Differences between D70 and D40x

This is a summary of the main differences I see between the D70 and the newly released D40x. This should help people who are hesitating between bodies. I sold my D70 because I wanted a small walkaround travel camera. So I went for the D40x to replace it. There are a number of advantages but also serious limitations, here is the summary of my conclusions/findings:

• increased resolution (10MP instead 6MP, not really relevant for normal shooting, interesting for reframing afterwards if you wanted to print posters (my A3 format printouts from the D70 are very good).
• Other improvement: rear screen size and the ability to zoom up to pixel level: this is an interesting feature to check picture quality in the field to avoid surprises when you are back home (I missed a few pictures because of this on the D70)
• The D40 has a number of "gadget" post-processing possibilities in camera. Interesting, but all of those are possible in post-processing on a PC or a Mac with the delivered software. In pratice, much better results are achieved with off line post-processing. Up to you to decide if this is an advantage.

• the CLS system (ability to use on-board flash as a "commander" to drive wireless flashes (like the SB-600, SB-800, etc...)),
• the two wheels allowing to change aperture and shutter speed (only one thumbwheel is available on the D40/D40x)
• the top LCD - very easy to control parameters (on the D40 you need to press the info button to get similar info on the rear screen)
• More buttons. Very useful features are just available with a button press (like ISO setting, white balance etc...) This makes your job as a photographer easier on the D70.
• a bigger body, fitting better in the hand (could be a disadvantage as well)
• A grid displayed in the viewfinder, very important to have the horizon leveled, a common mistake many photographers make. Not having that grid on the D40 is a serious limitation.
• A much better autofocus (AF) system, based on 5 sensors instead of 3 horizontally positioned sensors on the D40. This is a huge limitation of the D40 family. This makes action shooting very difficult on a D40, while photographing sports or flying birds is possible with the D70.
• Exposure in general is more reliable because the D70 has the same 3D 1005 pixels exposure sensor as in the more sophisticated cameras like the D200, while the D40 (same as the D80 by the way) has a lower end version based on a 420 pixels sensor.
• Lenses compatibility: this is really important !!! All AF lenses will work on a D70, only AF-S lenses (or with an internal motor) will focus on the D40. This is a HUGE limitation of the D40, and a good reason to prefer a D70 or even a D50 if you don't own AF-S (HSM on Sigma lenses) lenses.

- The decision is yours. 

To me it was simple: you want to learn, grow and understand photography without too many limitations, go for the D70 (or D80). You are looking for a compact, cheap, high end point and shoot camera and you understand the (serious) limitations, go for a D40 or D40x if picture quality (large size) is important to you.