This won't be a list of all the technical statistics as many reviewers have done this very well already. Instead, let's concentrate on how it actually works.
First, I wanted a DSLR because they are easier for me to use than point and shoots and of course there are choices with lenses, flashes, etc. I chose Nikon because I have had good luck durability-wise with that brand and Nikon is obviously a premier company. I also have a couple of interesting old Nikon lenses that are usable. Amazon's price with free shipping and all was quite a bit less than I found locally. It arrived quickly and in good shape, as did the extra stuff I got for it.
One of these items was the 55-200 VR zoom. If you go this route BEWARE: there are cheap zoom packages that ship the NON-VR version. You want VR.
Surely the standard kit lens, which does get excellent reviews, will itself someday be offered in VR form. In fact, since I bought this, you can be sure this will be soon!
Some reviewers have advised the use of those impressive bigger, heavier, wider aperture and more costly lenses. Or prime lenses. My take is that the standard DX lenses that were designed for this camera just make it so much more pleasurable to use, work just fine and are appropriate for the use this camera will get. If there are any differences in quality, they are really hard to see, if at all.
VR makes low-light photos sharp and in many cases negates the need for wide aperture lenses, and this also means a better depth of field. However, nothing beats big expensive lenses, or big expensive most anything else, actually. It just isn't really necessary for most of the photography people will use this camera for.
Cameras like the D40 are best for candid, quick shots and for capturing moments in time that are not repeatable. Bulky equipment just gets in the way and makes it more likely that the camera will be in the closet and not with you.
Some people just like the photog life and live to carry around the biggest and heaviest stuff. My thinking is that the $5000 and more DSLRs with their bigger sensors and all would be more appropriate for that use, or spend $35000 and really go for it with a digital Hasselblad.
Why not the D40x? I read a zillion reviews that said, in essence, that you can't tell the difference, so why spend the extra? There is a lot of debate about this, but I went with the D40.
Some experts, including those that I admire, suggest using special settings, especially those that have to do with how vivid the colors will be. And there are plenty of these settings. I spent a lot of time trying the various manual modes and other shooting options. Just delete them when you are done experimenting. Go to the menu on that big bright and sharp screen and reset when you are done. I messed up some promising shots because I assumed I was in Auto mode and I wasn't. My bad; automatic or not, you still have to pay attention.
This is all fun to play with, and, speaking of auto mode, it is pretty darn good. Just set the top dial to auto, leave it there, press half-way down on the shutter button to focus and then fire away. Make sure the lens buttons are set on VR and auto focus. All good.
And there are other settings for landscapes, portraits, kids, etc. Again, it is easy to turn the dial to those settings and it is all automatic. The camera's little computer changes things in subtle ways to complement those shots.
Nikon has vast technical resources and I figure they have this stuff figured out better than me. If you want special effects, you can do that, but the auto modes are really very good and hard to beat.
Flash is fun. The pop-up flash works very well for most any normal use. I also bought the little 400 series add-on flash. This is a nice device that has a bounce feature. The D40 handles all this flash stuff perfectly. Very nice, and automatic.
What about the plastic construction of the camera and the DX lenses? Sure, nothing better than those precise old metal beauties, but the DX cameras are all about size and weight. They are molded to be easy to hold and use and I really have no complaints. The camera and lenses are well-built and solid. I keep my old FM-2 around to fondle.
What about the complaints that many of the old Nikon lenses will not work on the D40? This won't be a problem for new users because they will just buy DX lenses. If you do have a collection of fabulous old lenses, then it would be best to go up to D80s or the 300. Check on what actually works. The extra cost of the camera will be offset by the "free" lenses. This will be especially important if you have specialty lenses like perspective control, medical, etc.
Again, the whole idea of the D40 is that it is light, small and affordable. Sticking a multi-pound lens on it sort of defeats the purpose.
I do have two old lenses, a 55mm micro-nikkor macro and a 100-300 with a macro setting. I just set the aperture on a guess, check out the results on the screen and adjust again. These old lenses were made to be manually set, so it is easy to do. Not for fast shots, no VR, but fun to play with.
And the results, the actual prints? First, let me say that I am a fan of big contact prints. Nothing else looks sharp to me. A Leica sales guy showed me a big print, around 24" wide, printed to show how good a cost is no object Leica could be. Ahh, sharp for what it was, but just sort of ok for me.
I have had a lot of 35mm printed and was always disappointed. Even paid extra at expensive camera stores. All in the 4X6 to 8X10 size. Not that good, to me. Slides were better, but what a pain to view.
Frankly, despite 35mm supposedly being equivalent to 25 mp digital, my 6mp photos printed out on my Canon Pixma are just a lot nicer. Nicer colors, sharper, better. Maybe if I sent my 35mm shot out to be printed on ultra exotic media with processing to match... too much for me.
If you can, I suggest getting your digital files out to a service that prints them out on actual photo paper on mega-expensive machines. This is very inexpensive and provides ultimate results (reasonably speaking).
I download into iPhoto on my old iBook. When I connect the included usb cable, the program recognizes the camera and the download begins when I push "import". Then, if I want to play with the photo, I just drag it into Adobe Elements, do my best, then save it back to iPhoto for storage. I do not use Nikon's software because I don't need to.
