Originally Posted by
anrkitec
My view is that if someone doesn't already know that they need any of the specific features that - for example - the D80 has over the D40x, then they probably don't need them and most likely will never actually use them.
To be sure the D80 has a host of countertop features that the D40x lacks. I call them countertop features because the camera store countertop is usually the only place that the use of most of these features ever comes into play for the typical consumer.
As I said, D40 is fine if you never expect to grow beyond what you think you might want, AND you don't expect to buy used or 3rd party lenses without AF-S. However, I would argue that auto-bracketing (particularly with the growing popularity of HDR) and perhaps the flexibility with flash is something many people will eventually want to try if they go beyond snapshooting, and worth paying a few hundered dollars extra for.
Originally Posted by
anrkitec
Having said that, it might behoove a prospective buyer for whom the D40x is the perfect camera to wait for the D80 replacement to hit the shelves and then pick up a D80 cheap.
Until that time I still maintain that the D40x is the perfect travel DSLR for even advanced shooters and that more serious hobbyists or advanced amateurs should move up to a D200 or Fuji S5Pro.
The D80 was a great replacement for the D70 but with the new D40x, the new Fuji S5Pro, and both the D80 and D200 nearing the time of their own replacements, the D80 is a tweener camera [between skill levels] that makes less sense to buy now than it did eight months ago.
Agree with the rest, BUT there is still a place for an 70/80 or 80-type model. I can't see consumers accepting either a 200 OR a 40. Reason - price. The 80 is only a couple hundred dollars more than a 40, but a 200 costs twice as much as a 40. The 80 only makes less sense now because it is an older model, but there still needs to be something to fill the gap between the 40 and 200 in that price range.