canon 400D/xti vs nikon d40x

I am trying to find out which is the best camera to buy, the Canon XTi or the Nikon D40X. If I talk to a Canon fan I get all the good points on the XTi and with a Nikon fan all the good points of the D40X. Of course they both go to the higher end Canon's or the higher end Nikons. The Nikon person claims the Nikon lenses are better as they have better glass (not talking about the Canon L lenses) and the lenses have a larger diameter which lets in more light (a good thing). The D40X seems to be a much quiter camera when it comes to focusing but the Canon guy says the Canon focuses faster. The Canon has a 9 point auto focus system and I can't seem to find out what the Nikon has. The Nikon still focuses very fast and I have no real way of knowing which is faster. The Canon has an automatic dust removal system and a auto-focus motor in the camera and also in the lenses. The Nikon has them just in the lenses although I have heard they are going to put one in their camera body also. I am starting to get really confused as to which is the better camera. I have found websites with supposedly a side by side comparison but they don't really have very many reviews on the Nikon. One guy said look at all the white lenses at the sporting events (Canon L lenses) that has to tell you something. National Geographic seems to support Canon. One person said both are good cameras take your choice can't go wrong either way. I still would like to know which one is better, which one focuses faster, which one has better glass (compare apples to apples for me (I can't afford the L glass--and I am sure Nikon has a really high end lens also). The auto dust removal system sounds very interesting, also their auto dust removal software system if there is dust that wasn't removed previously and Nikon doesn't have this. The Nikon people say it is no big deal. Reviews I have read said that dust is a problem and are glad to see Canon finally admitted the problem and addressed it. I have read reviews that say the lenses that come with the kit packages aren't very good and they buy the auto focus lenses which are a little more money. Any help you anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated. It looks like with the proper auto focus lenses (according to the sales people) kit lens plus 70-300 IS USM or VR ED AFS DX lenses I am looking at around $1250 for the Nikon and $1340 for the Canon. I am really starting to get confused. I really do need some honest help. Thanks
Bud In Spokane

Hello,

just few tips here. You need to look lenses and cameras separately. For example, you ask how fast a camera focuses. But it depends on lens and light more than on a camera. I have Nikon D50 but I don't think than Nikon is better than Canon or vice versa. Again, everything depends on how much you can spend for lenses. Yes, the lenses that come with kits are not very good. But according to your budget you can not afford Nikon or Canon brand lenses anyway. Because a good Nikon lens itself costs over $1000. So I would look for after market stuff. Sigma 17-70mm 2.8 macro lens costs around $350 for example. And it will certainly do much better job than the Nikon or Canon cheap kit lenses.

Thanks,
Bought the Nikon d40x with two Nikor lenses. VR

Well done!
Enjoy it!

Hi,Congrats on your new camera, would you plz tell me which two lenses you bought with your D40X and are u satisfied with your choice over all, lenses included.:)

8 MEGS ,10,12? WHAT DOES IT TAKE FORE A GOOD 16X20

BUY WHAT YOU CAN AND DONT GET LED ON IN THE MEGAPIX GAME .BOTH CAMERAS WILL PERFORM GRATE SO GO OUT AND ENJOY

Alan Schamber, man , you need to be fair and neutral...just go to a Nikon fans club.

I bought a D40x with a 4g SD Fast Card, SB-400 flash, and 55-200mm VR Nikon Lens (B&H). I have taken over 3000 images in less than 6 weeks, and LOVE the gear. Canon is more popular, especially these days in digital - but I'll take a Nikon (reputation/tradition) over a Canon any day.

Hey Budinspokane, 5 months later, how do you like your gear? I got my D40x with the 18-200VR lens last month and 500 pics later, could not be happier. Will add an SB-400 flash, but that's about it for a while.

great tips.... i think i should go for Nikon D40x..... my confusion solved now! thanks....

I was in the same dilemma and found myself getting the Nikon D40x over the Canon xti. Quality wise the nikon had a superior body and felt solid. As for the Canon xti, it felt cheap aswell as the lens kit. Picture wise the Nikon was sharper than Canon.

im considering both aswell im also new to the dslr thing but want to buy one that will keep my satisfied while i learn for a while. I have been put off the niKon d40x slightly as ive read many magazine reviews and they are saying the menu can be a bit tedious everytime you need to adjust settings and can get a bit annoying with it being so set up for beginners it recons that after youve used it a few times going into the menu's can get a bit annoying. Im also looking at the canon 400d, the magzine reviews recon its a better and less tedious setup for changing settings whilst shooting. Other than that i think both camera's are pretty much on a par, so im not sure but considering spending the extra cash and getting myself the samsung gx-10,(almost identical to the pentax k10d but cheaper), seems to be superior bit of kit and at not to much extra money.

This is all very helpful information thanks for that

Interesting info guys. Nice to see a forum not totallly favouring Canon for a change!

