Chuck, don't tempt me on the 40D!!! I think I would really love that camera, but it is pushing my budget already looking at the D40 and those lenses. I know too that the D60 isn't much more, but there are two things keeping me from it. One, there have been so many reviews saying that the D40 is just as good; two, the D60 just plain feels too big in my hand. I do have long fingers, but my hand is still small. I got my paws on a few cameras today at Mediaworld and really liked the fit of the Rebels and the D40x (D40 was not available, but should be the same dimensions as the D40.). The bigger Nikons just felt too big. Plus, I like the fact that I can use my SD cards in the D40, something only possible with the XSI, which is also beyond my budget.

Sooo, I am really almost ready to order the D40, I just need help on the lenses. Is there anyone else out there who can point me in the right direction???

18-55 and 70-300? Or 18-135 and 70-300? Or just the 18-200???

Reka,

You will get all sorts of opinions. I find that my 18-200mm is an excellent "everyday lens". I probably use that 85% of the time. My Nikon came with 28-80mm "kit lens" which, now, I never use.

Rusty

Reka, sounds like a great choice for you; how the family feels in your hands is very, very important.

I'd be inclined to go with Rusty's advice and get it with the 18-200 mm VR. A longer telephoto can follow someday down the line...

GO FOR IT!!

Hahaha! You thought you could get rid of me that easily!!

Now, if I get an 18-200, which one?

Sigma 18mm - 200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS (Optical Stabilizer) HSM Autofocus Aspherical Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras $449.00

Tamron 18 - 200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR DI-II B.I.M. (Built-in Motor) LD Aspherical (IF) AF Zoom Lens with Macro, for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras - U.S.A. Warranty $324.99

Nikon 18mm - 200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Wide Angle Telephoto Zoom-Nikkor Lens - Grey Market $644.95

Nikon 18mm - 200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Wide Angle Telephoto Zoom-Nikkor Lens with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty $679.95

All Adorama links and prices. If anyone knows where I could get it cheaper, please say!!

Whazza difference between all these and can I use them all for the D40?

I don't see anything about stabilization on the Tamron. Am I missing it?

Is the USA warranty going to do me any good if I bring it back to Italy anyway?

Reka,
My 18-200mm is a Tamron lens -- exactly what you described except mine does not have B.I.M. (my Nikon is not a D40 so I don't need that). My lens does not have stabilization so the one you cited probably doesn't either. Canon calls it "IS", Nikon calls it "VR" ... either way, stabilization is nice to have. Tamron does make zoom lenses with stabilization -- those have the letters "VC" in the designation

I bought my first telephoto lens over 30 years ago (200mm fixed), long before stabilization was invented. With experience you learn how to hold your camera steady; the learning curve is not steep. I find that with 200mm or less, I don't need stabilization. Sure, it's nice, but not essential. I also own another zoom lens that tops out at 300mm -- I sure wish I had stabilization with that one. I simply can't hand-hold that sucker steady unless I find a tree or wall to cozy up to. For me, the additional 100mm makes all the difference in the world. I get great results w/that lens only if I put it on a tripod.

One other difference, the Tamron lens you cited also says, "with Macro". That's a great feature to have. I have that feature on my 70-300mm but not on the 18-200mm Tamron.

Note that all of the lenses you are considering are about the same speed. f/3.5 is as good as you can get and, remember, that's at the shortest zoom length. When you get up to 200mm that drops off to f/5.6 for the Nikon lens and f/6.3 for the Sigma or Tamron. The difference between f/5.6 and f/6.3 isn't even a full stop.

Can't answer your warranty question.

Rusty

Reka, I was looking at the canon D40 and the new xsi today. And for me the xsi is a much better fit in my hand. The D40 was heavier and bigger. My hands are small, so that rules the D40 out for me. If I add my 28/70 lens I would not be able to hold it steady. I have the canon 70/300 lens and love it. It is light and does all that I need it to do.

Just remember that for autofocus to work in the lenses, that the lens itself has to have the motor built into it as the D40 does not have that capability. In Nikon speak, type G or D AF-S and AF-I lenses will work with it. Hopefully you have already seen this http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/digitalcamera/slr/d40/pdf/D40_16p.pdf.

See the Compatible lenses in the specs on page 1 of that brochure, and on the very last page down in the right had corner. I don't know if all the lenses you listed in your post qualify.

Thanks, Gene, I hadn't seen that. Is there soemthing specific you saw that makes you unsure if the lenses will work? I looked at the Adorama site again and the lenses are both AF-S, which the brochure says should fully function.

I had not researched the lenses you listed. I was just trying to make sure you were aware there are some limitations in lenses that can be used on the D40 and still get the full functions out of the lenses you purchase. Incidentally, I think those same limitations also apply to the D60.

I went back and looked on the Nikon site again and found this on the D40's lens compatability:

#Compatible Lenses#

Nikon F mount with AF coupling and AF contacts Type G or D AF Nikkor
1) AF-S, AF-I: All functions supported
2) Other Type G or D AF Nikkor: All functions supported except autofocus
3) PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D: Can only be used in mode M; all other functions supported except autofocus
4) Other AF Nikkor*1/AI-P Nikkor: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II
5) Non-CPU: Can be used in mode M, but exposure meter does not function; electronic range finder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster
6) IX Nikkor lenses cannot be used
*1. Excluding lenses for F3AF

You can find that here. That list covers Nikon brand lenses, so you would have to take a closer look at other brand lenses you may be considering. I know myself I would have a hard time without autofocus. My eyes aren't what they used to be.

But there are a lot of D40 users here, so someone who has experience with the lenses you are looking at could better advise you on compatibility issues. I was just trying to make you aware as not all people are.

OK....so now I went and looked at the 18-200 mm lenses in your list.

The 2 Nikons (actually they are the same) would work, but for my money I'd get the USA lens. An extra $35 for a 5 yr vs 1 yr warranty is way cheaper than purchasing an extended warranty. And the USA lenses tend to be better quality, also. And as hard as my lenses get used on certain days, that extra warranty may come in handy. My camera goes to the race track with me.

The Sigma and Tamron lenses both also would work on the D40. The Sigma ad says so specifically. The Tamron doesn't, but if I'm interpreting the IF designation correctly (Internal Focusing Cam), that means the lens has its own focusing motor and should work on the D40. And I did not see any mention of any type of vibration reduction/image stabilization on the Tamron lens, either.

Here is a review of the Sigma lens at Shutterbug.com.
And here is a review of the Tamron lens, also at Shutterbug.com. (They seemed to like the Tamron a bit better)
And Mr. Rockwell seems to really like the Nikon lens.

Sigma and Tamron get good ratings, and I cannot comment from experience on those. The Nikon lenses are faster in the longer telephoto range than the Sigma and Tamron are. f/5.6 vs f/6.3. That may or may not be important to you, but is a consideration. You're looking at about a half stop difference between them and the Nikons. (I would love an 18-300 f/2.8 lens as an all purpose "walk-around", but that would really be expensive. )