E420 vs Nikon D40

I am planning to buy my first D-SLR...for the price I can afford, my choices are
- Olympus E420
- Nikon D40 with two lens kit
55-200mm, 18-55mm

What would you recommend?

I'm in the same situation and I'm leaning towards the E420. The reasons:
-It comes with top quality lenses
-It's smaller (for travelling)
-It's newer
-I heard Nikon may be discontinuing the D40 series?

I also am considering the same things... But maybe an E-410 instead, as there is little difference really with the 420...

I tried both the 410 and the D40 side by side... While the D40's auto settings yielded brighter pictures in an indoor/low-light setting, it's focus time was slower than the 410. I really like Nikon's, but I think I'm leaning towards the Olympus, mainly for size.

I used to have a Nikon Pronea 6i (APS small SLR) and it was AWESOME to travel with. The Olympus is basically the same size!

While I was looking at cameras in Circuit City, I handled the Olympus E-510, then the 410. The smaller (410) appealed to me more, but the 510 seemed to fit my hands better. The salesman pointed out the reason was that the 410 had a flatter right front where the handgrip is located on the 510 and he said some complained about it being harder to hold. I can't tell from the photo I saw of the 420 whether it has a handgrip or not, but it may be something to consider. It may or may not be comfortable in your hands.
I am also trying to decide which camera I want, between Olympus or Pentax. I don't know anything about the Nikon except that it is a well-known brand which many people seem to like. Best of luck to you in deciding.

hello i have recently purchased the new olympus e volt 420 - it has a either / or feature due to the mirror configuration of a d SLR . you can take photos thru the optical view finder OR you can take them by setting the photo up on your LCD screen-- it is as i said EITHER/OR-- The same goes for the Nikon D40--- You can not view proposed photo ops on LCD when optical viewfinder mode is on and visa versa . Are all dSLRs like this.?? Yes , to some extent they use mirror lock up systems which preclude the simultanious viewing of subjects on the LCD screen and optical viewfinder. I subjectively find this very exasperating and disconcerting, especially after using GOOD P and S model digicams , that did not black out one or the other viewing tools -- it takes getting used to for sure.The Nikon d SLR has a bigger sensor, but the olympus Zuiko lenses are better than the low end nikon lenses -- the sensor in the EV420 is about 17cm and the one in the nikon 23cm. the nikon costs more, and is heavier. both dSLRs are ungainly with a long lens mattached, such as a telephoto of more than 150mm- the ev 510 is much more expensive than either of the two you mention . the e 410 is obsolesent , and not a good choice ,as the EV 420 makes up for some of its deficeits. The EV420 has instantanious shutter release when using the optical viewfinder mode, not sd when using the LCD mode. too many actions the lens is put thru , to clarify a subject, all taking micro seconds to accomplish-- getting out of P and S means better photos,but they take a lot more work, your equipment is much more bulky and hard to hold , and you can not be non challont in your photo taking, no way you can descretely point a d SLR at a subject clandestently- very obvious ,in your stance, bigger is not better in this case.. changing lens is a hassle and don't do it if it is raining, dusty or windy. minute specs can hound the mirror assembly for ever if they get in when changing lenses. it is a tough call, are you serious about being a pro, then bigger is better, but if you want to be unobtrusive ,and take candid shots and have a pocketable instrument , then the Best P and S will have to do-- The canon GP -9 is a good choice as it the flagship model in the Canon p and S line.. The sensor is about 7cm, much larger than most P and S digicams, but as you can see no match for the 17cm sensor in the EV420 - and there is no instanious shooting w/ any P AND S digicam- the G -9 may be the best of a measely lot.. As you can readily ascertain- it is a trade off.,.hal5141

i have a nikon d40 and my friend has recently purchased the e-420, i was impressed by the e-420 but i think that nikon is still a step ahead, ive had my nikon for about a month now and i am completely satisfied with everything it has to offer,...btw this is my first slr...its got great battery life, alot of options and is great for a beginner in photography, the e-420 is a little cheaper and also has a lot of options but if i had to choose it would definately have to br the nikon d40

I have used both and they are both great cameras. I chose the E420 because I travel a lot and the 420 gave me all the features in a smaller package. The 420 is equal to slightly better in image quality in daylight, with more vibrant color. The D40 is somewhat better at focusing in low light and produces better low light shots if you don't have a tripod. The 420 does not have image stabilization, but that's not important to me and I wouldn't pay more to get it personally - a tripod works much better! Quality wise - the 420 just feels more solid to me but they are both good. My 420 has worked flawlessly through 6 months of pretty rough use. In actual use the battery gives me about 400 shots per charge, but I never use the Live View. I'm sure that would cut battery life. The battery charger requires a long cord, which is a little annoying. A friend with the D40 reports slightly better battery life and a nicer charger. The software in the 420 package is pretty good but I hardly ever use it because I am used to working in Photoshop (CS3).

I have been debating the same question ... Olympus, Nikon, Canon, or Sony. I was leaning towards the Nikon, but have now definitely decided on the Olympus. Then the question became which model ... e410, 420, 510, or 520. I have read hundreds of reviews and been to several camera shops (so I could get different opinions). My choice will be the 420. The main difference between the 410 and 420 seems to be the image stabilization. (410 doesn't have it; 420 does.) The only difference mainly between the 420 and 510 (other than price) is that the 510 offers a little larger viewing screen. To me, the difference is so small that I am not willing to pay the steeper price. I also like that the Olympus puts the image stabilization into the body of the camera instead of the lens. That makes future lens purchases much, much cheaper. (In comparing the same lens, Canon was $600+ while the Olympus is only $200.) Not only is the size of the camera body smaller, but the lenses are also much smaller, which is an attractive feature for me, as well.

i think the d40 is the best.

Surfing on the web there's an excellent photographic site, www.kenrockwell.com , where you can deepen on pros and cons of D40 and the viewpoints, the experience and advises of a professional photographer as is Ken Rockwell , it seems to me an excellent camera for the money, is a very capable camera and can make use of almost all Nikon lenses artillery. My son bought one and is incredible, good pictures, light, you can carry everywhere. I own a D90, I enjoy very much my camera , great photos, very fast camera, but too big and heavy to carry everywhere. So when I need a small and serious camera , I'll borrow it from my son. I have a Nikon P80 but it is only a toy , so I recommend go DSLR right now, the real thing.

Hi I am looking at the e-450 saw the compactness of the e-420 today in a photography store and fell in love with it. My questions are like this, I plan to use a pancake lens with is, and would generally use during the day with a fast shutter speed. Will the lack of image stabilization be a problem? If i were to use it in low light I would certainly always use a tripod of some sorts. Also this newer model has digital image stabilization is it any good. Also if I wanted to use longer lens in the futures are there any compatible lens with IS built in. Many thanks