DSLR's... which one do I choose?

[Catlady711]

Thanks everyone! I understand that the Nikon D40 doesn't have AF, which wouldn't be a good thing to go without when my main subjects are Border Collies. I was looking at the Canon XT at the store the other day, and it seems nice. Only, I do crop a lot and know someone who has a Rebel (a photographer) and when she crops, quality is lost.

I don't know who told you the Nikon D40 doesn't have autofocus but they are dead wrong. Here's a link to a site with a review on it and it's plainly obvious from the pix also that there is an Auto/Manual switch on the lens. I can't imagine ANY camera in this day and age NOT having autofocus, although a very few lenses don't have that option but they aren't common.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_...nikon_d40.html
"The D40’s 3-area autofocus system also adds to the camera's overall speed, delivering fast and precise focus under varying shooting conditions. Incorporating Nikon's advanced Multi-CAM 530 AF Sensor Module, the three-area AF system, with central cross-type sensor operation, adds effective new focusing options and ensures greater ability to capture that perfect shot."



As for the photographer friend with the Rebel..

If you have to crop a MAJOR amount (like the dog is the size of a thimble in the pix) and you didn't have a sharp pix to start with, or were using a low resolution setting, then yes there would be a loss of quality. However some people get way too hung up on the RAW vs high quality JPEG format thing and it's possible that's what your friend is talking about. For average users any perceived loss of quality is mostly unnoticed unless you are enlarging by great amounts for printing or web use. This would apply to any DSLR not just a Rebel.

If all you want is a decent pix of your dog you aren't planning on enlarging bigger than a 8x10 or needing to crop to make up for a thimble sized dog in a pix, either the XT, XTi, or the D40 will do just fine. Pick whichever one suits your tastes, budget, and hands.

Incidentally if you aren having problems getting your subjects to fill the frame, a DSLR has interchangeable lenses that you can buy one later that will zoom in closer. Most of the DSLR's kit lenses seem to have a wide angle lens with them, which honestly is great for tight rooms, group shots, and landscapes. Usually if you buy a DSLR with 'body only' it's about $100 cheaper then you can buy whichever lens suits your preference rather than being stuck with a $100 lens you won't use.

[BC_MoM]

Thanks for all that info. I really am considering the Rebel now, as I did like how it felt.

Just Re: the Nikon for a second, the Nikon D40 does not come with the AF. I know someone who has one, and had to buy something to go along with it.

[Jessika]

AF as in auto-focus or the assist-beam?

[BC_MoM]

Sorry, misread.

However, I am looking more at the D80 or D40x as my current lenses will not work with a D40 with the autofocus feature as they do not have a motor on the lens. To me that is a huge downfall with the D40.

Yeah, whenever people ask about the D40 I try to always remind them that it does not have an AF body so the lens HAS to be AF or you will be manually focusing which is no fun for moving subjects!

I found that out with the autofocus and am a bit upset.

[Glacier]

I have a d40. It has autofocus. What it doesn't have is an focus motor built into the camera. The autofocus motor is in the lens. What that basically means is with an old lens you have to focus manual. With a current model lens, the autofocus works exceptionally well. The entire line of Nikkor DX lens will autofocus and do it quickly on a D40.