, I needed something that could focus a little closer, something a little brighter on the long end, and something with less distortion.

I also tried the 18-55 kit lens. It's not as fast focusing as the above but what I liked best about it is I can do close up shots kind of like macro. It can focus really close basically. The weight is perfect with the D40 body (I wonder why ). Also I did not find any issue with the focus with this lens.

The 18-70 is a favourite amongst Nikonians for a walkaround lens. If you dont mind spending the extra money for it then there is no reason not to get it I believe it weighs similar (might be slightly heavier) than the 18-135 so if she didn't mind the 18-135, she wont mind the 18-70's weight. Good luck!

 

[Argho Sen]

I would really recommend that you buy the D40 with the 18-55 kit lens. This is the "standard" kit lens for the D40, and matches it perfectly in terms of weight and balance. It is also an excellent lens for the price.

For someone transitioning from a point and shoot, I feel it is better to stay away from the heavier lenses, and start with the standard kit lens.

Here is the D40 with the 18-55 lens.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/471716-REG/Nikon_25420_D40_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

--
Rgds.......Argho

 

[gerryd04]

D40/x + 18-135 would be great, get it and see how she goes. What point and shoot did she use, ie how much zoom/reach is she used to having.
--
Gerry,
http://gerryd.smugmug.com/ discount code on homepage

 

[evgenyg]

Thanks all !

I will buy D40 with 18-135 lens kit, sell the lens to my friend at cost, and give my wide the 18-70. The latter lens is better, the weight is about same.

 

[Duri]

I would go for D50/D80 and Sigma 17-70 (excellent lens for that money)

Duri

 

[LarryPhoto]

Try the 18-135 out before you sell it, the 18-135 is a very good "all around" lens. This is one sharp lens, and it balance is perfect on my Nikon D40.

The 18-70 will be short, you'll end up wanting something longer, 135mm is not bad,

Thanks all !

I will buy D40 with 18-135 lens kit, sell the lens to my friend at
cost, and give my wide the 18-70. The latter lens is better, the
weight is about same.

--

 

[Kim Letkeman]

I will buy D40 with 18-135 lens kit, sell the lens to my friend at
cost, and give my wide the 18-70. The latter lens is better, the
weight is about same.

Why rob her of the extra reach? Sell the 18-70 ... seme people believe it's great, even though it has just as many issues as any other kit lense. The 18-135 is sharper too.

--
http://letkeman.net/Photos

 

[Tianium]

Hi
My wife wants to upgrade from her point-and-shoot canOn box to an SRL.

I need to buy this week in order to get SLR before her birthday.
I think about D40 with 18-135 lens kit.

1. These kit lenses (18-55 and 18-135) have problems with focus.
Should I ever buy a better lens for her first SLR?

I have the D40 with the 18-135mm...its a great combo.

The 18-135 is noticeably faster to focus than the 18-55. It is fast and accurate like AF-S should be. The reach is very handy.

2. Will a leady be able to handle weight of the D40 with 18-135 lens?

My wife uses mine all the time no problem at all.

Darin

 

[Tianium]

I got an advice to buy 18-70 AFs.
I can sell 18-135 lens to a friend when I will get the kit.

So, is 18-70 a better choice than 18-135 ?

No.

They are the same weight and size. Focus speed and accuracy is very similar. Distortion is similar. The 18-70 is built more solidly, but technology has advanced since then.
Personally I would get the 18-135 for the extra reach.

Darin

 

[Vandyu]

I think most of us are advising that you keep the 18-135 because of its extra length and faster focus. You won't get the $400 that the 18-135 is worth selling it because it will be considered a used lens. Likely, you will pay more when you buy the 18-70 because, unless you buy a used one, you will pay more for a new 18-70. I think your wife will do fine with the D40 and 18-135.

I'd suggest that you thank your friend for his interest and let him know you want her to try the combination before considering making any changes. But, heck, that's what I'd do.

I hope your wife enjoys her new camera. Once she sees how much creativity she can exhibit with a DSLR, she will be thrilled. And, remember, she can always use it on Auto mode until she feels comfortable with it. Program mode allows a bit more creative control with some automatic functions and Aperture, Shutter, and Manual functions are where the real challenge lie. Plus, you've got the preprogrammed selections similar to the point and shoot cameras. The D40 is very versatile.

By the way, the 18-135 is the kit lens that was packaged with the D80 at its introduction. It is a new lens and has a very good reputation. The 18-70, while a fine lens, was packaged with the D70 several years ago. I like them both, but the 18-135 is the better value.

 

[evgenyg]

Thanks!
So many photographers recommend the 18-135.
I will buy the D40 with 18-135 kit.

 

[evgenyg]

Please advice a bug for D40 with 18-135 lens.

Thank!

 

[BoosAngel]

Hi,

I am a lady and I own a D40x and 18-135 lens. I love them both and do not find them heavy at all. I have had no focus problems and I really like the lens. I just recently purchased the SB600 and was worried about the weight when adding it but I can honestly say I am happy with all.

I also have the 18-55 lens but have never used it. I bought it with the camera new for $20.00 more...just couldn't see leving it when it was only that much.

Angie