Getting ready to purchase a new camera. I am looking at the Nikon D40 or the Nikon D300 any suggestions?
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we have had the D50, which the D40 was the successor, for the last 4 years and we have been very pleased with it's ease of use, quality of pictures and durability.
we have about 11,000 pictures logged on it in that time.
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I have about 55,000 pics taken on my D50 and still going strong.

My best advice: figure out what you REALLY want to take pictures of. Figure out what kind of lens is best for that stuff. Then buy the body to fit that lens.

Example: My passion is wildlife photography. For that, I wanted something that has a great zoom lens with vibration reduction. After playing with some different lenses, the one that made me drool was the Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR. It's pricey, about $2,500. But that's the lens I wanted. So I built my system around Nikon gear.

Canon makes great cameras, too. When dealing with DSLR's, the keyword I give everyone is: The lenses make more difference than the body. If it comes down to it, I'd spend less on the body and more on higher quality lenses.

Also, if you only need lenses for a short time, like you're making a special trip to Yellowstone or something, consider renting lenses.
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Thanks for the input. I went with the d3000 package deal wich has an extra lens (Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR [Vibration Reduction] Zoom Nikkor Lens)
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You'll totally be happy with that, Andy.

My wife got me an instructional DVD by a company called "Blue Heron" that made the learning curve a whole lot easier. Just a suggestion.
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d40 is very old already,go get the d300!
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ops,3000 seems that you got it already..happy shootin!
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Just bought a D3000 myself! Great camera. I'm very happy with it. Now I just need to update my photoshop software . . .
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