User Reviews: Nikon D40

Nikon D40 Digital Camera
$459.00 - $469.95
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4.6 out of 5.0 stars 383 Ratings (75 Reviews)
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    Nikon D40

    By Ayame  Jan 15, 2007 | 111 out of 114 found this Nikon D40 review helpful

    Pros: Ease of use, clear LCD, great pictures.

    Cons: It only has a 3 point auto focus, the nikon D80 has 11.

    I work with digital cameras all day, so picking out an SLR was a long and hard choice. I finally decided on the Nikon D40 even though you have to buy the lenses with either the AF-S or AF-I built into it. Those are the auto focus meters. You need the...m because the camera was built without the auto focus system in the body to keep it so compact. Besides that, the camera is awesome. Only thing I've noticed about it is that it seems to wash out people with the flash in doors, but going into the editing menu afterwards, and using the warm filter seems to help with that a lot. It's a great camera to move to from point and shoot. Great pictures without having to be a professional. Read more Less

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    I Love It.

    By Paul  Dec 11, 2006 | 48 out of 58 found this Nikon D40 review helpful

    Pros: Lightweight. Easy to use.

    Cons: A bit pricey but not for a Nikon.

    I've only had it for a week but I simply love it. Easy to shoot in Auto modes - nearly a "point and shoot", but with excellent optics and picture resolution. The 18 to 55 mm lens is a very good range for casual shooting, but I have the... 55 to 200 mm lens on order for more distance. Search as I can, I can not find any faults with it yet... Read more Less

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    a jewel

    By noname  Mar 2, 2007 | 39 out of 41 found this Nikon D40 review helpful

    Pros: everything a hobbyist could wish from a DSLR, except for..

    Cons: no built-in AF motor

    finally did the DSLR move from P&S this early spring. naturally, that took quite some research on the sub-1k range models on the market. at the end the choice was narrowed down to pentax K100D, canon XT, nikon D50, and, you guessed it - the D40. the... D40 won with these 3.5 points: * ergonomics - it feels damn natural in the hand, is light, and the buttons and knobs are mostly spot-on for my liking, * uncompromised nikon quality of both output and built, * the featureset of the newest generation processor & firmware (as found on D200, D80 & D40), * and finally, the extra long manufacturer's warrany offered here in canada the manual-only focus with non- AF-S/-I lenses is nothing disturbing to me but i just had to put something in that 'cons' field : ) another con point raised by others but not bothering me is the modest AF-points set - but guess what, 90% of the time i (and possibly you too) will be at central-point focus. as an actual word of criticism, maybe i'd have liked some of the menus prioritized differently, but hell, nothing is made to my whims in this world! and yes, i could have gotten a slighly better deal on a D50 or a K100D but i'd have sacrificed elsewhere. the one feature i do miss sometimes is the shake-reduction (the K100D has it) but that only stimulates me to improve my heartrate self-control ; ) Read more Less

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    I love it!!!

    By Lupin  Dec 23, 2006 | 36 out of 38 found this Nikon D40 review helpful

    Pros: Excellent photo quality, great 2.5 LCD screen, great battery life, Easy and fun to use, low noise

    Cons: Tends to overexpose, limited to AF-S lenses, no exposure bracketing

    I bought that camera 2 days ago and so far I love it!!! Tires of point and shoot camera, I was looking for a SLR but my budget was kind of limited. After having hesitated for weeks between the Canon XT, the Nikon D50 and the D40, I decided to go with... the D40. Even if it has less feature than the XT, the D40 fealt kind of nice in my hands. After having read several reviews of that camera I was aware of his tendency to everexpose but it can be easily prevented by adjusting the exposure settings.Some reviews also complained about the fact that there's only 3 focus points but so far it works well for me. As a matter of fact the D40 focus very well in low light!! Looking for your first SLR? Do yourself a favor and give the Nikon D40 a chance! Read more Less

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    Logical upgrade from a Point and Shoot

    By KT L  Jan 4, 2007 | 30 out of 30 found this Nikon D40 review helpful

    Pros: GREAT Auto Mode and Full manual settings for the more advanced shooters.

    Cons: As an upgrade to a P&S and even compared to some higher priced DSLR this camera has no real cons I can think of

    Wow, all I can say is the D40 delivers! Here is a camera that does not break the bank but gives you many of the same features and performance of its bigger brother like the D80. For example it has the same bright and large 2.5" LCD screen and sa...me image processing engine. If you are upgrading from a P&S you will love the auto settings on the D40 which will give you excellent results. For those of you who enjoy tweaking camera settings you can do that to your hearts content. As far as the image sensor it is the same as in the D50/D70(s) and don't be fooled by the megapixels game that the manufacturers play on the consumer! A 6 megapixel camera will give you indistinguishable prints compared to an 8+ megapixel camera. A 4x6, 8x10+ prints will look the SAME! In any case, this camera is fast becoming the favorite in the collection we gave at home (Canon XT and Nikon D80). It is easy to use, ergonomic (I have lenses that weigh more!) and has great picture taking abilities. I originally bought this for my wife but use it any chance I get over my more expensive D80. Thanks! Read more Less

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    Dropped but didn't break!

