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Why I didn't go for the Nikon D40x

No image? Click here to attempt opening it in a new window The Nikon D40x was a camera that was released four months after the original D40. It was built so that those that felt that they need more than 6 MP will have the camera they want. It is priced to be in direct competition with Canon's EOS 400D. It wasn't intended to be a replacement model, just a “big brother” version of the D40.
Note: This isn't an article written to justify my purchase. Read the post's title. It's an article about why I didn't buy the D40x instead.

Besides a few internal differences, the D40x is identical to the D40. It uses the exact same body, the same screen, the same menus and interface, and all the things which made the D40 such a great camera. In fact the only external difference is the badge.

Below are the most significant differences between the two: - 10 megapixel CCD sensor (D40 has 6 MP)
- 3fps (D40 shoots at 2.5fps)
- Lowest ISO of 100 (D40's lowest is ISO 200)
- Lm100 (€235 or £160) more expensive
- Flash x-sync: The D40 is one of the few dSLRs that can sync the flash right up to 1/500. The D40x, D80 and higher can only sync up to 1/200.
- Slightly noisier shutter. Above 1/100 the D40 uses a silent electronic shutter, while the D40x uses a mechanical shutter right till 1/4000. This is the reason for the D40's higher x-sync speed.

One of the reasons that I like the Nikon D40 is because it has a relatively low pixel count. More megapixels mean worse image quality, given the same sensor size and tech. Anyway, 4 more MP isn't that big a deal. While 10 MP sounds like almost double 6 MP, in fact it isn't. It is only a 22% increase. In order to double the resolution of 6 MP, you would need a 24 MP camera.

Having more MP is a good idea if you plan on making huge prints and viewing them with your nose touching the print. 6 MP is more than enough to print beautifully up to A3 size, and even A2 with some work. Who prints that big anyway? Not the average D40(x) user anyway.

Shooting at 3 fps compared to 2.5 fps is a non-issue. 0.5fps will not make a big difference. Get yourself a 9/11fps Nikon D3 if you're serious about continuous shooting(RRP Lm5,000).

Going down to ISO 100 would have been very important if it was a compact camera (they suck at anything above ISO 100), but the D40's ISO performance is so good, you won't miss ISO 100.

All in all, the D40x just wasn't worth the Lm100 premium for me.

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Sony N1: Overview

I have a Sony N1, and have published an extensive review.

Go to the review now

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N1 has been replaced by the 10-megapixel N2. Besides the megapixel difference, the two cameras are almost identical. The N1 is still a good camera, and should still be available in some stores.

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Back in October 2005, Sony announced a new range a ultra-compact digital cameras: the N-series. Their first model was the compact and unique 8 megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-N1. It has a rather high price tag, and so the camera was aimed mostly above budget-level, for non-photographers who want great pictures and be able to show them off with everyone. The N-series slots in nicely above the ultra-compact T-series yet below the bridge-type H-series cameras from Sony.

This type of camera was designed with the consumer in mind. It has a large, bright, wide viewing angle, high resolution screen. Just perfect for showing off the pictures and movies you've taken.

Who should buy a Sony N1?

The camera is targeted towards casual snappers who are looking for a good looking, reliable camera for memories' sake. It isn't really designed to be used by a demanding photographer.

However in my review, I concluded that the image quality and manual controls meant that the N1 can punch above its weight. I'd say you could use it for high resolution landscapes and other still subjects.

Key Features

- Large, high-resolution LCD. Sony's Clear Photo® LCD technology.
- Touch screen operation.
- 8.0 effective megapixel Super HAD™ CCD.
- Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar 3x Lens.
- ISO range from 64 to 800.
- MPEG video recording at VGA (640x480) resolution at 30 fps.
- Built-in album function allowing storing of up to 500 photos.
- Slideshow with Music.

Community

You can view thousands of photos taken with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N1 on its camera page on Flickr. You can view all the photos I've taken with the Sony N1 in my Flickr portfolio. There is also a Sony DSC-N1 group on Flickr.

There are some more photos taken by the Sony DSC-N1 at PBase.

Reviews

The N1 has a few major reviews.

