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Why the Nikon D40 "doesn't deserve" your attention.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Barry Fitzgerald
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Barry Fitzgerald

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Ist off I am not anti nikon..or anything else for that matter. This is a nice camera..at a cheap price (not as cheap in the uk...)

No problems with the IQ...noise etc...better VF..great.

But I urge all ist time buyers to consider what you "may" want to use lens wise. And if you want more variety, and price ranges..avoid the D40 like the plague.

Sorry to beat the drum...but removing the in camera AF motor is plain daft. Complete deal breaker for many. You have been warned. Dumbed down controls etc also not welcomed. If Nikon had the sense to slap this out at £299 instead of £399..then maybe it could be overlooked....but sorry this isnt convincing..

Call me a sceptic, but this smells like a ploy to sell Nikon lenses..

If it doesn't bother..then fire away. Myself well I would like the option to use 3rd party lenses..and all of them. And s/h ebay jobs.

So enjoy, but if the handcuff system approach doesn't appeal...check out something else..there have been better 6mp cams on the market.....
--

 
The majority of lenses for it will be MF only + the tiny VF = no way.

Sure the majority of the people buying this camera won't know that the F4.5-F5.6 zoom they have for it sucks...atleast not right away.

Eventually they go online and see some indoor shots taken with a fast prime....and they go and buy a cheap 50 MM prime...take it home...and...hey...it wont autofocus?!?!?

I thought the people coming on asking why they can't use their LCD to frame the shot on the dslr were an odd sort...now wait til they come asking why the LCD can't be used and that their lens wont autofocus!
--
http://www.pbase.com/ewhalen

 
Ominous said:
I thought the people coming on asking why they can't use their LCD
to frame the shot on the dslr were an odd sort...now wait til they
come asking why the LCD can't be used and that their lens wont
autofocus!
Click to expand...
As a P&S owner, I have no idea why you can't use the LCD to frame a dSLR shot. Please enlighten me so that I will no longer be an "odd sort"!

Thats a serious request - not sarcastic. I would appreciate knowing the answer! Although I'm not sure I'm an "odd sort"! Thanks.

--
Bob
FX-01, Coolpix 2000, Canon EOS500(film)
 
Along with "where is the zoom button on the camera?"

Oh wait, that was me the first time I held an *ist DS at the store a couple of years ago :)

Yeah, Nikon kinda screwed up by releasing a camera that won't let you use perhaps the most recommended inexpensive prime lens.

Can't you get the D50 for about the same price as the D40 now?
Ominous said:
I thought the people coming on asking why they can't use their LCD
to frame the shot on the dslr were an odd sort...now wait til they
come asking why the LCD can't be used and that their lens wont
autofocus!
--
Click to expand...
--
http://photos.evangordon.com
 
Barry Fitzgerald said:
Call me a sceptic, but this smells like a ploy to sell Nikon lenses..
Click to expand...
ALL interchangeable lens cameras are a ploy to sell lenses, aren't they?

You might as well say, "Cameras are a ploy to get people taking pictures!!"
--
Regards,
Baz
 
Bimini Bob said:
Ominous said:
I thought the people coming on asking why they can't use their LCD
to frame the shot on the dslr were an odd sort...now wait til they
come asking why the LCD can't be used and that their lens wont
autofocus!
Click to expand...
As a P&S owner, I have no idea why you can't use the LCD to frame a
dSLR shot. Please enlighten me so that I will no longer be an "odd
sort"!

Thats a serious request - not sarcastic. I would appreciate
knowing the answer! Although I'm not sure I'm an "odd sort"!
Thanks.

--
Bob
FX-01, Coolpix 2000, Canon EOS500(film)
Click to expand...
Because there is a mirror and shutter in front of the sensor until you snap your picture.

No light = no readout.

There have been a few slrs with "live preview" but they put the preview sensor is not the same as the sensor that records your images, and you get a nasty dark viewfinder as a result.

