garyaosborne wrote:
Hi folks,
I'm new to the Hog.
For the most part I use the camera for backyard bird photography.
1. Keep D40X and upgrade lens to Nikon 70-300 DX VR ED.
2. Upgrade D40X and keep current lens.
3. Upgrade both.
Comments and suggestions welcome. Thanks in advance.
Gary, welcome to the Hog.
I'm a little surprised at the answers you have gotten. I also had to look up the 40x. Gary, that camera is ancient. Camera tech moves as fast as cell phone tech, and nobody would use a cellphone that old!!
The best, most expensive lens would barely make a visible difference, if at all!
Gary, resolving bird feathers is about the hardest thing to do in photography. A new lens would make a few % difference in what you see. A NEW camera, ANY new camera, would make an ENORMOUS difference, especially with birds. If you have to crop even a little, the bird will start to fall apart. You have only 10mp, that is nothing by today's standards. You will see a huge jump in IQ.
Gary, GET A NEW CAMERA!! The lens can wait. Lenses are forever, but that's because lens tech moves really slow.
Gary, I can't believe someone compared the camera to just a box?! There is a lot of misinformation out there. The camera is an extraordinarily complex, palm sized computer, with a myriad of sensors.
In your shoes, that's what I would do.
Gary, again, welcome to the Hog. ;-)
SS