Somebody called me it seems ! ..

@haxor- Prior to purchasing a DSLR u need to make up ur mind creatively, patiently and financially. There is a huge diff between a P&S and DSLR when it comes to understanding the functionality.

And photography is an expensive hobby , a DSLR photography is far more expensive hobby ... U need to spend loooots on lenses ,cost of which never depreciates like cameras. A normal impressive Nikkor AF-S lens will cost u somewhere more than $500 ... (dont get scared its the starting price)

Ok lets cut the crap. D40 is a nice camera , to be discontinued not bcoz its bad or something, bcoz the number of megapixels does not create an impact on human brain and to support sale of new/more expensive models like D60 by Nikon.
As far as missing AF motor is concerned, the lenses without AF motor are indeed slow even on the bodies with AF motor like D80/D200.

Even if u have a D80 body its recommended to purchase AF-S lenses (with motor) to get max performance and quality.

You can use AF (without motor) lenses on D40, the only thing is u have manually focus it which is not a diff thing. I have been happily and continually using the world renowed Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 for that matter, which a manual lens.

Canon gives more feature than Nikon, but u have to make a selection. Its a highly argumented topic when it comes to Nikon Vs Canon pic quality. Both have some marginal differences and both proprietory lenses are expensive.
But Nikon build quality is understood to be better than Canon (No offence to canonians)

And store this into ur mind before spending- Its not the camera body which brings in quality, its ur creativity fused with the lens u are using.

I strongly recommend D40 for you, for the price (20k odd) its a deal and u get far more than what u pay.
I bought it for 35k a year back (it was 45k in India then ). And till date I have not faced a single problem.

I wud not recommend D60 as I feel its moreoless same camera with few added 'fooling' features. (Nikon is good at business mind it)

thanks for replying and yeah D40 is only 6.1 Mp which isnt a big problem for a newbie like me.
.Mp doesnt matters that much as best photos are taken by best photographers with best cams(if they can afford )
and yeah i have always been preferring Nikon over Canon as Nikon is loved by most of the pro-photographers but the thing is that i m not brand specific its doesn't matter to me if i buy Canon or Nikon.
and yeah D40 now cost 24k with 18-55mm lens.
but i am hesitant to buy Sony DSLR's as they are not compatible with other 3rd lenses. and i can use tamron and sigma lenses as the branded lenses are extensively expensive..
but the thing is that i am digging in this stuff as i will be buying a DSLR next march after my exams so keep and gathering information about the entry level DSLR's so i can get the best one!! and the camera prices come down very rapidly just see Canon 5d mark II cost reduced by 60k same with 1d mark II or mark III
so 3 months many model's will be launched i presume and the price of the existing cams will go down..

So hoping for the best ...
and what about other companies like olympus?

Hope for the best but I dont think Nikon D40 will go lesser than 20k anyhow. Before that the model will be stopped. Its about Brand premium and Brand rapport also.

Particularly if you want a long telephoto lens or a
zoom lens in the telephoto range, you will see that you can buy one from
Canon, Nikon, or the other big manufacturers for several thousand dollars
or more. The same focal-length lens, with the same aperture size, can be
purchase from an “aftermarket” manufacturer such as Sigma, Tamron, or
Tokina for less than $1,000.
Is the lens that costs a fraction as much just as good? Put the other
way around, what are you getting if you spend five times as much for a
name lens? The answer to the first question is, “It depends.” The answer
to the second question is, “A few things.” Let me explain.
In the electronics industry, there are lots of aftermarket manufacturers.
You can buy a Sony camcorder, for instance, and buy extra batteries
made by Sony, or, you can buy batteries made by an aftermarket manufacturer
that will fit your Sony camcorder and cost you a lot less.
In photography, the main aftermarket is in lenses for SLR cameras.
The three companies I named earlier, Tamron, Sigma, and Tokina,
all make very good lenses. In fact, since the companies that make
optical-quality glass in Japan sell to all the manufacturers, it’s possible
that the glass you purchase in a “name” lens is exactly the same as the
glass in an aftermarket lens. The difference is that the major manufacturer
may assemble the lens using higher-quality rings, fasteners, and
lubricants. Quality control and testing at the major manufacturer may
be more demanding.
On the other hand, even if you plan to give the lens a real workout
and use it under trying conditions, if you can’t afford the name lens, then
buy an aftermarket model and hope for the best. It’s my opinion that there
are no free rides in photography any more than anywhere else.
The most important piece of information I can give you is that I
have been very satisfied with the aftermarket lenses I’ve used and owned.
They are very well made and I’ve seen them stand up under heavy use. For
more money, with the name lens, you will get a product that is a bit
“better” in some respects, but the truth of the matter is that the aftermarket
lenses by the major manufacturers I’ve mentioned are in most
respects “good enough.”On the other hand, even if you plan to give the lens a real workout
and use it under trying conditions, if you can’t afford the name lens, then
buy an aftermarket model and hope for the best. It’s my opinion that there
are no free rides in photography any more than anywhere else.
The most important piece of information I can give you is that I
have been very satisfied with the aftermarket lenses I’ve used and owned.
They are very well made and I’ve seen them stand up under heavy use. For
more money, with the name lens, you will get a product that is a bit
“better” in some respects, but the truth of the matter is that the aftermarket
lenses by the major manufacturers I’ve mentioned are in most
respects “good enough.”
If, on the other hand, you’re going to use that
lens seventy-five times a year in lots of nasty weather, and it will be traveling
in the luggage compartment of a lot of airplanes, then you’ll probably
be better off with the lens that has been assembled by the name
manufacturer with professional wear-and-tear in mind.

