Customer Reviews

Unless you are a sport journalist, I don't think you can go wrong with this camera
The 6 Megapixel Nikon D40 is targeted for those who want a relatively compact and light camera yet having most of the important SLR features. The D40 is priced reasonably (cheaper than D50/D80 and Canon Rebel XTi). In my opinion, if you are still considering whether to get a point and shoot camera or a DSLR, the D40 will be a better choice than any point and shoot camera, by far, even those with 8MP or 10MP. But if you are already deciding to get a DSLR or you want more control of the picture taking experience, then I would recommend you to also test the D50 and/or D80 first before deciding to buy the D40. I want you to make sure that you know what you will get (and not get) with the D40. Don't get me wrong though, the D40 is an awesome camera, and I don't think you will regret buying one. There are some limitation with the D40 which shouldn't bother most people, for example, the D40 doesn't have dedicated button to change picture quality, white balance or ISO settings (which generally only professional/enthusiast will care). Once you understand (and accept) its limitation, the D40 is a potent and exciting photography machine.

Just like all its (DSLR) siblings, the D40 powers on instantly and take pictures with almost no shutter lag which are the major advantages of a DSLR over a point and shoot camera. In addition to the P,S,A,M mode, the picture quality of the auto settings (auto, child mode, landscape etc) are also very good. With 2.5 frames per second you can capture movement progress in sports like football, basketball, baseball etc. Also great to photograph your family or child (child mode). The D40 is a great all around camera.

Some notable new features:
1. Auto (no flash) mode. Without this mode the flash will pop-up (on all other pre-programmed mode) even when you don't want to use flash (which can be annoying). The internal flash will not pop up automatically with the P,S,A,M settings.
2. In camera editing capability such as black and white, sepia and some filter effects etc. While sounds gimmicky, these features are useful especially for those who doesn't have Adobe Photoshop (or other image editing software).

To date, D40 is the smallest and lightest among all the Nikon DSLR (even smaller than the Canon Rebel XT/XTi, however the D40 is more ergonomics). I believe that choosing a camera that fits comfortably with your hands is important. Therefore, I recommend people to test the camera before buying (even if you want to buy online, please do go to a physical store and test the camera first whenever possible).

The D40 has only 3 (horizontal) autofocus point (5 for D50 and 11 for D80). If you know "The Rule of Thirds", the additional AF points above and below the center focus point (available in D50 and D80) are handy to help create the horizontal third line. However, the 3 horizontal AF point in D40 is still helpful to create the vertical third line. Also one can focus with the middle AF point and after the focus is lock then move the frame upwards/downwards to create the horizontal third line. Just make sure the exposure level is still accurate when you move the frame after you lock the focus.

About the 18-55mm II AF-S kit lens: A good lens producing sharp photos (though not a very fast lens). Also decent for close-up/macro photography. Lens uses internal focus technology and focusing operation is silent. A very decent kit lens.

Lens compatibility: Notice that with D40, autofocus function will not work for non AF-S/AF-I lens. If you already have non AF-S/AF-I Nikon lenses and want a backup or replacement camera, you will be better off buying D50, D70s or D80. If you buy the D40, it will be convenient to stick with AF-S and AF-I type lenses. I'm not sure why Nikon choose this route for the D40 (whether to enable smaller size camera or from now on Nikon will only make AF-S lens compatible camera). There are a lot of good Nikon AF-S lenses (price range added: low, medium, high) that are fully compatible with the D40 such as:

- Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX (L)
- Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX (L)
- Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED IF AF-S DX (L)
- Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX (L)
- Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S DX VR (M)
- Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED AF-S DX (L)
- Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED AF-S DX VR (L)
- Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR (M)
- Nikon 12-24mm f/4G ED IF AF-S DX (M)
- Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S (H)
- Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX (H)
- Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S (H)
- Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR (H)
- Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro (M)
- And several other expensive prime tele/zoom lens like 200-400mm, 300m, 400mm, 500mm, 600mm.

High priced lens ($1000+) are usually pro level lens which usually have better construction, faster (f-stop), and produce better quality picture. However, often times, lower price lens will serve your needs just fine. I think it is important to know what you want to use the camera for before deciding which camera and lens to buy.

Image quality of the D40 is very good which is #1 factor that I look for in a digital camera.

Here are the pros and cons of the D40 in my opinion:

Pros:
1. Nice out of the camera result picture quality
2. Affordable price
3. Compact size and light weight
4. Large and bright 2.5 inch LCD
5. 2.5 frames per second
6. B/W, Sepia, several more in-camera editing features.
7. Instant power on, fast autofocus and no shutter lag
8. Noise is acceptable at high ISO settings. Auto ISO settings available.
9. Great 18-55mm II AF-S kit lens.
10. Great battery life (400+ on a single charge. 1000+ if flash is not used).
11. Auto (flash off) mode available
12. 1/500 flash sync

Cons:
1. No direct button to change QUAL, WB and ISO settings
2. Grip comfortably but might be a bit too small for some people
3. No top LCD and no front command dial
4. Autofocus will not work with non AF-S or non AF-I lenses (such as the 70-300m G and 50mm f/1.8D lens)
5. No AF/MF switch (have to use the switch on the lens)
6. Only 3 autofocus point
7. 6 Megapixel (More Megapixel needed to print larger than 12 X 18 at 300 dpi)
8. No night landscape mode in pre-programmed settings
9. No in camera image stabilization (like Sony and Pentax) but Nikon has lenses with it (VR).
10. No depth-of-field preview button

In conclusion, the D40 is perfect for those who want high quality pictures, more control (than a point and shoot camera), and have a DSLR experience (instant power on and no shutter lag), without having to carry a bulky camera. And unless you are shooting sports/actions professionaly (which faster focusing processor, faster frames per second and larger memory buffer might be needed), the D40 is pretty much all you will need.

