does anyone have a nikon D40?

Question

DOES ANYONE HAVE A NIKON D40 ? AND WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT...THANKYOU.

Answer 1

Hi, yes I have got one, had it since the beginning of January and love it. It's light, very easy to use and is a pleasure to own. It also uses SD cards like my compact so i already have media to use. I have been a lifelong Nikon fan using film slr's up to about 4 years ago for semi pro work. I gave up. Now I am re-starting and the D40 is a nice little camera to get back into it with.I shall be buying another soon. A medical photographer friend of mine says she uses a couple of them at work bacause they are light, small and very simple to use. If you are upgrading/changing over from film and already have a Nikon system, be aware that old style autofocus lenses will not work on this model - you have to manual focus them. The focusing screen is superb so its not that hard to do.

Also your old flash unit may be unsafe for use with this camera (or any digital camera) because of the trigger voltage (check out http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html ).

Take a look at this page, it gives a very detailed review of the D40 http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm.

Please look at my flickr account for images taken on the D40 http://www.flickr.com/photos/phil-birch/ I have reduced the size of the images for the net but you must admit the auto focus and exposure is spot on! I pushed up the colour saturation one notch which is what gives these images that deep vibrant colour

I took advice before purchasing this camera from a salesman I have known for 20 years and who's judgement i trust. I initially went in looking to purchase a Fuji 9500 bridge camera or the latest Samsung Pro 815 bridge camera. Both attracted me with their long zooms - 10x and 15x respectively, but after looking at them in the shop and trying them out in the street outside comparing them with the Nikon D40(and D80) persuaded me to go for the D40 I purchased a second hand Sigma 80-300 zoom (A/F on any other Nikon) for just £60. A little bulky compared to the bridge camera but easier to use and much more professional!!

Try one out in a store if you can, ask the salesman to tell you its benefits over bridge cameras (if they know!)

I would never buy something like this on line and consider the extra few pounds spent in a shop worth it if the salesman can educate you and let you play with the camera. I hope I have persuaded you to go for it.