--
http://www.pbase.com/ewhalen

 
Bimini Bob said:
Ominous said:
I thought the people coming on asking why they can't use their LCD
to frame the shot on the dslr were an odd sort...now wait til they
come asking why the LCD can't be used and that their lens wont
autofocus!
Click to expand...
As a P&S owner, I have no idea why you can't use the LCD to frame a
DSLR shot. Please enlighten me so that I will no longer be an "odd
sort"!

Thats a serious request - not sarcastic. I would appreciate
knowing the answer! Although I'm not sure I'm an "odd sort"!
Thanks.
Click to expand...
This comes as a shock to many migrating from P&S users who enjoy the use of the LCD to compose pictures especially if they wear spectacles.

The main reason is the optical light path from lens to viewfinder is blocked by the mirror which means that the sensor is not able to form an image until the shutter is tripped.

Olympus have devised a system which diverts some of the light to a secondary sensor which feeds the LCD but this system needs further refinement. The use of a so called 'live' LCD is great for closeups especially when taking ground macro shots otherwise you need to be a gymnast or use add-ons such as the clip-on Zigi-view which uses the VF image to feed a small LCD outside of the camera body.

Keith-C
 
The D-40 is aimed at the upper-range point-and-shoot user, for which the recent selection has become rather meager. The majority of buyers will be happy with the kit lens, plus at most one or two others. Those who want to progress to more advanced photography will purchase a more advanced camera in a year or two.

Those old enough to remember the SLR craze of the 70s and 80s will know that most people bought a camera with the "normal" 50mm lens, and probably received 35mm and 135mm lenses as birthday/Christmas gifts. That was it, except for an inexpensive flash, inexpensive tripod and inexpensive "leather-like" case.

I admit it's a blow to the bottom-feeder level of wedding photographers.
 
KEITH-C wrote:
The use of a so called 'live' LCD is great for closeups
KEITH-C said:
especially when taking ground macro shots otherwise you need to be
a gymnast or use add-ons such as the clip-on Zigi-view which uses
the VF image to feed a small LCD outside of the camera body.

Keith-C
Click to expand...
Or you can simply get dirty and get on the ground...it's free...and helps you hold the camera better.

--
http://www.pbase.com/ewhalen

 
Fred Klaiss said:
The D-40 is aimed at the upper-range point-and-shoot user, for
which the recent selection has become rather meager. The majority
of buyers will be happy with the kit lens, plus at most one or two
others. Those who want to progress to more advanced photography
will purchase a more advanced camera in a year or two.
Click to expand...
Yet it has less features than a modest P&S camera.

3 AF points, and lack of AF on the majority of cheap lenses.
Fred Klaiss said:
I admit it's a blow to the bottom-feeder level of wedding
photographers.
Click to expand...
??
--
http://www.pbase.com/ewhalen

 
Fred Klaiss said:
The D-40 is aimed at the upper-range point-and-shoot user, for
which the recent selection has become rather meager. The majority
of buyers will be happy with the kit lens, plus at most one or two
others. Those who want to progress to more advanced photography
will purchase a more advanced camera in a year or two.

Those old enough to remember the SLR craze of the 70s and 80s will
know that most people bought a camera with the "normal" 50mm lens,
and probably received 35mm and 135mm lenses as birthday/Christmas
gifts. That was it, except for an inexpensive flash, inexpensive
tripod and inexpensive "leather-like" case.

I admit it's a blow to the bottom-feeder level of wedding
photographers.
Click to expand...
Entry level or crippled level?

Fact is low cost users would love to find cheaper 3rd party lenses...and ebay jobs..they do not have that option now....

What part of cheap does nikon not understand? Aside from a few ssm lenses..most are not cheap.

--

 
Fred Klaiss said:
The D-40 is aimed at the upper-range point-and-shoot user, for
which the recent selection has become rather meager. The majority
of buyers will be happy with the kit lens, plus at most one or two
others. Those who want to progress to more advanced photography
will purchase a more advanced camera in a year or two.
Click to expand...
I agree. I think this is their solution to competition from the Lumix FZ50 style camera, being around the same price range. The appeal that draws them from the Lumix is the fact that the lens is interchangeable, giving you more options.
 