Happy Photographing!

Sidarta Tanu

Great Camera - Shady Quality Control
Lot of writeup on what is great about this camera - no use repeating the same points. Let me tell you what went wrong with mine.

The first D40 shipped to me had a bright green dot and a line going through every picture (from the very first shot) to the bottom of the screen. This very obvious CCD defect should have been caught at the factory if Nikon QC had been upto it.
I managed to obtain a second camera and briefly compared the first unit to the second unit. Turns out - the first camera with CCD defect also had an edge sharpness issue - especially the left edge - this was only noticeable when the same picture was taken side by side with the second camera. I first did a reset on the camera and took the test shots in auto mode. My colleagues at work were really surpised when I showed them the results. Center sharpness was comparable and I was making sure that the same point was in focus on both cameras.
This is not the only problem I'm noticing with Nikon QC. My colleague also has a D40 but with 18-55 lens. The autofocus on his lens has stopped working and is going back for repairs.
[Ken Rockwell is either lucky with his Nikons or the initial batches produced at the Thailand factory have better QC.]

Going back to 1992 with my 35 - 70 mm kit Nikon lens that came with my N6006 - (yeah - I was naive fellow then)
On this lens, the the aperture control diaphragm would get stuck in open position overexposing/ruining many a precious roll of film. The lens came back repaired from the Torrance Nikon facility under warranty. Few months later - same problem - many a runied pic - again repaired. 6 months later - same problem - this time Nikon refused to do anything saying that the extension to the warranty had expired! So not just quality - but their repairs can suck as well.

Why I still bought the D40 -
1) Great exposure accuracy with the 420 pixel? RGB sensor. Other than this point, the other SLR's are quite comparable. I think I really got the Nikon for this reason. I can shoot at the sun through the trees and still get the exposure correct. Amazing.
2) I still have a bunch of compatible lenses (most NOT by Nikon but which are far better than the original Nikon "kit lens"). I can still use them in manual focus mode.
3) Nikon QC is really a hit/miss affair. This is my last go at Nikon - if the quality part does not pan out, I'll e bye bye my gear and switch over to someone else - now that I am not on a student stipend!
4) Quite cheap at the time I got it with the 18-135 lens (forums thought it was a price mistake - turned out to be not the case). I am no longer a fan of carrying a lot of gear and wanted an all purpose lens.
5) The lens is quite sharp (mount is plastic BTW). But quite a bit of light fall of at the edges (very noticeable sometimes), and geometric distortion at every focal length. Even faces look stretched when located at the edge of a photograph taken at 18mm.

Note for those debating between an SRL and an advanced P/S

Get an SLR for a hundred or two dollars more! In earlier days - Point and Shoots and SLR's used the same sensor (film) and results were often comparable. In the digital world, the SLR sensor is far far superior to your P&S sensor - it is as if you are using much higher quality film - (more sensitive, less grain, better dynamic range and better color rendering). There is almost no P/S using an SLR equivalent sensor.
In addition, as technology gets upgraded, you can still use your existing lens and buy only the camera body a couple of years down the road.
If you think a P/S can give you image stabilization on the cheap - an SLR can do even better by letting you use high ISO's with minimal noise. Plus you can always buy an image stabilized lens (or body - as with Pentax).
If you have a kid in the house and take a lot of "instant" shots with available lighting - believe me - SLR is the way to go. They focus blazingly fast and if you know how to use the camera - no flash needed.

Difference between a 6 mp and higher versions - always remember - there is a factor of 4 in there. To double picture size from a 6 MP camera, you need a 24 MP camera. The actual picture size difference between a 6 and 10 mp camera is really small. You won't go wrong printing 12X18 with a 6 mp camera.

A five star camera rated two stars because of multiple quality issues that have been experienced.

Great, solid, quality camera
I'm extremely happy with the purchase of the Nikon D40 / 18-135 Nikkor lens combo. I wasn't sure if I'd like the lens, since it doesn't have VR and sometimes does not receive the best review. I was, however, pleasantly surprised with the quality of images produced with this lens. It's very sharp, has a nice bokeh and provides a great focal range for normal, everyday shooting.

The camera itself is GREAT. I'm impressed with the firmware/interface of this device and find it very intuitively designed. It's easy to make relatively customized adjustments on the fly. I HIGHLY recommend the D40 over Canon equivalents. I've used the Digital Rebel, the XT and XTi, and this camera shoots better photos, is easier to use and is more powerful.

I recommend this lens(18-135) over the traditional 18-55 kit lens; although it's a nice lens, you'll get tired of it's limits quickly. I also recommend the purchase of an ML-3 remote for taking night shots and family portraits that you actually want to be in! (no running back into the frame after setting the timer)

I plan to add a 70-300 VR, SB-600 speedlite, and a filter set to complete this useful photo arsenal. Possible other additions include a 10.5mm fisheye, 60mm Macro and a sturdy tripod.