I feel that it's time for an upgrade from the D40, it feels like I'm missing out on a few things like cheaper AF lenses and higher ISO's. I know that I love photography and that I want it to be more then just a hobby, in fact I can't think of anything else I would rather do as a career. So with that I also feel that I need to start taking it more seriously, and I feel that an upgrade will help me do that.

I have two options right now both of which involve me selling my D40 to help fund the upgrade:

1. Get a D90 and (hopefully) not have to upgrade bodies for a looooong time or until I'm making enough money to do so, but I'll be stuck with my 18-105VR for awhile which isn't too bad cause I can always rent faster glass if I really need it or raise the ISO which I really haven't been able to with my D40.

2. Get a D80 and be able to use AF lenses and since I'm not spending as much as I would on the D90 maybe buy another lens or two. The downside is that it will be more like a stepping stone and eventually I will want to upgrade to the D90 so I will probably end up spending more money in the long run. There are also less features I would gain going this route and the ISO seems to be about the same as the D40.

Right now I'm leaning towards the D90 as I believe that a big purchase like that will help focus me on getting my career in photography on it's way and I won't feel like there is any "roof" over my head.

What is your opinion?

 

D90, go big or go home.

I'll even donate $25 via PayPal to the cause

 

Used D300, or used D200.

 

I loved the D200, but the ISO performance was terrible. The D90 was a step up from the 200 in pretty much every way, Only thing I miss is the pro body

 

Good point, whats the price difference these days of a used D300 vs a new D90?

 

Used D90 is going for around $700 and a used D300 around $1,300, that's a bit of a jump lol.

Hey Btuner, is there anything besides the body that you don't like about the D90?

 

It's literally the D300 inside! Just doesn't shoot as many frames/sec. I actually think it did a tad better with iso. But I also need to do the firmware update on mine which should help that.

 

Nope I would have gotten a D300 but the grip alone is $250 and I'll never have another camera without a grip.

I think I paid $850 for my camera body and $150 for the grip, so $1k for the combo, as opposed to $1850 combo for the D300. 2x the price for the same thing is just crazy, but then again the pro body is just like holding a pair of boobs in your hands all day long, it feels great!

I can tell you that the D80 is going to have poor ISO performance and still won't put you at where where you really want to be, which is with the D90. I say just keep saving, its worth it.

 

D90 all the way. I sold my d60 when I got my d90 and my only regret is not doing it sooner. I bought mine new from b&h for $789 shipped and now you can get it for $776 shipped from them. I know everyone swears glass is more important than the body but I could easily tell the difference in image quality of the 2 cameras with the same lens. Do it! you will love it.

 

You seemed to have thought things out a lot nice! I will say this if you are serious about going pro why not hold on to the d40 until you can afford something better that the d90, personally I like the new d300s.

What is the iso difference on the d90 and d40???