Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
-
Great portable camera!
I emphasize the portability because it is small and lightweight (for those long hikes or shows). I have used this camera for a year now in all conditions. From snow storms to the beaches of Huntington Beach and it still surprises me at the beautiful photos and the new things I am learning about it every day!
My best investment, besides the camera body itself, would have to be my Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor lens. It only costs around $100 and is perfect for all occasions, low light and all. Even though this lens does not auto-focus with the D40, when you get that perfect shot in focus you feel that much better of a photographer.
Back to the camera, I cannot praise it enough for giving high quality photos with minimal effort. My love for Nikon and it's products grows daily.
If you are a beginner or advanced photographer, this camera is light, compatible, and sexy. I would recommend it to all beginning and wanting to leap from the point and shoot cameras to a digital SLR. If you can spend the extra cash, get the Nikon D40x. It has a few more features, though the D40 holds its own.
Again, this is the best investment of my life. The best thing about most digital slrs and lenses are that they worth just as much if you sell them years later if you keep them in good condition! Almost like you are getting a camera for free, except I will probably never sell my camera gear ever.
I researched the Nikon camera bodies for several months before I finally purchased the D40 and have no regrets. Keep shooting and never give up fellow photographers!
Rating: -
Adorama
Excellent camera package. I believe the D40 is better than D60 and D80 for accurate color rendering. The pair of zoom lenses included in price was a great bargain.
Delivery on time with up to the minute tracking. Adorama is a great company.
Rating: -
Awesome camera
I researched which entery level DSLR to grab for probably 3 months and this camera stood out as the clear winner.
The pictures are beautiful and the learning curve isn't very steep.
Rating: -
NIKON D40
Having used digital cameras for several years I wanted to upgrade to DSLR for the ability to change lenses. Have taken over 1000 pics so far and am very pleased. The menu is very handy and the Help feature is a plus. Pictures are sharp and clear, as long as I do my part. Don't take flash pics with the hood on, it leaves shadows. Software loaded on Vista easily and downloads are fast. And the price was right!
Rating: -
The Perfect Beginner Digital SLR
Pros:
Compact, Very easy to use, Inexpensive, Nikon reputation, Very useful 'Help' menu, nice LCD screen,
Cons:
6 Megapixels may be less for people who want to take very large prints, the outer ring on the kit lens moves while focussing..
If you want me to put it in one sentence then This is the perfect Digital SLR for a beginner. Its very compact (the smallest DSLR, i guess), but Nikon did not compromise on the build quality. Its very sturdy and has a nice comfortable grip. The buttons are all in the exact positions where you would expect. Its also very inexpensive. So if you are planning to take a dip into the world of SLRs, then you'd be happy with its pricing. This would give your budget enough room to invest in lenses!!!
Now for the features... The reason why i call it the perfect DSLR is that, when one upgrades from a point and shoot to a DSLR, then the options and features offered may be overwhelming to the point of getting confused on what to do.. Now here is where the 'Help' menu comes handy. With the click of one button the camera would tell you what the selected mode does and also makes recommendations like "Low lighting, Flash recommended." This is a blessing to a total beginner. The option of Auto and Program-Auto along with a wide variety of scene modes makes the transition from a Point and Shoot a pleasure. The graphical view of the LCD screen shows the representation of a lens aperture and becomes very useful for a beginner to understand the concept of Aperture and Shutter. There are a lot of dedicated buttons (not as many as you would find in a Full frame, but good enough for the first timer) to adjust the most common settings like, exposure compensation, ISO, flash, Self timer. There is also a Function key which the user can customize to do a specific function.
Now although this is a perfect beginner camera, it can be used by amateur or advanced level users as this can handle really well almost any kind of situation. Due to its compact size its great for traveling which even advanced photographers would appreciate.. It has a hot shoe to connect any external flash, you can add accessories like filters, wireless remote controllers, and also pick from an enormous selection of Nikon lenses as it works with any Nikon lens. One thing to note is that the Auto-focus motor is not in the camera body so you need an AF-S lens if you want automatic focusing.
But as we all know nothing is 100% perfect, the D40 also has some minor negetives.. First, the 6 megapixel resoluion might be less for an advanced level photographer, who would like to make Very large prints.. But for most amateur users this is more that enough. My second concern is with the kit lens that comes with the bundle. When you set it to auto focus and push the shutter release half way down to automatically focus, the outer ring of the lens rotates to focus, this becomes a problem when using a filter.. But more advanced lenses of nikon do not have this issue. Another note. If you have large hands and fingers i would recommend you to go to a store and check out the camera for yourself to see how comfortable it feels. I have small hands and it fits better than my biking gloves!!!
So if you are in the market for a compact Digital SLR and can get over the "6 megapixel" thing, then the Nikon D40 should be the ideal camera for you.
P.S. Do invest in a good tripod and you'll always thank yourself!!!!