Photographers: I'm thinking about downgrading from a Canon 60D into a Nikon D40 am I crazy?

To start, here are the technical specifications for the Canon & the Nikon.

The differences are a bit staggering. You said you used to shoot video, but now want to focus on photography.

The Canon has a significant advantage over the Nikon, by having more than double the megapixels, 18.0 vs. Nikon’s 6.1

The Canon offers a much faster shutter speed & an ISO range of 100–6400, which is excellent for low-hi levels of light. Nikon’s much smaller range is 200–1600.

A quick price comparison on Amazon has the Canon (body only) being about three hundred dollars more than the Nikon (body only). While a few hundred bucks is great for someone wanting to get some quick spare change… the savings is just not worth the decrease in quality of product if your purpose is to focus on photography. And if you decided to shoot video again, you wouldn’t be able to with the Nikon.

The only reason to downgrade would be the need for instant cash in the pocket. While the Nikon is a great camera in its own right, if you downgraded now, it will cost you a lot more in the future to upgrade. Re-selling the D40 wont get you as much cash as a 60D.

@rpm_pseud0name Now that’s a high quality answer. Very investigative and precision opinion. Thank you so kindly.

I have a Nikon D40. I would keep the Canon. It is more like the next step up in the Nikon series… I believe the D60. Hubby had the D60 and there were enough nice little differences that it made me horribly jealous.

whoa whoa whoa @cazzie The Nikon60D < Canon 60D spec wise. Don’t let the numbers fool you in case someone at the electronics store tries to tell you that.

If you’re shooting digitally, I’d go with Canon. If you’re shooting manually, I’d go with Nikon.

I didn’t say it was less than, but better than and to NOT get a D40.

I’m also owner of a Nikon D40. As an entry-level dSLR from way back when, it’s a great camera and (was) a fine choice for someone just getting started with more advanced photography.

No way, however, I expect that you’d be happy with it as a downgrade for a Canon 60D.

@rpm_pseud0name makes a great high-level outline of the technical differences. Another thing to keep in mind is that Canon and Nikon take diametrically opposed paths on user interaction as well. Workflows are different… heck, even the zoom and focus rings move in the opposite directions.

And speaking of lenses, they’re not compatible across brands. You’ll have lock yourself into an entire new ecosystem of lenses, flashes, and other accessories.

If you really want to downgrade, why not to another, less expensive Canon model?