Barry Fitzgerald said:
Ist off I am not anti nikon..or anything else for that matter. This
is a nice camera..at a cheap price (not as cheap in the uk...)
Click to expand...
If you don't like it don't buy it and move on.
Member said:
No problems with the IQ...noise etc...better VF..great.
Click to expand...
As is the same for any other DSLR on the market.
Member said:
But I urge all ist time buyers to consider what you "may" want to
use lens wise. And if you want more variety, and price
ranges..avoid the D40 like the plague.

Sorry to beat the drum...but removing the in camera AF motor is
plain daft. Complete deal breaker for many. You have been warned.
Dumbed down controls etc also not welcomed. If Nikon had the sense
to slap this out at £299 instead of £399..then maybe it could be
overlooked....but sorry this isnt convincing..
Click to expand...
Dumbed down controls in a entry level camera...now thats a new concept. I think thats why it's called entry level. Most will just leave it on program.
Member said:
Call me a sceptic, but this smells like a ploy to sell Nikon lenses..
Click to expand...
No, it's called Nikon being in the busness ro sell Nikon products . If the camera is a success third parties will make lenses to capitalize.
Member said:
If it doesn't bother..then fire away. Myself well I would like the
option to use 3rd party lenses..and all of them. And s/h ebay jobs.

So enjoy, but if the handcuff system approach doesn't
appeal...check out something else..there have been better 6mp cams
on the market.....
Click to expand...
Yes there are better ones with feautures and entry level person won't care about or use. So why pay $800 for a body only when you can get a Kit for $599. You don't seem to grasp the concept of entry level. My family is full of shutter bugs with their cheap film based SLR's that have never shot in anything but program mode. I would suspect as well as Nikon does that the vast majority of consumers buying the D40 do not need the extra fluff.

Nikon has what now? 6 flavors of DSLR's (D2xs, D2Hs, D200, D80, D50 and D40) available at feature and price points to suit different picture taking needs. Don't go around telling other people what to not buy because it doesn't suit your personal taste. I imagine like any company there was plenty of Research put into designing the D40 to suit it's target audience.
Member said:
Click to expand...
 
I disagree.

The D40 is aimed at those folks who are upgrading from point and shoot cameras but don't want to spend too much money. It's geared for those people who will just stick with the kit lens, and possibly buy a consumer-grade telephoto zoom in the future, along with an el-cheapo tripod from Wal-mart. It's a basic, affordable system that gives you most the advantages of a DSLR at a low cost point.

The D40 is a great way for Nikon to snag beginners and lock them into their system. If the beginner has no wish to advance their photographic hobby, then they'll be happy with the D40 for years to come. But if they wish to advance their hobby, they'll likely upgrade to a higher-level Nikon.

If you're a long-time SLR user, you know that bodies come and go, but the lenses and flashes typically stay. That's just the way things are with SLRs, and what Nikon has done with the D40 isn't really out of whack.

You may not be in the market for the D40, but there are tons of P&S users which are. There's tons of money to be made by luring P&S users.
 
I completely agree and I wouldn't buy it, but then again I'm not their target demographics. The majority of previous Nikon DSLR owners looking to upgrade should know the D40's limitations and probably won't consider it. For someone who already has lenses I'd also think they're not going to be the intended market.

Right now there aren't a lot of the high-end prosumer type point and shoots and it seems that's what Nikon is going after here. Someone who wants a lot of features and better image quality and is willing to pay for it. Someone who knows just enough to know "DSLR = better pictures" but has never bought one, doesn't know why that's the case, and doesn't really know a lot about the technical side of photography. For them the kit lens might be good enough and they still will have good options for lenses later on (albeit more expensive). But I'd bet by the time those people truly start to learn and fully utilize the camera and think about expanding/upgrading equipment they'll be at a point where they will either buy another lens or have grown out of the D40 and move up to another Nikon.

It is a good message to reinforce that for those considering the D40 they should also look at the other options and try to figure out what they might want out of a camera in the future and understand the limitations. Unfortunately not everyone is born with all known knowledge on DSLR's so it's hard to know what you might want. It can be a tough scenario for many. It's hard to know what you might want to do later on if you've never used one. And if you've already used one and know how it works this becomes irrelevant.
 
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