Click here to view an in-depth review of the Sony N1

  • DC Resource's Review (by Jeff Keller). Jeff's enjoyable tone takes you through an honest, balanced review.
  • megapixel.net's review. A detailed review full of product shots and example pictures. A little tedious to read through.
  • Yahoo! Shopping - User Reviews. The quality is obviously dubious, but it's still worth reading a few of the reviews (36 at the last count).
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    Sony N1 Review: (Part 6 of 6)

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    A detailed real-world review of the Sony N1 compact digital camera.

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    What I liked:

  • AF in good light is pretty good.
  • Impressive battery life.
  • Manual mode, and a proper Program mode.
  • Adjustments over Saturation, Contrast and Sharpness.
  • Nice big screen. Sharp in playback. Not so sharp in record mode.
  • Great implementation of Spot focus; just touch where you want in focus.
  • High ISO shots not terrible, they clean up nicely.
  • 8 megapixels means a lot of detail.
  • Pocket-sized for spur-of-the-moment shooting.
  • Stylish metal body; very good overall build quality
  • Pleasing overall performance, WB and colour both quite good.

  • What I didn't really like:

  • Downright miserable continuous shooting.
  • Red AF-assist lamp is very annoying (turn it off).
  • Contrast-detect AF hunts in low light.
  • Blown highlights.
  • No handgrip, handles like a bar of soap.
  • Touch-screen is flashy, but not as good as hard buttons.
  • LCD extremely prone to fingerprints and smudges. No protective filter.
  • Poor lens. Not very wide (38mm equiv.), and slow at full zoom (f/5.4)
  • No custom WB
  • Deleting an image takes long and is cumbersome

  • Conclusion

    I didn't have very high hopes for the Sony N1. Often, these compacts tend to be compromised photographic tools that put form over function. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised.

    After testing the N1 extensively, plus 6 months of experience with it, I can say that its image quality at lower ISOs exceeds its price and competes very well with higher-end cameras. Its images are sharp, contrasty, with heaps of detail and great colour. Truly class-leading performance. Despite this, I somehow wasn't completely satisfied. They still had that certain "digital look".

    The decent startup time, acceptable focusing speed, good build quality, and slim profile means it's pretty well suited to street photography. Fortunately the N1 has a Manual exposure mode. This, for me, is a huge advantage over some other compacts in a similar price range.

    However, one thing struck me about the Sony. As nice as it is, I'll never grow to love this thing. It isn't really "photographer's camera". Pick up the N1 and you'll immediately notice that there's no grip. You'll then notice that there's no viewfinder. This camera was designed to be held at arm's length.

    Using the menus and the interface further enhances the feeling that this is not really well-suited to photographers. For example, adjusting exposure in Manual mode means touching an arrow on screen. Selecting ISO is a real chore.

    Sometimes, I felt like I was fighting the camera to get it to work the way I wanted it to. Even after using it for a long time, the lack of buttons is still a bitter pill to swallow.

    On the other hand, the Sony N1 can really sing. I can recommend this camera to social snappers as well as (very) patient photographers. Its image quality at lower ISOs can sell by itself for me.

    OVERALL RATING: 6.5 / 10

    Recommended

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    Sony N1 Review: (Part 5 of 6)

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    A detailed real-world review of the Sony N1 compact digital camera.

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    ISO Performance Test

    Confused what the ISO really means for photos? Click here for an in-depth explanation.

    The ISO section of any review will undoubtedly be the one most people are interested in. Ironically this is the section of very little importance. While it's true that high ISO noise can be detrimental to a photo, I've never encountered a situation where the noisy photos have been completely unworkable.

    Click here to view 100% crops of the test results. So, without further ado, here we go.

    - ISO 64: At base ISO there's no noise whatsoever. The photos have very rich colour and tonality.

    - ISO 100: The same can be said for ISO 100. There's no noise to speak of.

    - ISO 200: A bit of colour noise mixed with some moderate luminance noise. It's not too bad though and easily usable. There's a hint of noise reduction on the finest detail.

    - ISO 400: Usable, but not great. There's some strong noise reduction and colour mottling, combined with a loss of detail.

    - ISO 800: Needs some noise reduction software. The output is soft and fine detail is completely removed. There artifacts everywhere. No idea why there's a greenish tint.


    I guess I'd use ISO 800 in a pinch. But most of the time I'd like to stay at ISO 200 and below for the best quality. At ISO 400 and up we begin to see a rapid decline.

    This isn't a bad performance for a small 1/1.8" sensor but it simply pales in comparison to any decent digital SLR.