Was deliberating over the 400D / D40X for a while. Just bought the D40X (plus kit lens) and have no regrets (though thats only after a few days of use.....). Both are highly capable pieces of kit, but I think it's critical to actually try both out before comitting to one. I found the Nikon was slightly smaller and lighter and felt more "streamlined" to hold. The only significant things i preferred about the Canon was the inclusion of the self-cleaning function. Dust will build up on the sensor over time if you are often changing the lenses, and I'm not looking forward to manually cleaning mine! Nikon could definitely benefit by having their own version integrated.
The other point would be that you have to purchase auto focus lenses for the Nikon, limiting the variety of lenses available (plus they tend to be more expensive) - a definite advantage for the Canon if you're intending on buying several lenses (not a problem for me, as not planning on going mad on that front).
A major advantage in my eyes is the superiority of the 18-55ml Nikkor kit lens over the Canon. I'm sure it's not as bad as ppl say, but the Nikkor is definitely better. I purchased the Sigma 55-200ml lens and am seriously impressed with the quality and speed of autofocus. Its seriously quick!
Bearing in mind these 2 lenses will probably cover all my needs, the choice to get the D40X was a no-brainer. However, if your budget is bigger and may cover more lenses, the Canon may be the better choice.....

There aren't many autofocus lenses available right now for the d40x are there?

Im brand new to photography...

See for yourself -

http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5

AF means autofocus, obviously - so there's quite a few. As some ppl mentioned, they may be pricey.. but on the other hand, if you're not into extreme-range sniping of rare bird species etc. you should be perfectly fine with stock 18-55mm + maybe VR 55-200 Nikkor lens which should cover more distance and give you the ability to take nice long range pics without the need to lay down a tripod.

No novelty here, the choice between canon and nikon is down to your long-term lens buying plans and own 'feel' for the camera.

I got a D80 and a 50/1.4 nikorr and a sigma 17-70
but i dont like the sigma.
nikon rocks

Sorry, my mistake mark - the D40x does not have an internal drive motor, so it will only autofocus the AF-S and AF-I lenses from the abovementioned list. You can use other lenses as well, but they'd have to be focused manually. That limits the possibilities slightly, I admit. But what do I know :) I intend on buying one soon, I read a whole bunch of reviews and I'll try to play with one in electronics shop. The kit lens + VR zoom lens should be enough as I'm only starting with digital photography.

Anyway, good luck in your purchase :)

I've had the same problem, I've spoke to people about which one I should buy...they all said 400d was better, but Nikon have over all had better a lens. I liked the 400d but it wasn't that comfortable to hold and was noisy!!

I've used a D50 up until now owned by my workplace. One guy said to me today that even the D50 was better than the D40x apart from having more pix! He suggested Olympus 410...wasn't keen on not having a hand grip but the 510 had this, anyone know if this is a step up from the D40x?

Also I know the 350d was replaced by the 400d but was this rated any better? Confused now more than ever, I'm wanting a enthusiasts camera but on a beginners budget!...P.S D80 was very heavy!

I think the olympus 410 and 510 have a sensor which is smaller than the Nikon's DX format sensor.

I have a D40x and a SB400 flash. The SB400's performance is bad than the inbuilt flash , except in the wide angle .

Hi Alan Schamber and Ardi Ounapuu for all of your help. I never did answer Fatemeh's question as I didn't get back to this site after my questions were answered. I did get the Nikon D40x as you all know. I love the camera and it takes very good pictures. I very seldom have to adjust color and lighting with photoshop, that part is wonderful. when I bought the camera it came with a 18 to 55 mm lens and I added a Nikor 70 to 300 mm lens. It is a very good lens and with the VR I have taken some wonderful shots of birds (Eagles, Great Blue Herons, Osprey etc) and they have come out crystal clear. The 10 megapixels allows me to crop very tightly and that makes it even better. Later on I purchased the Nikor 18 to 200 mm lens and that I use most of the time as it does pretty much everything in one small package and makes for a good all around lens. I use the 300 when I need and love that lens. The 18 to 55 mm hardly gets used any more mainly because of the 18 to 200. Have no complaints with any of the equipment. My wife wanted a little point and shoot (although the D40x is a small camera, she wanted smaller and of course doesn't like packing all that equipment around (I have a Tamrac velocity 8x and it is a very nice and convenient way to carry the equipment). I did a lot of research and settled on the Nikon coolpix P80. It is a very wonderful piece of equipment, my wife loves it, it takes excellent pictures and again I don't have to adjust the pictures in photoshop as far as color and lighting. I tried to answer Fatemeh's question about the lenses but don't know how to contact her and so am hoping that someone reading this posting can pass the information on. It has been so long that the question is probably moot. I would just like to add that all the lenses I have are great and the 18 to 200 is not only convenient but is fantastic. A great all around lens and well worth the money. I get some pretty good deals at Huppins in Spokane (one the internet I believe it is called one call or something like that) and another good place is buydig.com If any one knows how to get this information to Fatemeh I would appreciate it. Thanks again Ardi and Alan.

Hi gdieter

Love my equipment. No complaints. Get some wonderful pictures and have the 18-200 VR just like you. It is fantastic. I need to get another flash--should have bought the Nikon flash but tried to save money--it cost me in the long run. Take care and sorry I am so late on the reply. Don't know how to get this to you directly so if someone does, pass it on. Thanks again to everyone who has helped me.