Originally Posted by
dblevitan
As for RAW+JPEG - this is something for the OP to decide if he/she really needs. RAW is good for post adjustment, but frankly, you need a lot of time to be able to manually adjust everything.
with modern raw processing software such as adobe lightroom, very little additional time is needed compared with jpeg.
I also just noticed the OP stated he wanted at least 10 MP. If so, yeah, you'll probably need to go with the D60 or higher. But realize that more pixels will (in these entry level cameras) mean lower light sensitivity and frankly, the difference between 6 MP and 10 MP is not very significant. Take a look at
Ken Rockwell's opinion on this and the NY Times articles he links to.
higher megapixel counts have nothing to do with sensitivty. that's a property of the sensor itself. the reason the base iso of the d40 is 200 instead of 100 as in the d40x is because it's a completely different sensor. both the 6 megapixel canon 10d and 10 megapixel 40d start at iso 100.
however, more megapixels in the same size sensor means smaller individual pixels which means more noise per pixel. thus, for high iso, the d40 might be better than the d40x. however, the difference is not that huge. having 10 megapixels offers a little more flexibility in cropping without compromising the quality too much. of course, if the images are intended for on screen viewing, both are arguably overkill.
as for ken rockwell, quite a bit of his web site is factually incorrect, and he even admits as much. there are numerous other resources available online without that nonsense. from
http://www.kenrockwell.com/about.htm :
While occasionally inspired by actual products or experiences, if you aren't a personal freind or lack a sense of humor or lack a decent BS detector, you're best off treating this site as a work of fiction.
I offer no warrantees of any kind, except that there are many deliberate gaffes, practical jokes and downright foolish and made-up things lurking.