Tell me about the Nikon D40

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Tell me about the Nikon D40

Posted: 11/29/2007 3:21:09 PM EDT

My wife just leased a new Jeep and they're running a special offer of a free D40 with any new buy/lease vehicle. It comes with the standard 18-55 Nikkor lens.

I've got a Digital Rebel XTi and I love it, but I've never used any of the Nikon SLRs. How does the D40 compare?

Posted: 11/29/2007 3:27:00 PM EDT

[#1]

From what I have read it is a nice camera. Some limitations using older Autofocus Nikon lenses. It would be about a $500 value.

SC

Posted: 11/29/2007 4:06:57 PM EDT

[#2]

I have the D40x, love it, also was given a Canon XTi by my father-in-law, good too.

It is pretty hard to screw-up a digital camera these days, I think.

Posted: 11/29/2007 4:55:12 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
It would be about a $500 value.

was in best buy the other day and it was up to 600 something.

i got a d40. i cant complain, it takes good pics. very easy to use once you read the instructions

Posted: 11/29/2007 5:14:37 PM EDT

[#4]

here it is at amazon.com..$479

www.amazon.com/Nikon-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6G-Zoom-Nikkor/dp/B000KJQ1DG

Posted: 11/30/2007 7:22:58 AM EDT

[#5]

It is a really good camera. If you are more of a casual photographer, you will love it. The kit lens is very good as kit lenses go, and I like the handling of the D40 over the XTi.

It doesn't compare directly with the XTi on too much however. It is smaller, lighter, cheaper. It lacks a focus motor, so additional lens selection is more limited.

It is a really great carry around DSLR, and the lens that comes with it is good and light.

Posted: 12/2/2007 12:48:27 PM EDT

[#6]

I got one a few months ago and I'm pleased with it. It's my first DSLR.

I look at it similarly to a Ruger Mark II: It's perfect for what it is, and will meet most of my needs. Sure, I'll eventually want an M16 registered receiver, a 5" upper, a Ceiner kit and can... but the Mark II will keep me busy and happy for a long time.

Posted: 12/5/2007 7:08:49 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
My wife just leased a new Jeep and they're running a special offer of a free D40 with any new buy/lease vehicle. It comes with the standard 18-55 Nikkor lens.

I've got a Digital Rebel XTi and I love it, but I've never used any of the Nikon SLRs. How does the D40 compare?

Ken Rockwell on the D40

The Nikon D40, for only about $480, comes included with an excellent 18-55mm lens, built-in flash, battery and charger. My D40 is so light that I forget I'm carrying it, and it lets me easily make extraordinary images.

Even with 6 megapixels I can make stunning 12 x 18" prints. If you can't make a sharp shot with the D40, a more expensive camera isn't likely to help you. Contrary to what salespeople try to get you to believe, megapixels have nothing to do with sharpness.

Call me a renegade, but honestly the Nikon D40 is superior to the more expensive D40x and D80 for two reasons very important to full-time professional photographers. First, the D40 is twice as sensitive to light as the D40x and D80. (The D40's ISO defaults to ISO 200 instead of the less sensitive ISO 100, making for sharper photos in any light.) Second, the D40 is far more flexible with flash in daylight. The maximum unimpeded shutter speed of every Nikon other than the D40 when used with flash is only 1/250 second, while the D40 easily shoots at 1/500 with flash with no loss of performance.

I have a complete, free, plain-English users guide to the Nikon D40 where I explain everything I know about how to get great photos and great colors with it.

So why do people pay more for other cameras? Because most of the people buying the D40x don't exactly earn 100% of their income from photography. Full-time pros know intimately the importance of exotica like sync speed, but snapshooters are more easily separated from their money because they worry about unimportant things like megapixels. Megapixels don't matter. If you want a fancier camera, the next real step up is the Nikon D200 or D300 as I explain below.

The D40 user guide he wrote is excellent, and I am enjoying the heck outta my new D40...

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Tell me about the Nikon D40

General » Photography & Photoshopping

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