Nikon D40

Opinion: I borrowed one of these from my high school for three years, used it, abused it, it still ran when I handed it back a few months back, I wrote another review earlier about a D60 that was the same because I got the two confused, just as a side note.

Opinion: I bought the D40 in 2006 as an "expendable" travel camera. I found it on sale in Seoul, for just US$420, as the newer D40x was coming out and most Koreans will only purchase the latest models.

I lugged the D40 and its kit lens around 50+ countries on four continents before I managed to destroy the shutter while trying to clean dust off the sensor (the "lock up" mechanism malfunctioned). I left the camera body in a hotel room in Bolivia, and sorely missed it while travelling through the rest of South America.

The D40 was a great entry-level SLR. Nikon has been making SLRs for a very long time, and have honed their designs almost to perfection over the years (or, at least, their SLRs approach perfection. Their pocket cameras are only average). I liked the camera from the moment I picked it up. All the buttons and dials fell under my fingers, just where I wanted them, and everything seemed intuitive. The camera just "felt right".

The D40 took pretty good photos, too. Granted, the lens had no stabiliser and the sensor was only 6mp, but those relatively large pixels soaked up the light nicely, offering rich and colourful landscapes and smooth, natural skintones.

I've since "upgraded" to an Olympus E-P3, and while the Oly is undoubtedly a better camera it also cost twice as much and does not handle as well.

Opinion: Superb image quality, I use it with my kit lens and a 50mm 1.8G. More than enough resolution for me. ISO 800 is clean and usable, given that scene is not under-exposed. ISO 200 is super clean and plenty of DR. Fast and responsive, very small. A complete steal even today, in 2011 (used).

DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN SYNC WIRELESS FLASH AT THE SPEED OF 1/4000 th of a sec ???

yes that is the greatest advantage, even D3X cannot do that. Try shooting in daylight @ 2.8 and 1/4000, with flash.

Opinion: just had a used one as my 1st slr.once the box opened, i surprised with the size..very small and cute.and after i put my hand on it..feels so light but solid. but wait for the images that d40 produces..B E A U T I F U L: so warm, so fresh, so deep and the most important..so life.no more words..i'm happy :)

Opinion: I have owned my D40 for a year now, and shot around 5,000 images. It is light, reliable, produces excellent images and is good in low light. 6Mp is plenty if you know what you're doing, and it has a similar pixel density to D700, which makes for excellent dynamics, colour depth and an indefinable clarity about the photographs it produces.

Opinion: Strongly Recommended. This was a gift for myself after saving for about five years. I have used this camera for more than a year now. I am amazed at the quality of pictures from this camera and I absolutely love it. I am no professional photographer but would like to capture the moments of my life in its true form. I do not use the full capability of this camera, yet I take good pictures with the various Auto modes on the camera. My family and friends handled (or I can say mishandled) this camera during my wedding last year and a professional photographer had a Nikon D80 and I did not see a difference in the quality of the pictures from the two cameras. I will post some of my pictures to the following website: picasaweb.google.com/computersrinu/

Opinion: I have had my Nikon D40 for around 5 months now and I love this camera

Opinion: Have just bought my second D40 after foolishly selling my first to try the top end compacts, tried an LX3, nice but not for me, tried a FZ28 but still missed the SLR feel and control. I have not yet sold the FZ28 but after a couple of weeks shooting both the Nikon edges it, although lacking many modern features on the FZ28 the D40 is still my personal choice. I too think it will become a classic.

Opinion: To start, I still have my old (30+ years) Canon A-1, with several lenses, and my wife
has a Canon AE-1. So, SLRs are like old friends. UNTIL NOW.

I did a lot of research prior to purchase of the D40. You name the review site, and
I most likely went there. Yes, I looked at Canon DSLRs, too. Money's tight, so that
was a major factor leading to purchase. Since I'm not a professional photographer,
I saw little need for spending more than $700+ for something I already had (the
Canon).

So, I spoke with a friend, a professional commercial photographer with over 40
years experience, and his opinion of Nikon lenses helped push me towards the brand.
Being a graphic designer, and spending nearly half my time in Photoshop, my friend
knew I needed a camera which would give me high-res images, but not break the bank.
By the way, my friend shoots with Pentax, Hassleblad, and Nikon.

I bought the D40 a couple of weeks ago. WELL, I'M HOOKED! As it's my first DSLR,
the ease of use and quality of photos amazed us. Not nearly as heavy or cumbersome
as the Canon. Lugging the bag with that one, and it's lenses, was turning me off
to photography. This D40 is a gem! Light, easy to carry, and almost ridiculously
easy to use. I carry it daily, which is something I never did with my old Canon.

The kit (18-55) lens, so far, is just enough to get started, plus the retailer cut me
a deal on a 55-200 lens at the same time. I find myself switching between the two,
as popping on lenses is pretty easy. But, since there's so much plastic, one can't
be in too much of a hurry ... or else. Yes, less plastic would have been a plus,
but, for the money ... who cares.

I work on a iMac, so for those of you that do, the software is a cinch to install.
Just make sure you have one or two empty USB ports on the Mac. Mine are all
filled, so plugging in and unplugging gets to be a hassle at times.

Retouching the photos has not been a problem, and I haven't even shot RAW yet.
Color is incredible. I've had to scan shots from my Canon, and color correction
became arduous. The images from the D40, since they're copied directly from the
camera, don't require color correction, unless, of course, you chose that route.

Bottom line is, I'm totally knocked out with this camera. I can't wait to buy more
lenses.