The D40 does do some processing in the camera, but I am just used to using the computer. It is easier to see on a big screen and of course the photo editing programs give you many more options. There are all sorts of very capable programs to sort and manipulate your photos if you want to go that way.
Suggested options: I went with the kit lens and the 55-200 VR (see my review on that lens) and that is not a bad combination. A better one would be the wide zoom and the 18-200 VR. That, however, is $2K worth of lenses. I got the little remote. I am a fan of polarizing filters, but I already had one.
Digital cameras are especially good at macro work and Nikon offers a new macro lens and a neat special flash system to go with it. Not cheap, but super capable and the results are great.
I do not like the D40's limitations on remote triggering and remote flash. To fire off the camera you can use that nifty little remote, but the sensor for it is on the front of the camera. Fine for most uses where you are in front of the camera, but heck, a timer works for that. These cameras do not accept cable releases. I will try to make a reflector out of aluminum foil and see if that works.
The old Nikon D70 had the capability of triggering remote flashes. That was a neat feature. With the D40 you have to buy one of Nikon's more expensive flashes, or a triggering device. I would like to try some creative flash photography, but the cost is pretty high. Too bad.
Note that UPS will call you the day before because they want you to be there for delivery. Too small and expensive to just leave on the porch. You might want it delivered to your work.
Also, be aware that it does not come with the little flash memory card, so order one at the same time. I got the Sandisk Ultra II 2.0 gb. It seems to work just fine. It is a brand that Nikon recommends, so...
The D40 is easy to use, light and capable for any normal situation. It downloads easily and the photos are as good as current technology allows in this price range. Highly recommended.
Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II Auto Focus-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens
4.2 | 650 ratings
Price: 138.99
Last update: 01-10-2025
About this item
6.1-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 14 x 19-inch prints
Kit includes 3x 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens
2.5-inch LCD with three display options; built-in flash and hot shoe
Fast startup with instant shutter response; shoot at up to 2.5 frames per second
Powered by one rechargeable Li-ion battery EN-EL9 (included); stores images on SD memory cards (memory card not included)
Kit includes 3x 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens
2.5-inch LCD with three display options; built-in flash and hot shoe
Fast startup with instant shutter response; shoot at up to 2.5 frames per second
Powered by one rechargeable Li-ion battery EN-EL9 (included); stores images on SD memory cards (memory card not included)
Product information
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Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II Auto Focus-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens
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Top reviews from the United States
Carlgo
What it does
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2007
nnsuch
The little DSLR that could...Incredible photos at an excellent price. Yes, you want this camera
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2008
nnsuch
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2008
For me, one of the huge annoyances with a point and shoot is the time between shots - waiting and waiting for your camera to recharge the flash or write the data to the memory card. Not a problem with a DSLR. The D40 starts up quickly, is fast between shots, and allows you to take more photos without flash.
In the beginning I used the "scene modes" and Auto, and Auto no Flash, but my interest in photography has grown since using this camera and I use the manal and semi-automatic modes now. This camera is great for BOTH casual and enthusiast users. Stick to AUTO and get great shots OR learn about photography techniques and delve into all of the camera's different settings for more difficult lighting situations, etc.
Once you have your D40, if you find yourself getting interested in photography, you may want to collect some additional gear over time. Here is a list of some accesories I have acquired to use with my D40:
LowePro Rezo 170 Camera Bag (Not ugly. Works great. Holds D40 plus camcorder or D40 plus flash, 2 lenses and room to spare.)
Nikon SB-400 flash (Yes, you eventually want this. Small, lightweight, inexpensive. Saves your camera's battery power and recharges more quickly. Use it to bounce light off the ceiling for indoor photos. It looks so much better you will never use regular non-diffused front-on flash again. Get rechargeable AA batteries, I love the Sanyo Eneloops and I am slowly replacing all my AAA and AA batteries in the house with these).
Nikkor 55-200mm VR zoom lens (Inexpensive, works great. Get the VR version, not non-VR version. Nikon sometimes does a $[...] [...] with this lens when you buy the camera and lens at the same time. That makes it super cheap).
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens (This is getting repetive, but this lens is cheap. Great value. Amazing low light, no flash pictures. I love natural light and this lens is my favorite for those situations where you don't have that much light available to you. One big drawback is that it is Manual focus on a D40, but over time you learn. Get the Nikon HR2 lens hood to go with it).
Nikon ML-L3 wireless remote (Inexpensive, works well. Easy way to take family group shots for your Christmas cards).
Sandisk Ultra II Sd Card (Have not had any problems with lost data. Transfer your images frequently to your computer and use your camera to reformat the card each time to minimize your chances of corrupt data or data errors).
Sigma EX DG 52mm Multi-Coated UV Filter (No problems with this filter).
One last thing, during my research I considered getting the Canon Rebel counterpart. To me the Nikon has several advantages - better menus (Canon's menu looks archaic and crude in comparison), better selection of affordable lenses, flash and other accesories, better ergonomics, better color rendition, auto ISO. Both camera companies are great and both cameras are capable of nice photos, but the D40 is much easier to use, and at the time I bought it, significantly cheaper I am completely happy I went with Nikon over Canon, and now that I have more experience in the DSLR world I look forward to upgrading to a bigger, more complex D300/700 eventually. But I know will still use my little D40 as well!
One more last thing, if you are still unsure and want to know how to use this camera before buying, you can check the Nikon Digitutor online videos:
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