Nikon D40

My latest toy is the awesome Nikon D40 DSLR.  It's an amazing camera for a rock bottom price.  I was looking to upgrade from a point and shoot, but didn't want to spend too much on a camera.  I was originally looking at the Nikon P5000 and the Canon G7, but decided the best deal would be to purchase a DSLR for that price.  Portability isn't too large of a concern and the D40 is small enough compared to other DSLR, as I will demonstrate later.  I've taken some indoor and outdoor shots, but I still have so much to learn about the camera's capabilities.  The D40 comes with a 18-55mm kit lens.  It is very light weight and very quiet.  One thing to note is that the D40 will only support autofocus on the newer Nikon S lens or any lens that has a built in autofocus motor. 

Here is the standard view.  I replaced the provided Nikon camera strap with a Tamrac strap.  The Tamrac strap is detachable and doesn't stand out as much.  The size of the D40 is just right.  It is the smallest DSLR I've seen and it fits my hands perfectly.  For those with large hands, this might be a little bit uncomfortable.  It is also one of the lightest DLSR on the market.  It has just enough weight to hold steady, but won't wear you out from hanging it on your neck.

The dials are very well placed, although it is missing the front dial other Nikon DSLR have.  I don't find this to be a problem.  All the buttons are placed in intuitive places, allowing the user to operate the camera without having to look at what he is pushing.

The left side of the body doesn't have many controls.  It has a timer/Fn button, which can be programmed to select different features.  The flash button is also there.

In auto mode, the flash will automatically pop up when the camera feels there isn't enough lighting.  In other modes, the flash must be manual ejected via the button on the left side.  The flash does a good job, but I haven't explored its uses very much yet.

The back of the camera is splendid.  The large 2.5" screen is clear and very bright.  The 4 buttons on the left side allow easy access to menus and playback.  The 4 point navigation buttons to the right of the screen is easy to use.  There is also a rear dial that is used quite often to adjust different settings.  The viewfinder is great.

The LCD screen has several different modes suited to each individuals taste.  This screen is what the user will see most of the time, which shows the different settings that are currently active.  The right and bottom bar can be quickly adjusted, switching in and out of different options such as shooting mode, metering, or exposure.  The menus are very easy to follow and doesn't take long to get used to.  There is also a question help button that will display any information that the user may have questions about.  This is a great feature in case the user gets lost or is unsure what something means.

I got a few accessories to compliment the D40.  The two accessories are a lens hood to block out flare and reflections on the lens.  I also have a standard lens filter to block UV rays and reduce haze.

This shot shows the lens hood and filter.  The hood doesn't stick out to far.  It is easy to attach and remove.

The lens hood is stored backwards on this when not in use.  It keeps the camera very compact.

This is a comparison shot with my brother's D200.  The size is dramatically different.  The D40 is extremely small when compared to the D200.  It also weighs much less.

The D200 has the top LCD screen while the D40 does not.  The information displayed on the screen is inside the viewfinder for the D40.  Although it would be nice to have this screen on the D40, I find myself getting by just fine without it.

Below are a series of shots taken using the D40.  I took the images in RAW format, so I did a small amount of basic tweaking in photoshop.  This is a small example of what the D40 can shoot.  The images are sized down and the quality of the images are on High (opposed to maximum).