Why I didn't go for the Nikon D40x

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.

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.

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).

Sony N1 Review: (Part 6 of 6)

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

Skip to:
<< Previous 1: Introduction 2: Body & LCD 3: Features & Performance 4: Image Quality (1) 5: Image Quality (2) 6: Conclusion Next >>

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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.

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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

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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

Sony N1 Review: (Part 5 of 6)

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

Skip to:
<< Previous 1: Introduction2: Body & LCD3: Features & Performance4: Image Quality (1)5: Image Quality (2)6: Conclusion Next >>

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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.

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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.

Sony N1 Review: (Part 4 of 6)

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

Skip to:
<< Previous 1: Introduction 2: Body & LCD 3: Features & Performance 4: Image Quality (1) 5: Image Quality (2) 6: Conclusion Next >>

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

Sony N1 Review: (Part 3 of 6)

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

Skip to:
<< Previous 1: Introduction2: Body & LCD3: Features & Performance4: Image Quality (1)5: Image Quality (2)6: Conclusion Next >>

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.