Nikon D40
The entry-level D40 was second only to the Canon XTi in sales in January 2008, and PopPhoto.com chose it as Editor’s Choice for 2007. Corners were inevitably cut to hit an entry-level price point. For example, the camera lacks the screen display found on bigger siblings, such as the D70 and D80. Most importantly, the camera lacks an autofocus motor, so expect autofocus only from specially designated lenses (such as those included in the kit), which include an autofocus motor. Other Nikon F-mount offerings are compatible as manual lenses.
The viewfinder is small but serviceable. The D40 shares the D70’s six megapixel sensor, producing smooth and high contrast images. Build quality is “plasticy” but reasonably solid and very light.
If you’re just looking for a great, cheap dSLR, the faster, higher-resolution Canon EOS Rebel XT is probably a better bet; and if you’re an experienced shooter, you might want to spend more for the Nikon D80
Gripping the Nikon D40 is like settling down in your favorite chair. Not only do you feel right at home, the chair feels at home with you, having formed itself to match your shape
Its AF system is exceptionally fast, though the three large, widely spaced focus points are less well suited to moving subjects than the nine points in Canon’s Digital Rebel XTi
If you’re ready to enter the world of digital SLRs, the Nikon D40 is a great way to do it. It offers a compact, truly portable body, great performance and photo quality, and a really user friendly interface for not a lot of dough. I can recommend the D40 without hesitation
In everyday use the D40 is just what it set out to be, a very capable, compact, lightweight and easy to use camera which makes a perfect first step for anyone wanting to get into digital SLR photography
Ultimately the Nikon D40 provides almost everything that most photographers need in a camera (digital or otherwise), whilst delivering great ease of use
Nikon has proven once again that they know how to suck every last little bit of quality out of the 6-megapixel sensors they’ve been using for more than four years. And amazingly, the included kit lens doesn’t let the sensor down…
With the D40, Nikon wants to make sure that you’re not intimidated by the controls or size of an SLR and I think that they’ve done a good job.
Normally I’m not much impressed by entry-level models, but I really enjoyed testing the Nikon D40 SLR. It’s not often that I’m this enthusiastic about a camera. It’s a nice looking camera, wonderfully compact but still sturdy.
Nikon announced a new entry-level dSLR camera, the D40. Despite the nomenclature, the camera is an upgrade for the popular D50, now some 18 months old. Here we take a look at the changes and how it performs.