About to get a D40 - What else do I need?

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Dark Prodigy

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Mar 10, 2006
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As the title states, I'm about to get a Nikon D40 for some entry level dSLR goodness. I'm not a photography enthusiast per se, however I do want to take very nice pics. I take casual pictures of places, mostly outdoor activity and pics of my girlfriend (of 6 years) in various settings outdoors and I use the pics to draw and paint her.

I'm a n00b when it comes to photography of any sort, so I'm asking besides the normal apparatus that comes with the D40, what else do I need? Any general accesories I should be thinking about?
 
a nice protective and easy to carry bag

extra battery

plenty of SD cards

may be a filter???

a book on how to use it and photography tips

lens cloth

and of course...........more lenses
 
For sure an extra battery and two SD cards.

Thom Hogan's ebooks are excellent guides on how to operate your camera.

UV filters are a waste of money. Don't let the salesman talk you into one.

You may want to consider a hotshoe flash - save for the SB800. It can act as a master in a multi flash setup.

Remember that with the D40 the only lenses you can auto focus with are the AFS type (they have their own motor).
 
If you plan on shooting indoors then an external flash, I like my SB600.. An extra battery is always nice because, your battery will decide to die when needed most. While having one or two SD cards is nice, a 2gigcard holds quite a few pics. More glass is always needed. Also maybe a nice tripod depending on your budget.
 
I'd just back up the sentiment of getting a largish memory card. Flash mem is cheap these days (I just got a 4 GB and 2 GB CF card for about $64 combined, 11.5 GB total). Shooting in JPEG mode will get you a lot of photos on a 2 GB card.

You might want additional glass, the 18-200/3.5-5.6 Nikkor would be a great lens for shooting with suitable light, but it is pricey ($700+) so you may not want to spring for one just yet.
A second battery is nice, though I remember reading the D40 can get quite a few shots off on the included battery, but just to be safe if you shoot a lot daily.
Probably a card reader of some sort (though you can connect a USB cable from the camera to your PC and transfer photos that way.

My gear set up right now is...
camera bag - camera - three lenses - memory (3 x 2 GB, 1 x 1 GB, 1 x 4 GB, 1 x 512 GB) - remote - CR2 battery holder
 
I'm looking to take the same plunge sometime soon and I'm going to be buying this set:

eBay: Nikon D40 Digital SLR Camera +18-55mm Lens +2GB NEW USA (item 160126092629 end time Jun-19-07 22:01:55 PDT)

Then I'm eventually going to get this lens:

eBay: Nikon 55-200mm DX VR AF-S G Lens for D40x D2x D100 NEW (item 160127813598 end time Jun-24-07 09:25:43 PDT)

My soon-to-be fiance's dad is a photographer and he thinks this is a good setup for me.

I have to admit that I've never bought from this store before, but their feedback looks good and I like the package that they have with the bag and whatnot. You could probably get a similar package from B&H, too. However, from what I've seen, that should cover most of what you need. Another battery would be a good idea, but I've read on Nikonians.com and on KenRockwell.com that the battery lasts for over a thousand shots per charge.
 
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I'd go with the D40X, the D40 doesn't have AF for some lenses, but that doesn't bother you then go with the D40.
 
edsbar60 said:
I'd go with the D40X, the D40 doesn't have AF for some lenses, but that doesn't bother you then go with the D40.
Click to expand...

The D40 and the D40X are the same exact body but the D40X got a higher megapixel sensor (which also has one step lower on the ISO setting but a slower flash sync, incidentally). Lens compatibility is the same for both.

If you get the D40, it comes with an 18-55mm AF-S lens. Then you can get the 55-200mm VR (make sure it's VR) lens for about $250 and you're set for most regular use.

The only people that should complain about the D40 and D40x not supporting older lenses are people that already have all those older lenses. However, this camera is not aimed at those people. This is aimed at the beginner that's going to end up buying newer AF-S (compatible wtih the D40 and D40x) lenses anyway.

BTW, if it were my money, I don't see the D40x as worth the money. If I wanted to spend more than the D40, I'd just get the D80.
 
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