[Dave]

With the announcement of the Nikon D40X ( Nikon release the D40X ) , how do members feel it will compare against the Canon 400D ?

Compare Prices for Nikon D40X in USA & in UK
Compare Prices for Canon 400D / Rebel XTi in USA & in UK

Some other threads that may help :-

Canon 350D vs 400D / Rebel XTi
URGANT - Nikon D70s or Canon 400D / Rebel XTi

[Soupdragon]

From what I have read, it will not match the 400D on feature set in fact, it looks for all the world like a P&S with slr styling.
3 focus areas, what's that all about?
The GUI looks good, I can see that going up to the higher levels models.
Did not see a vertical grip on the accessories page, that'll be a downer if the cam is as small as they say.
All that said, if the price point is below the 400D as a kit? it will certainly impact canon sales as most all of the Nikons are better finished (from a cosmetic viewpoint).
On a market strategy point, this is probably Nikons best move yet. It would be nice to see a D300 and D3X soon as Canon have also played the leapfrog game as well.

[stepheno]

But...as amateur photographers are becoming more learmed and discerning will they not think that the D40X is too low for an entry point DSLR?

[Soupdragon]

I am sad enough to frequent places like LCE and Jessops high street stores and tend to eavesdrop conversations between shoppers and sales assistants.
Many people think they know all about cameras after they have owned one for a short period of time and the sales assistants love these people.
The short end of it is, people looking at the D40, D40X and the 400D generally don't have a clue what they want or what they will do with it when they have got it.
The ad campaign is all bar over for the 400D and high street stores plus the interweb will be pushing the D40X to the front of the shelves.
The logic the shopper applies is "It's newer, so it must be better"
So yes, I expect to see a gazillion D40X toting Grandparents, Aunties & Parents this spring/summer sticking their kit lenses into the faces of hapless candy floss coated children, and I'll bet not one of them moves the dial off the green square setting.

[andy_elliott@hotmail.com]

We all have to start somewhere Mr (or Miss!) Soupdragon...good pics first....learn to use the fancy features second...thats gonna be my policy. Then I can upgrade one day when I'm as good as you obviously claim to be.
Happy days

ps: I'm free was a great, underestimated hit for you in the
early 90's...love it!!

[Dave]

Well some of the deals on the Canon 350D (cheap as £250 incl kit lens) at the moment make it the perfect 1st DSLR for anyone.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by andy_elliott@hotmail.com

We all have to start somewhere .....good pics first....learn to use the fancy features second...thats gonna be my policy.

Spot on. I'm happy for the camera to do all the "auto" stuff for me most of the time ....... no point having it , if you don't use it As I've gained more experience I have learnt when the Auto fuction might not be able to cope with a situation, or I might be trying to get an effect that the auto fiunction will try to over ride. Then I switch to manual , or other programe modes accordingly. One step at a time as they say

[peteer01]

My thoughts on the D40 and D40X in a nut shell: "This fits my wife's hands well."

The D40 is way too tiny for me, but as the owner of a D80 (which my wife thinks is pretty big and heavy to carry around) we were seriously contemplating picking up a D40 for her, since it would allow us to do photography together, using the same lenses, and she doesn't need any of the missing features, and it fits her hands very well.

Also, if they are getting people that would have gone with a bridge camera otherwise, they're that much more likely to stick with Nikons in the future once they have Nikon lens(es).

(My wife and I passed on the sale just before the D40X came out, because, as she said, if the time comes that she decides she really wants a SLR for her so we can go shoot together, there'll be something better or cheaper. With the 18-55 lens, I think it would have been about $420 US?)

[Dave]

Good points there Peter. Great idea to have a his & hers DSLR of same brand, so you can share the lenses....although you know you'll argue over the same one when out

I think your spot on re the lenses. Draw people in with the cheaper body , let them build up the lenses, then they are unlikely to jump ship from that brand. Sneaky devils

[Digigirl]

Hi there I own a canon 350D and at this moment using a Nikon D40X as I want to try out the other side of the fence.
The 350D images are less noisy than the new 400D I feel the one thing to make the
350D perfect would be a large view screen. As for the Nikon D40X it is a fantastic camera the noise levels for a 10 mpx are slightly better than the D80 it has lots of manual and custom settings for the experienced user and the novice alike I have used the 400D but I must admit I prefer the Nikon. I am sure I will get those who disagree.

[Dave]

Tx for the description of differences you have found Have you owned all these cameras ? Luckily most of our members aren't in to bashing brands, as we've come to realise most DSLR's are excellent these days

Did you find the D40x similar in size to the 350D then ?

[bellymungo]

I had tried the 400d in November last year and found it to be too small for me, then the D40 came out 6 meg sensor ok, but it is larger than the Canon. The handgrip was better on the Nikon. There are a few function that would be helpful ie;dof button at least, but being digital you can view your images to check this, all a bit ponderous but not a big problem the dust off system so far not been as beneficial as expected . Know the 40x has 10 meg with a larger sensor than 400d must mean less noise, quality on the D40 is very acceptable with the 6 meg sensor, so the extra has to be an improvement in the quality but must be the true limit of a sensor a the size.

Regards

David

[Dave]

Tx for that Bellymungo