Which SLR between these two?

[mithcol1234]

Hi I am looking to buy a SLR camera to pursue an interest in photography. I have come down to the Nikon D40 and the Canon EOS 1000D. I just cant decide which to get. My experience in this field is limited so please help me pick.

Thank you for your time

[Dennis_Vied]

It's really tough to make a judgement on features alone. You really need to look beyond the specific models, such as do you have any other equipment which would be compatible with either model, or do you have access to someone else's equipment.

When you buy into a particular make and model, you are reallyl buying into a system, since you would like to build on your initial investment by broadening out your equipment as you gain expertise in photography, and generally speaking, one would want to stay with a particular brand for compatibility purposes. The good news is, since you are starting out, you don't have anything that you already own that you have to buy compatability with.

Either the Nikon or the Canon will give you entree into a formidable system with virtually unlimited capabilities, if you decide to pursue the hobby more intensely.

Now for specifics, either model is late enough in age that its technology is sufficiently advanced to give you superb images. One is almost forced to nit pick on the limitations of models, rather than the strengths. The Nikon D40, for instance, does not have a built-in focusing motor, and must rely on AF-S type lenses for autofusing purposes. If you had older lenses that require this feature, the D40 would not be a good choice for you, but since you are starting out, you can buy new lenses which are compatible with the D40. For the Canon, it isn't a problem because most of the recent Canon lenses are AF-S anyway. This doesn't make any difference to you because you don't already have any lenses to be affected by this decision, (an assumption on my part).

If I were you, I would scour all the on-line forums for past equipment threads on the Nikon and Canon equipment to try to get a feel for customer satisfaction with either system. Check both systems for service experience.

Once you've done that, then make a decision which brand you want to go with, THEN decide which camera model will work best for you.

Also, when you reply, please use your real name to comply with forum rules. You can append it to your message as a signature if you like.

[David_Buzzard]

I wouldn't go with the D40, it almost four years old and recently been discontinued. It has that old 6MP chip in it that was the bomb back when the Nikon D1x was king of the hill, but it's definitely long in the tooth now. My Dad bought a D60 after using a Nikkormat for 40 years, and he loves it.

I try to stay away from the Nikon v. Canon thing as much as I can, but I do think that Nikon has the edge in the consumer grade cameras. In the end, it really comes down to what you feel comfortable with, and what your budget will allow.