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    Sony N1 Review: (Part 4 of 6)

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    A detailed real-world review of the Sony N1 compact digital camera.

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    Detail

    I placed the plastic model against a white background. I wanted to see its level of detail capture. Lighting was artificial. Auto WB made a mess of it, so what you're seeing is a colour-corrected version.

    The macro shot is very detailed, and contrast is excellent. Highlights are pretty well controlled for a compact - look at the paperclips. The image quality is worst at the edge of the frame. Look at the paper clips (purple fringing & corner softness).


    Distortion

    A simple test to see if the N1 would distort straight lines. At 38mm it produces around 4.5% barrel distortions. That's a lot. On the other end of the zoom range, there isn't really any distortion to worry about.


    Colour (subjective)

    The colour output from the Sony N1 was quite pleasing. Images are bright, contrasty and saturated. The default saturation level clips channels so I'd turn it down a notch.


    White Balance

    The Sony N1 has a total of 6 white balance presets. Automatic White Balance proved to be fairly reliable in good light, it had a warm tone in daylight. Indoors it's a different story. I badly missed a custom white balance option. The output was very warm and had an orange cast.

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    Sony N1 Review: (Part 3 of 6)

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    A detailed real-world review of the Sony N1 compact digital camera.

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    Manual Mode

    I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Sony N1 offers a few useful of manual controls. I can set the exposure settings manually, hurrah! However I missed being able to set a custom WB. The N1's Auto WB indoors sucks.

    If I was surprised to find a couple of manual controls, I was amazed to find that the N1 offers control over saturation, contrast, and sharpness. By setting them all at their lowest setting, I was getting very reasonable JPEGs, which were able to take decent amounts of processing before breaking up. Another kudos to Sony.


    Focus mode

    There's something a little bit special hidden in the N1's focus modes. There's no manual focus. There's the basic AF which everyone is used to, and there's a distance guessing game.

    If you choose to use the basic AF, then you'll find you can optionally AF using a choice deceptively called "Spot". Basically, touch where you want in focus. This works great for landscape work on a tripod. This is one of the Sony's best features, for the instant DOF preview makes it all work perfectly.


    Speed

    In general, the N1 proved to be a decently snappy camera. It only sucks badly in continuous shooting mode, where it managed to shoot at just 0.9fps. Bugger. Switch it on and be prepared to wait around 1.7 seconds. Switch it off in around the same time. Not too bad.

    While the N1 isn't the fastest thing in the world, if you take your time when shooting you'll never find its speed to a real problem. If on the other hand you're a split-second kind of guy, steer well clear. Focus times were average.


    Battery Life

    Battery life is another area where the camera shines. I can pop off 300-400 shots before it needs a charge. Great performance, considering how much of a battery drain that screen must be.

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    Sony N1 Review: (Part 2 of 6)

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    A detailed real-world review of the Sony N1 compact digital camera.

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    Build Quality

    The N1 is made mainly out of metal which is cold to the touch. It has a feeling of luxury and exclusivity as soon as you pick it up. However the battery/card door is made out of flimsy plastic. The sides and top are also made of plastic by the way, not that you'd notice. Overall, very good build quality. Mine has a mark on the bottom, the metal is slightly dented, but that's only because of my negligence.


    Design

    The N1 looks and feels very nice. Sony seem to have taken cues from Apple's design. The front is a sort of texture - concentric circles radiating from the lens. A nice effect. On the top of the camera there's the shutter release and power button, as well as the microphone. On the sides, there is the battery/card compartment. The botton of the camera shows the cable socket, and the tripod thread. The thread isn't aligned with the centre of the lens, which sucks for panoramic work.

    The back is slightly busier, but not much. It is dominated by the 3.0" screen. There is a little 3-way switch, that toggles between movie-mode, still camera shooting, and playback. Towards the top-right there is the very small zoom rocker, and near the bottom are two discreet buttons.

    The Sony N1 tries very hard to look welcoming and non-intimidating to the average newbie. There are very little external controls (sadly), but as a result it's a treat to look at.


    Handling

    Handling in one of the Sony N1's bad sides. It handles similar to a bar of soap. The camera has no external controls and no hand grip whatsoever. You're going to have to fumble through the menus to change any settings. Granted, the menu system is easy to get used to, and interaction using the touch screen soon becomes easy. However it never begins to feel intuitive.

