Review based on a production Nikon D40
The Nikon D40 is an all new affordable, compact, point-and-shoot digital SLR from Nikon, it follows on from the D50 but at a significantly lower price point and with a subtly different feature set. The biggest news however is probably fact that Nikon resisted the temptation to keep chasing megapixels (hooray for that) and instead appear to have concentrated on what makes a good camera, a decent viewfinder, short shutter lag, very short viewfinder blackout. They've trimmed some of the 'less important features' (you can't change the exposure steps for example) but have squeezed a range of new features such as custom Auto ISO which we welcomed with the D80.
Perhaps the biggest negative on the D40 is that it doesn't have an internal focus drive motor and hence no mechanical focus drive pin, instead it only has CPU contacts which means it can only Auto Focus with AF-S and AF-I lenses (those with built-in focus motors). Indeed our 'standard' lens the Nikkor 50 mm F1.8D (and the F1.4D) are manual focus only on the D40. The images below show the difference between the mount on the D40 and D80, the D80 has a mechanical focus drive pin at about the 7 o'clock position.
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Nikon's choice of "compromises" with the D40 are switching to a new three area AF sensor (although it seems to be just as fast), removing some of the flexibility (you can't change the CW average area, exposure steps are fixed at 1/3 EV and there's no bracketing) and removing the status LCD (although this has more to do with making the camera smaller than saving money). What the D40 shares with the D50 are some of the important things, the six megapixel sensor, the 420 pixel metering sensor (also used on the D80), the more 'consumer like' default IIIa color mode and 2.5 frames per second continuous shooting (although now unlimited in JPEG mode).
On the plus side you get ISO 3200 equiv. (HI 1), the ever useful customizable Auto ISO, a larger viewfinder view, shorter shutter lag and viewfinder blackout, a larger LCD monitor, a considerably nicer user interface, SDHC support, a new image processing engine, unlimited JPEG continuous shooting, in-camera retouching (including D-Lighting) and of course a smaller and lighter body. It would not therefore be fair to describe the D40 as a 'dumbed down' D50, far from it, the range of improvements and new features out-weigh those which have been removed or reduce, which would most likely not be missed by the average D40 owner.
 Nikon D40 |
 Nikon D50 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Introduction price | $599 (Kit) | $899 (Kit) |
| Autofocus | • 3 area TTL • Nikon Multi-CAM530 • Only AF-S or AF-I lenses |
• 5 area TTL • Nikon Multi-CAM900 |
| CW Avg. size | 8 mm | 6, 8, 10, 13 mm or frame average |
| Exposure steps | 1/3 EV | 1/3 or 1/2 EV |
| Sensitivity | • ISO 200 - 1600 |
ISO 200 - 1600 |
| Auto ISO | • Selectable maximum ISO • Selectable minimum shutter speed |
On/Off |
| Bracketing | None | • Exposure • White balance |
| Built-in flash | Guide number 17 (ISO 200) | Guide number 15 (ISO 200) |
| Continuous | • 2.5 fps (1 fps at ISO 3200) • Unlimited / 9 frames (JPEG / RAW) |
• 2.5 fps • 12 / 4 frames (JPEG / RAW) |
| Image presets | Normal, Softer, Vivid, More Vivid, Portrait, B&W | Normal, Vivid, Sharper, Softer, Direct Print, Portrait, Landscape |
| Viewfinder | • Penta-mirror type • Eyepoint: 18.0 mm (at -1.0 m-1) • Frame coverage 95% (approx.) • Magnification approx. 0.8x • B-type Bright View Clear Matte Mark V |
• Penta-mirror type • Eyepoint: 18.0 mm (at -1.0 m-1) • Frame coverage 95% (approx.) • Magnification approx. 0.75x • B-type Bright View Clear Matte Mark V |
| LCD monitor | • 2.5" TFT LCD • 230,000 pixel TFT |
• 2.0" TFT LCD • 130,000 pixel TFT |
| Status LCD | No | Yes |
| Storage | SD / SDHC card | SD card |
| Battery | Lithium-Ion EN-EL9 (7.4 V, 1000 mAh) | Lithium-Ion EN-EL3a (7.4 V, 1400 mAh) |
| Dimensions | 126 x 94 x 64 mm (5.0 x 3.7 x 2.5 in) | 133 x 102 x 76 mm (5.2 x 4.0 x 3.0 in) |
| Weight | • No battery: 471 g (1.0 lb) • With battery: 522 g (1.2 lb) |
• No battery: 540 g (1.2 lb) • With battery: 620 g (1.4 lb) |
| Programmable FUNC button | Yes | No |
| In-camera retouching | • D-Lighting |
No |
| World time | Yes | No |
| Kit lens | AF-S DX 18-55 mm F3.5-F5.6 G II | AF-S DX 18-55 mm F3.5-F5.6 G |
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read some of our Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).
Conclusion / recommendation / ratings are based on the opinion of the author, we recommend that you read the entire review before making any decision. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of them, click to display a larger image in a new window.
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Dpreview use calibrated monitors at the PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally also A, B and C.
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Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens | $459.99 |
Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) | $129.99 |
Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens | $446.95 |
Nikon D40x 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens | $799.00 |
Nikon D40X 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) | $999.95 |
Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens | $370.00 |
Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens | $879.00 |
Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only) | $609.00 |
Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens | Too low to display |
Focus Camera Nikon D3200 24.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Black) with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR NIKKOR Zoom Lens + EN-EL14 Battery + Nikon Filter + 32GB Deluxe Accessory Kit | $579.95 |
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