did tons of research and had it down to the d40 nikon.. started searching out best pricing and came across the pentax k10d for 519 shipped AR - body only. this is a mear 30-40 bucks more than the d40 with the 18-55mm standard lens. I know on paper the pentax is a better camera, but on paper doesn't equate to better in the real world.

This camera is for my father-in-law and is a replacement for a nikon 35mm SLR that was stolen over the summer

 

Does he have some extra lenses for his old nikon? then it would be the Nikon D40 hands down. Or another Nikon.
If he dosn't, then im assuming he dosn't have any lenses, so i would recommend purchasing a camera lense kit, so the Nikon D40 again. you dont want to give a gift that you need to buy somthing extra just to use it.

 

his left over lenses are **** lenses, but they work with the pentax and not the nikon. They really shouldn't be the deciding factor. I am getting the body and my mother in law might be buying a lens, so he should have just about everything he needs to take pictures out of the box

 

35mm film lens for a Nikon would not work on the D40s (well the AF part mostly).

 

I know this..... I have established they will work on the pentax and NOT the D40 nikon.

That said, the lenses are **** and really not even worth discussing

 

Then i would go with the nikon still. Nikon and canon are the two companies with the most lenses available, and the most accesseries. Not to mention the most information is available for those two companies, if he is technology impared. and if you look at this forum, most of the photos posted are from a canon rebel or a nikon d40.

 

Gotcha - thanks!

 

If this becomes a hobby most people will stick to one brand or another simply because lens and flash units will carry over from camera body to camera body. I have hundreds of dollars invested in flash gear and thousands in lens gear. Upgrading from one Nikon body to the next (other than the D-40!) saves that investment. Not much has changed in flashes over the last 30 years and not much in lens in the last 5-10 (vibration reduction!).

If at all possible have a look at the old Nikon D-70 or D-70s rather than the D-40 if you think your FIL is going to become an avid photographer.

 

Are you getting a D300? or maybe just a full body SLR. lol... my names paul as well.

 

from what I can see, if he buys decent lenses for the D40, he can use them in the future with a nikon body upgrade?

from a lot of the reviews I have read, the D40 seems to be a sweet little camera and big bang for the buck... I honestly think it would last him a good few yrs

 

+1 on getting d70, instead of d40.

 

Is this a surprise for the FIL?

If it isn't, why not tell him what the budget is and let him choose the camera he likes best?

btw, I am another Paul...

 

You have a point, but...
I think it is much better to have somthing under the christmas tree, so you can surprise him. This way, he gets that "o yay!" reaction. Not to mention the person may not be too into cameras, seeing as his past camera was old as shiza. (minolta got bought out by sony, so you may want to consider sony. it is a familiar camera setup.)

 

I did consider the A100 sony but is around 600, and I don't think I am getting much more for my money vs the D40 or pentax. That said, I have heard good things about it.

The camera is definitely going to be a surprise. I also think I am putting more thought into it than he would so I hope I am making a better purchase. People say though, you really can't go wrong with any of these cameras, so that is what makes this so hard. There is not a clear winner to choose

 

Smartest Camera comment ever... Just remember that Nikon is huge, and they specialize in slr cameras.