    The camera seems to have been designed to repel as much user-involvement as possible ("Leave it to me sir, I know what I'm doing").

    In use, you get the feeling that the menu wasn't designed by photographers. It takes 4 screen touches to delete an image. However in fairness the menu itself is fairly quick, and you don't really leave your subjects waiting too long. The touch screen interface is a little faster than up/down/left/right buttons here.


    LCD screen

    Possibly the biggest feature of the Sony N1 is its screen. It's a 3.0", 230,000-pixel, touch-panel. Wow! Viewing photos on it is quite fun, images are pretty sharp when played back.

    Unfortunately, the live view doesn't really seem to take advantage of the high resolution. It's in image playback where the screen really shines. Be wary of excessive smudging and fingerprints!

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    Sony N1 Review: (Part 1 of 6)

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    A detailed real-world review of the Sony N1 compact digital camera.

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    Introduction

    Back in October 2005, Sony announced a new range a ultra-compact digital cameras: the N-series. Their first model was the compact and unique 8 megapixel Cybershot DSC-N1. It has a rather high price tag, and so the camera was aimed mostly above budget-level, for non-photographers who want great pictures and be able to show them off with everyone. The N-series slots in nicely above the T-series yet below the H-series digital compact cameras from Sony.

    This type of camera was designed with the consumer in mind. It has a large, bright, wide viewing angle, high resolution screen. Sony says is just perfect for showing off the pictures and movies you've taken. I'll start the review with the key features.


    Key Features

    - Large, high-resolution LCD. Sony's Clear Photo® LCD technology.
    - Touch screen operation.
    - 8.0 effective megapixel Super HAD™ CCD.
    - Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar 3x Lens.
    - ISO range from 64 to 800.
    - MPEG video recording at VGA (640x480) resolution at 30 fps.
    - Built-in album function allowing storing of up to 500 photos.
    - Slideshow with Music.

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    SplashUp Review: the future of picture editing?

    Go to SplashUp now

    Previously known as "Fauxto", SplashUp can (in a nutshell) be defined as a Flash-based, browser-integrated image-editor. It's one of the better ones out there and can be almost be called "Photoshop Lite".

    During the recent times, a lot of web-based image-editing programs have been sprouting up. And why not? Web-based solution don't need any additional software to run.

    SplashUp offers you the option to open an image from 6 different places. You may open a from some photo-sharing sites (such as Flickr), locally, or else by providing the photo's URL. However I wasn't able to open an image directly from Flickr, SplashUp just kept on giving me error messages. Using a photo's URL works fine though.

    SplashUp is the only online photo-editor I know of which supports:
    - Layers. Plus: blending modes, advanced layer effects, and opacity changes.
    - The ability to open multiple images at the same time.
    - A windowed environment, made possible by Flash.
    - The creation of images from scratch.

    It also offers pixel-level editing, using a variety of brushes and gradients. It also has some pretty advanced text control.

    Much like all free services, this program isn't without its flaws/bugs. For one thing, it is missing a couple of major features. One feature missing is keyboard shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts help streamline your workflow, they save time and mouse clicks. Everyone knows that CTRL+Z is an undo, why they didn't implement these in SplashUp is anybody's guess.

    Another feature which is amiss is probably a limitation of Flash itself. SplashUp is missing the context-sensitive right-click menu. When you right-click in Photoshop, you get a menu that's relevant to the tool selected, such as settings for the brush tool. SplashUp sadly misses this useful feature. Flash probably needs this menu for itself. Being totally implemented in Flash, it has to accept the limitations that its programming language has.

    Its largest fault however, is that it's buggy, and quite unstable. Specifically, after a while of using it, it tends to crash very often, requiring a restart. Given time, I'll bet that the developers can iron out the bugs. Lastly, the sharpening option sucks big time. There is a workaround - duplicate the layer, apply the 'Sharpen' filter, and reduce the opacity. But who likes workarounds?

    Conclusion

    SplashUp is a fantastic achievement. It's speedy, resource-light, and offers a vast array of tools and advanced controls that many paid-for programs don't even offer. It wouldn't be unfair to call it a 'lite' version of Adobe Photoshop.

    Of course, SplashUp has it's share of negatives, of which there are many. The main one for me was that it's rather buggy and unstable. I hope that future versions will improve on this aspect (there are sections for bug reporting and feature requests, by the way).

