Nikon D40 owners? Questions about shutter speed, please...

[boys2enough]

I hope folks are not bothered by Yet Another DSLR Question... <<sheepish grin>>

I was ready to hit the Purchase now button on Amazon.com for a Nikon D40, then I decided to check C/Net review again. They compared Nikon against Canon Rebel XT on shutter lag, and Nikon D40 came out looking pathetic on shutter speed. I didn't come across this complaint about Nikon D40 on any other websites (granted, I didn't read all the reviews on Amazon.com, but I skimmed through a lot of them).

Faster shutter speed and shorter lag time (like the good old days with our non-digital SLRs) is the only reason why I am thinking of upgrading to a DSLR now. I really like the Nikon D40, after holding it at Target but wasn't able to try. If you have a Nikon D40, could you please share with me your experience in terms of shutter speed and lag time? I trust your judgement here more than elsewhere since most of us here have younger children, and they do NOT stay still for pictures!

Thank you so much!

Cheers, Lin

http://smilies.vidahost.com/kao/otn/pnkypanda.gif

[BillK]

I have a D50 I'm very happy with - so I can't say much about the D40. Here's DPReview's review of it though (they also review the newer D40x as well). Hope that helps.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40x/

[supercalifragilous]

I just saw @ Costco that they have a Nikon D40x package (including 2 lenses, camera bag, and extra mem card) for $979 (this includes a $20 instant rebate). Not a bad deal considering how much the lenses cost, plus I heard that you can't just buy any lens for this body.

[fattytuna]

I currently do not own a DSLR but I'm also researching on the same topic, D40/D40x vs. Rebel XTi. I have a Canon S40, SD450, and S3. So this will be a very hard switch for me to go with Nikon for a DSLR, which is why I'm also researching it to death.

I usually always go to dpreview.com. But this time I also found another review here on the D40/D40x: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm. There is a paragraph that mentions the shutter speed here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/d40-performance.htm

"Unlike compact cameras, there's no delay when pressing the shutter.

Someone wrote me concerned that some non-photographic tech site complained about a long shutter delay. I didn't read that review, however non-photographer techies often don't know how to use cameras correctly and complain when it's pilot error. Mine doesn't have any delay. Of course the shutter may lock if the flash has to recharge from a very long distance shot (it's usually immediate, and if this is a problem, use an external flash), and of course you need to know to hold the shutter halfway first to let the D40 grab focus, then recompose, and then the shutter goes off the instant you press it the rest of the way. People who try to mash a shutter all the way down at once may see these issues, but you're not supposed to do that. That's the best way to get blurry, poorly composed photos."

There's also something mentioned about AF speed on the 18-55mm II lens that comes with the D40/D40x here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18-55-ii.htm

"AF is silent but not that fast. It is extremely accurate and all my shots have been in perfect focus. Contrast this to the Canon 18-55mm, which focuses almost instantly even on a Rebel, but my Canons sometimes miss the correct focus."

As another post points out, the D40/D40x doesn't have a built-in focus drive motor. So it can auto focus only with lenses which have their own drive motor, which are the newer AF-S and AF-I lenses. So if you own lots of nice, older AF lenses, you might want to consider a D50, which can use any AF lens. You can use the older AF lenses on the D40, but you have to use manual focus.

I walked by the D40x package in Costco but didn't have time to check if the 55-200mm lense is a VR lens or not. I walked by the D40x package in Costco but didn't have time to check if the 55-200mm lense is a VR lens or not. Right now I'm leaning towards the D40 with the kit lens, and spend the extra money on the 55-200mm VR lens and/or an external flash.

Hope this helps.

[tny915]

I just got a D40X last week. I'm by no means a photo guru, but I love this camera. There is no delay when you turn on the camera. It's ready to go as soon as you flip the switch. There's also no lag when you hit the shutter. You press the button, you hear the click -- the picture is instant. I read a bunch of reviews while researching, and I figure people are always going to have something to complain about. As a novice photographer who just wants to take great family photos without an annoying delay, the D40X has been absolutely wonderful for me. I tried out the D40 in the store and it felt very comfortable in my hands and was close to intuitive in figuring out how everything worked. That decided it for me when I was debating between Canon and Nikon. I'm sure that either camera would work for me, but the Nikon just felt better when I held it. It's only been a week, but I am very pleased with the shutter speed and the camera's ability to take pictures of moving targets.

For example, this ride was moving pretty fast when I snapped this pic, thus the reason I had trouble centering the shot in the frame. But the point is, it's completely in focus.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/terri915/2007/DSC_0032.jpg

And my cat never sits still but I was able to get this.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v115/terri915/2007/DSC_0014.jpg

I love how I can take a series of pics by simply holding down the shutter-release button. DH was skeptical of the perks of a DSLR, but he was so impressed the first time he heard the click-click-click of shot after shot. We got great shots of DD blowing a dandelion that we never would've gotten with our old camera.

I took our old point and shoot out over the weekend and it was sooo slow and frustrating to use, now that I've tried a DSLR.

Go for the D40, you'll love it!

Edited for clarification

[fattytuna]

Hi Terri,

May I ask if you were using just the kit lens that came with the camera or did you buy another lens for these pictures?

[tny915]

I took these with the kit lens using the action mode and the auto mode, I think. I still need to learn about the manual settings.

I would like to buy another lens but really can't justify it at this point. I'd like the 50-200mm, or even the 18-200mm, or a macro lens someday. I'm a little concerned that a lens with a long range would add to the bulk and heft of the camera. I'm used to size and weight of our compact digital, so the size of the D40 took a bit of getting used to, though it's definitely very compact for a DSLR. Anyway, the kit lens has been great. There've been a couple times that I've missed the deep zoom of my point and shoot, because the kit lens really doesn't zoom in very much, but I've gotten over it. I've just learned to get closer to DD when taking pics. She's been a great sport about having the camera right up in her face all the time.

[fattytuna]

Thanks for the feedback and thanks for sharing the photo of your moving DD! That was also a great close-up of your kitty cat, by the way. I love photos with a large field of depth where the background is blurry and the shot focuses on DD (which I haven't been able to do a lot with the Canon S3 simply because when it's at max zoom of 200mm, it's very hard to keep it focused and steady on an ever-moving toddler without a tripod). That's why I am debating whether or not to take the plunge and get the 55-200 now or try the kit lens first and see how it works. I think I will try the kit first.