    By Robert  Dec 4, 2007 | 26 out of 30 found this Nikon D40 review helpful

    Pros: sturdy; SLR; NO shutter lag

    Cons: You can't take movies with an SLR; or see your shot on the screen before you take the photo

    I carry a Canon digital camera in a little belt case whenever I go out so I don't miss a shot, but when I really want to take photographs instead of snapshots, I take the Nikon. The other day, I grabbed my knapsack and started to heave it over my... shoulder. To my utter surprise and horror, my Nikon tumbled out of the unzipped pack and crashed down onto the concrete in the parking lot. I heard pieces flying and I just stood there taking in the scene. There was my camera on the pavement below, the lens cap was fifteen feet away, and a plastic piece was at my feet. I bent down and gathered up what I thought was a broken hunk of plastic and the camera. The battery cover had come off, but it snapped back into place. Nothing else looked amiss, but there's no way the camera was going to work after that crash. I took a test shot. Too bad! I got an error message on the screen. I turned the camera off and on to reset it. I shot one, then another, then a dozen photos. The camera works! I dropped a Nikon and it didn't break! My camera works! I'm so happy, I can't tell you. I'm an old guy who grew up with SLRs (and twin lens reflex cameras before that). This camera lets you use aperture or shutter priority settings! It knows depth of field, shutter speeds, f-stops, and film speeds. All my knowledge is again useful. I can stop it down to F22 or shoot at a1/4000 of a second. Downside: when I'm shooting a portrait, the auto focus doesn't know enough to focus on the pupils of the eyes. I've shot a couple great portraits, but until I learn how to use the manual focus quickly or to use the single spot focus, I'm not getting what I think this camera is capable of producing. The lenses I have are not fast. That's typical of zooms, I guess, but I'm used to a 1.4 or 1.8 and the lenses I got are 5.6. I think the digital electronics compensates to some extent, but that's another thing to figure out. Overall, this Nikon lets a beginner get into a through the lens camera BUT - because it's a different technology than simple digital cameras, you can NOT frame your picture on the screen; you MUST look through the eye piece. That's not a problem, it's just a difference. You use the screen to review your photo AFTER you take it. ALSO, you can NOT take a video with a camera like this. Read more Less

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    This is a GREAT beginner camera

    By D  Dec 22, 2006 | 18 out of 21 found this Nikon D40 review helpful

    Pros: Ease of use, lightweight, large lcd sreen, in camera editing, great menu's,.......did I mention easy to use

    Cons: can only use auto focus lens that have a built in autofocus motor. This eliminates the ability to use any of the older nikon lens without manual focusing all shots.

    I have been astonished at how easy this camera is to use. It produces high quality images and essily corrects simple mistakes like red eye. I would definitely suggest this camera to anyone who is interested in moving to DSLR without a huge investment.... Read more Less

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    So far, so good!

    By Dottie  Dec 19, 2006 | 20 out of 30 found this Nikon D40 review helpful

    Pros: Lightweight, Ease of Use

    Cons: None yet...

    I wanted a smaller DSLR because I like taking candid shots. So far, this is a great choice. I really like the in camera editing. It is a great transistion from a point and shoot.

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    It does magic!

    By KristjanK  Mar 30, 2008 | 11 out of 14 found this Nikon D40 review helpful

    Pros: Lightweight, easy to use, powerful.i Do I have to go on? =)

    Cons: I don`t see any.

    I wanted to buy a Canon EOS 300D, but my friend recommended me this Nikon D40 with kit lens and 55-200mm lens, so afer careful concideration, after reading many user and professional reviews I decided to buy this camera. And you know what? I`m fully ...satisfied with my choice! I love tihs camera. Now I`m thinking about buying macro lens for it.. :) Read more Less

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    Near-perfect all-around DSLR

    By Dave  Apr 15, 2008 | 7 out of 7 found this Nikon D40 review helpful

    Pros: Light-weight, image quality, battery life

    Cons: Weak diopter

    I've been using the D40 for close to a year now (back when it was $100 more than it is now), and have no regrets. I do wish the diopter was a bit stronger, since I shoot without my glasses most of the time. Battery life is outstanding, it's w...eighs next to nothing, and makes beautiful images at "only 6 megapixels". Lots of lots seem to think 6.1mp isn't enough; pooh. My Canon iP6700D printer is limited to 8.5"x11" (like most other consumer printers); that's an image printed at 287dpi. So it only has a 3 point focus area? I normally use a single point. In fact, most of the features found on the D40 I'll never use. Lots of bells and whistles don't make a good image. And at the end of the day, that's what matters. Read more Less

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