i'm going digital. my n80 died (something to do with the internal computer) and so i'm going digital.

i have two lenses (28-80 and 70-300) both nikon lenses that i know will work in the d80 but not in the d40x. so if i went with the d40x i would need to replace both lenses. but i believe i would be able to sell my current 70-300 lens to offset the cost of replacing the lenses i currently have.

which makes the most sense? i mainly do photography of family and friends and some landscape stuff. very amatuer.

any advice is appreciated!
thanks.

go with the D80, it'll feel more like your N80.

Also if you go with the d80, you'll have more lens choices in the future.

thanks for the advice!

i'm itching to get a camera back in my hands since mine's been out of service for over a year. will be a bit rusty, but can't wait to get back into it.

thanks again!

The D80 is definitely a more professional (and more expensive) rig. The D80, in my eyes, is an intermediate/serious camera while the D40x is an entry level camera, although it's a high-end one.

thanks, hickeroar!

i went with the d80 and glad i did. it's awesome. still getting used to it, but love the fact that i can shoot 100 photos in the first few hours of owning it and only keep a third of what i shot!

thanks again everyone!
~m

I like D80 more than D40x;
D40x is only some upgrade from D40

thanks!
~m

I might add:

The D40x is a lousy upgrade from the D40. Most REAL reviewers tell you to get the D40 instead. The D40x produces lower quality images overall and has a lower quality per-ISO setting compared to the D40. Given the choice of D40 or D40x, buy the D40 and spend the $250 you'll save on your lens budget. Megapixels do not equal greatness.

The D80 is an obvious choice over the D40x or D40 if you have the budget for it.

I might add:

The D40x is a lousy upgrade from the D40. Most REAL reviewers tell you to get the D40 instead. The D40x produces lower quality images overall and has a lower quality per-ISO setting compared to the D40. Given the choice of D40 or D40x, buy the D40 and spend the $250 you'll save on your lens budget. Megapixels do not equal greatness.

The D80 is an obvious choice over the D40x or D40 if you have the budget for it.

I hate to disagree, but have you seen any real reviews of the D40X? There is a slight decline in High ISO quality, but that is just a pixel size tradeoff. I shot with one a few days ago and compared to the D200 and D80, the D40x has noticeably better high ISO images and they weren't too far off of the D40 either.

The main thing to remember is that due to the higher ISO, while more noise may show up at 100%, if print sizes are identical at or below the native size from the D40, the X *may* show less visible noise :)

I've read several real reviews. Most of them consist of the normal "This camera is better because it has more megapixels!" drivel.

The SERIOUS reviews seem to prefer the per-ISO image quality of the D40. There ARE downsides to packing a higher number of pixels into the same area. It's rare that there's such a clear-cut comparison like you get in the D40 vs the "x". Usually companies don't produce an identical camera with a higher number of pixels. It usually goes in generations.

All in all, I'm sure the D40x is not in any way a BAD camera. I just think that in THIS case, the user would probably be better off spending the extra saved $250 on a nicer lens than they would have gotten normally. SERIOUS photographers generally are looking more at the D80 and D200 range anyway.