    Because all you need is a web browser and a Flash player, it can be run from most computers. This makes it great for a quick edit to a photo of yours (even for example adding a watermark), wherever you are.

    Highly Recommended (with reservations)

    Go to SplashUp now!

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    Nikon D40: Overview

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    The Nikon D40 is an entry-level digital SLR camera. It replaces the Nikon D50. It was announced in November 2006, after lots of speculation and leaks.

    Click here to read an in-depth review of the Nikon D40

    Who should buy a Nikon D40?

    The D40 is a camera primarily aimed towards beginners. It can "teach" its users about the innards of photography through interactive learning. Here's an excerpt from an article in Time magazine by Wilson Rothman:

    The D40 is a teacher. One of its most fascinating attributes is the Info screen, which appears at the touch of a button, appropriately marked "Info." The screen contains all sorts of data, mostly photographic mumbo jumbo. But the screen also has a visual representation of that mumbo jumbo, so you can figure out what it means. For instance, as the number next to the letter "F" goes up, the image of the camera's aperture gets tighter. It doesn't take long to sort out, then, that the higher the "f-stop," the more closed the camera's aperture. Beginners will appreciate the fact that the D40 has a knob of preset modes, not just my favourite "auto" mode but "portrait," "sports" and more. What's cool is that, when you change modes, the screen shows the changed settings. Little by little, the notions will start to sink in: what the camera is trying to do to shoot action, what it needs to take a portrait at night, etc.

    However, the D40 is versatile enough to serve more than just a beginner. If you're an amateur photographer on a budget, you'll find the D40's price extremely tempting.

    Don't think that the D40's "idiot" modes will get in the way, they don't. If you're already experienced enough to know the basics, then you'll be able to shoot in the more advanced P, A, S, M modes. While this camera is designed for beginners, it doesn't get in the way of the more advanced photographers.

    The D40 offers an incredible amount of camera for the money, and every penny seems well spent. Every now and then it makes the more expensive Nikon D80 look over-priced and under-powered.

    AF issue with Older Lenses

    The D40 will not be able to autofocus with lenses that don't have an in-built focus motor. Reason being that, it doesn't have its own “screwdrive” focus motor. A lot of older and third party lenses rely on the motor in the body to focus. Hence, they will not be able to AF on the D40. The only ones that are able to autofocus are Nikon's AF-S/AF-I type lenses, and Sigma's HSM type lenses.

    If you plan to use the autofocus feature of older lenses, then the D40 is not the camera for you. The newer lenses should all work perfectly however.

    Competition

    - Canon EOS 400D
    - Pentax K100D / K110D
    - Olympus E-410

    Main Features

    - 6 megapixel DX format CCD sensor (same used in Nikon D70 & D50, Pentax K100D)
    - Multi-CAM530 3-Area AF sensor
    - 3D Colour Matrix Metering II (420 pixel sensor) – for accurate exposures
    - ISO range from 200 to 1600, plus boost to HI-1 (approx. 3200)
    - Customisable Auto ISO
    - Up to 2.5 frames per second continuous shooting. Buffer: unlimited amount of JPEGs
    - 2.5", 230k pixel LCD monitor with high viewing angle
    - Monitor-based status screen – called the "Info" screen
    - In-camera Help Manual
    - In-camera Retouching Menu
    - Extensive list of Custom Functions, unusual in this price range
    - 0.8x magnification, 95% coverage viewfinder view
    - Small and compact, lightweight body
    - Value for money

    Reviews

    The Nikon D40 is a very popular camera, and has been reviewed by almost every major review station. Below are some links to the pick of the reviews..

    Click here to read an in-depth review of the Nikon D40

  • dpreview's Review (by Phil Askey). Probably the best review here. Technical, yet easy to understand. Extremely useful.
  • DC Resource's Review (by Jeff Keller). A nice conversational tone makes this one easy and enjoyable to read. Very informative.
  • Imaging Resource's Review (by Mike Pasini). A very exhaustive review. Goes into extreme technical detail. Supplied with loads of samples and a test gallery.
  • Review by Thom Hogan. Nikon expert Thom Hogan answers some technical user questions, and also provides thoroughly subjective observations on the camera.
  • Review by Ken Rockwell. Ken Rockwell's "opinionated, cranky style" is evident here. In this review, he avoids many technical aspects, in the sake of a simplistic review - but also makes some valid points about why he loves this camera so much.

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