J. Valdenebro
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Hello, Mike.
I'm a pro photographer from Barcelona, doing mostly fashion and product, and I use large and medium format as well as digital. When not working, I prefer art and infrared photography.
Buying the D40x is a very good idea, indeed. That's the camera that offers the most for its cost, and it has the latest technology: better high ISO performance than the D200, for example. Less noise.
As a Nikon user for 20 years, I recommend you to try Nikon. If you do, you won't leave.
Previous posts are right, what you should buy depends on what you want to do... The first time I was asked this same question, of course I answered what you did answer: I want to do everything...
Consider the price difference and the quality difference among best and common lenses by Nikon. Prime lenses have better image quality than zooms, better color and contrast, not only better sharpness. So you should consider seriously, first of all, to buy a normal prime lens. This is a lot more important than the body.
By the way, I buy used equipment constantly. Never had any problem with orders from Adorama and B&H.
Thinking of the D40x, the normal is a 35mm lens. It's easy to get a used one. Although manual focus is 90% of the time the best option, it's OK to have autofocus at hand for precise events.
You will need another lens: a zoom, to go from wide to short tele or portrait, and it could be the very inexpensive 18-70mm. I'd buy it used too. I'd buy the D40x used too, if I could.
With a D40x, a 35mm and a zoom, you can get professional images for full size magazine printing. Even if you buy any other more expensive body later, your D40x will be good enough for second body in pro shooting years from now. That's what you must keep in mind or you'll waste your money.
One more thing: a zoom includes different angles of view, what means different "lenses"... It's not just seeing things closer when you zoom, there's a huge change in volumes, space and expression: it's common to say that every photographer needs to learn -for years- to see and compose through camera; we never stop learning, and this is not possible with a zoom, because when you change focal length constantly, the brain receives a mix of angles of view that makes it difficult to understand photography and deeply know a lens and its personality.
So don't worry about the highest quality equipment. The truth is that best brands are close. In the case of a normal lens for the D40x, you can choose between Sigma 30mm, several Nikon 35mm and Zeiss 35mm. Best of them is of course and by far the Zeiss (manual only), but differences are small or none in normal size printing. At f5.6 or f8 they're almost the same. In the other hand, both Nikon (manual) and Sigma (auto) offer f1.4... More than useful for shooting wide open (worst aperture in any lens), f1.4 feels great for clear, precise focusing, and it's important, because it's a lens specification that you will enjoy every shot, all your life.
If you want to become a great and versatile photographer, don't go around with a zoom, at least that's the first advice you get when you start studying the six year career in photography. Even if you are not sure if photography will become your life, do yourself a favor and get a normal lens that gives you pro images when required, and allows you to become one with the camera after a constat two-dimensional view of the same lens in all kind of situations.
Hope this helps.
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