Korean Job Discussion Forums

[samantha27]

I was pretty much set on a D40. Im brand new to DSLR's and was talking to a friend who knows alot about cameras. She suggested I check out the D70's as they are selling pretty cheap right now and the price has come down alot?

Thoughts? Should I just stick to the D40? I've read it's the best camera for 'beginners'

[ppcg4]

The D70 is older than the D40. They both have the same number of megapixels. I'm not sure which lens you'll be getting with yours, but it will likely be 18-55mm ff/3.5-5.6.

If I am correct, the D70 comes in a kit with an 18-70mm lens.

The D70 is a pretty old camera. It was introduced in 2004. The D40 is newer and MUCH smaller. Take a look at both when you go to pick yours up. I have a D50 and it's smaller than the D70, but much larger than the D40.

The D40 however doesn't have an autofocus motor in the camera, which means you can only use lenses that have their own autofocus motor in them. That's not much of a problem since most new lenses have them, but if you have old lenses lying around (which you likely don't since you mentioned that you're a newbie), you can use them too. I've used a 30 year old lens on my D50. It was a trip.

Here's a site with some comparison photos:

http://brickblog.net/2006/12/15/photos-d40-vs-d70

If I were you, I'd get the D40. It has all of the featues of the D70, but it's smaller and newer. I believe it also shoots faster, but I may be wrong.

If you need a primer on SLR photography, send me a PM and I can send you one of the lessons I did for my ESL students at my university.

[SeoulnPepe]

The D40's image technology is worlds better than the D70.

The D40 produces brighter and punchier colors, and it doesn't have the underexposure problems or noise issues of the D70.

What you have to consider when comparing these two is do you want DiII/HSM/AF-S lenses or do you want regular AF/AF-D lenses? Only the D70 will auto-focus the latter.

If you're interested in shooting MF focus or pre-AI glass, then the D40 is the better choice, as the D70 won't mount pre-AI glass.

[oskinny1]