@haxor ur perception is similar to what I had 6 months back, but now I know I was so wrong.
Nikkor,canon lenses are not overpriced, yes there a marginal brand premium but not that high as we may think.

Its not only the specs what u pay for, its the glass quality what actually costs. Other factors also include like Chromatic aberration,elements, vignetting, contrast etc. which make proprietory lenses expensive.

For an instance, the best glass quality if u want, go for Carl Zeiss and compare the result of same spec lens with Nikkor/Canon and check the diff.

Carl Zeiss DSLR lenses for an instance, are the ones which is also used in Movie cameras.

i got your point buddy , but the thing is that i dont wanna go for sony .....just looking forward to what happens and what new cams come to the market and how the cost of the older cams go down..and speed pujari what you think about the quality performance of the third party lenses and the gray market lenses?

The third party lenses are good provided u make a proper choice.

An e.g. Tamron/Sigma/Tokina are known for making very good as well very very bad lenses. There are few lenses which matches quality of Nikkor/Canon.
So before purchasing any third party lens have a proper review check.

Again for review also be cautious. I have seen people comparing a 100$ third party lens with a 1000$ prop lenses and proving former to be better.
Better stay away from those sites.

And don't think about stuffing ur bag with lenses as u may end a tamrac/lowepro full of garbage. Buy one lens in a year or two but buy the best one.

Another thing about Sony- What is making u repel from it? Its a good cam again and the A mount bayonet supports Minolta lenses. Sigma make lenses for that mount, check for tamron/tokina...

I had a look in Croma and very much liked the performance of A200. Nikonians will find it a lil bulky and heavy.

And that Sony DSLR is actually a Minolta DSLR rebranded as Sony, so dont get confused with crap Sony overpriced stuffs, the DSLR is different from other products they have!

Think about photography now, Business think later as u may end up with no photography ..

yeah sony acquired minolta (company) but still i would prefer canon and nikon over sony as on many forums people said that its bulky , finishing is not go and other lenses are not compatible and many other points..

rightly said buddy

yup handling is important when it comes to DSLR as u have to hold the cam for longer time (if u take best of 10 shots).
D40 excels in that when compared to Canon counterparts (400D/450D/1000D).

Its better, close ur eyes and go ahead for Nikon D40 , no confusion .. Upgradation mean upgrading lenses and not the body. D40 is used by many pros as a backup to their bodies like D3:@

P.S. Check for D40x. If there is a marginal diff of 1 or 2k then buy that.

I didnt like the A200. Itz too bulky to handle and the fell is not so good. I tried to take some pics with it which came out good. But i dislike it due to itz dimensions.

I was thinkin of a Nikion D40 but it was a bit over my overstretched budget so I choose to go with the Sony DSC-H50 Superzoom can. Itz a good cam but itz not a DSLR, hope i will be able to purchase the D60 by nxt year.

Ny reviews for the Sony H50.

my freind has got h70 which is the predecessor of h70 and its a nice camera buts huge dimensiona dn bulky..

@cos
safe money for the D60 and get some good lens for it!!

@speedpujari: Are you suggesting the presence of an AF motor is not really an advantage for the EOS 1000D over the D40/D60?

Also would you suggest sticking to the bundled lens and learning to use the camera for a newbie or is it necessary to go for a new lens with the camera?

the eos 1000d has live view and af motor inside it which gives it an advantage over the other competitors
and the thing is that for a newbie like me . we should first learn how to use the camera and all its functions then we can think about getting other lenses...

none of the canon cameras have any AF motors inside of them. the canon system is entirely composed of having the AF motors inside the lens. each and everyone of them, even the cheapest 50/1.8

the EOS1000 is a cut-feature camera compared to the xxxD range, so you may want to compare the specifications in details (the side by side feature of dpreview might help). see what features matter to you and whether they are available on the 1000 or you will have to go above that one.

as for Nikon, the D40 is a killer deal these days. do not mind that "ONLY" 6MP specification. Unless you are printing A3 sized photographs, it is not gonna matter one tiny bit. It always seems nice to brag about the megapixels your camera is packing, but never actually useful. as for the cheapest Nikons not having the Camera Body AF motor for the AF-D lenses, it is not a significant thing now that most of the lenses have been upgraded to AF-S - even the decently priced ones - the IS kit lenses too.
And more AF-S lenses will be coming soon, like the recently announced 50/1.4 AFS

EOS1000D comments already given by psycho ..

Psycho is right at saying that from now on almost all the new lenses launched by Nikon are going to b AF-S. And they are launching AF-S version of all the older AF lenses like 50mm f/1.4 which is a killer ! ..

Also u need to understand what is the main use of having AF-motor . For portrait u may stick to MF, for low lights again u need MF there..

Intially stick to the kit lens provided in the box, I have not much idea about the Canon kit , but Nikon 18-55mm kit (VR option) is a good lens for learning as well semi-pro. Later pushing it to limits will never disappoint u (check my andamans thread) , all u need to know is how to push it to limits...

Spend some time with ur camera to know in and out. believe me, my cam is almost 2 years old now and still I keep discovering something new every now and then..

Get in touch with no1livesforever, he is a Nikon guru, and he has taught me many things.

Indeed !