Live view version of Nikon D40

[flatpopely]

I have a D40 and it does all I want except it doesn't have a live view screen.

I like the Nikon feel and it's really well made for a plastic bodied entry DSLR.

Would the D90 give me the same but with live view?

 

[Heath]

I would expect the D90 to feel more solidly built than the D40 - it's bigger and significantly heavier than the D40, but it will do all that your D40 does and more. The D90 is from the D70/D80 level cameras, so has the built in AF motor for lenses that don't have one built in. I'd say the D5000 is more in line with the D40 for weight, size and build quality. I currently have both a D70 and a D5000 (shameless plug: they're both for sale in the classifieds) and I prefer the size and weight of the D5000, but the D70 feels more solid.

As for Live View, yes the D90 has it, but there are limitations. When using LV, the camera only uses contrast detection for autofocus, not phase detection, which means autofocus is slower than normal and I've found the camera can hunt around before locking on. I've also found that it easily loses focus if your subject moves around. The reason I bought the D5000 was primarily for Live View. I opted for the D5000 over the D90 because the D5000 has an articulating screen, so you can use Live View while holding the camera at chest/waist height - there's no way I'd be holding a big SLR at head height while using the LCD as a viewfinder.

dpreview has a comparison of the D90 and D5000

Heath

 

[flatpopely]

Thanks for the info, I'll take a look at the D5000 you have for sale.

 

[Heath]

I don't want to appear to be pushing the stuff I have for sale in the classifieds, but as you're happy with your D40, another option would be the Zigview that I'm selling. This clips onto the viewfinder and relays the viewfinder image onto an LCD screen. The benefit of this is your camera maintains its phase detection autofocus. The downside is it's not as convenient as having the live view built in the camera. It does provide other functionality though, such as automatically taking a shot when it detects movement in front of the lens (great for camera shy wildlife) and taking a series of shots at set time intervals. I bought this to provide live view functionality with my D70 and it works well, but you can't really carry your camera round with it attached, so it can be a bit of a faff if you use live view a lot.

You're welcome to come and have a play with the Zigview on your D40 and live view on the D5000 if you can get over to Lancaster.

Heath