Photography

My Nikon D40x arrived via UPS late this afternoon. It’s very easy to set up, and in a few minutes I was able to use the automatic mode, which is just as simple as a point and shoot camera. I haven’t finished reading the manual, so I’m still not familiar with all of the features.

After using standard point and shoot digital cameras for about 10 years, this is a big step up. Even in auto mode the picture quality is fantastic. It’s also very fast. I can start taking pictures almost immediately when I turn it on, and there’s almost no delay before it’s ready to take another picture.

This is the first picture I took with it, probably the clearest picture I’ve ever taken of Midnight’s face.

Today I tried out a Canon Digital Rebel XTi and a Nikon D40x and I found that I prefer the D40x. The lowest price I found locally is $749, but after checking prices online I found it for $674 from 42nd Street Photo, including 3 day shipping. I should have it by the end of the week.

I’ve been looking for a new camera to replace my Canon A75. Until now I’ve always owned Canon cameras and I was thinking of an A630, but after looking at several other brands, I’m now planning to buy a Nikon. I’ve narrowed my choice down to two models: the Coolpix S7C and Coolpix L5, although I’m leaning towards the L5. Both are 7 megapixel and have very similar features. I really like the S7C’s slim and lightweight design and the 3″ display. I don’t really think I’d be using the Wi-Fi feature too much, so I don’t really care too much about it. The L5 has 5X optical zoom vs. the S7C’s 3X and it uses standard AA batteries, which is what I really liked about the Canon A75. However the L5 is almost as big as the A75 although it’s lighter and less bulky.