Nikon D40 ?

Question

It is GOOD ??
whats the difference of taking a photo with this professional
camara, than taking it with a regular digital camara ????

Answer 1

First of all, D40 isn't professional and if you're thinking about buying it, I would recommed you to look (in the same price range) at Canon's 400D (Rebel XTi). Or, from the intermediate range of Nikon, the D80.

The differences between a SLR (single lens reflex) camera and a regular (compact) digital camera are (in short) the following:

- real optical images. A compact camera's zooms varies between 3x and 12x (optical), which (roughly) means they claim they have lenses in the range of 28-75mm or 28-400mm (focal distance). However if you look at the length you'll realize they aren't really, that's because they use converting lenses to produce an image as if the lens were that big. This leads to distortion in the image, less quality and so on.
- the bigger body houses more dedicated electronics, better image processors and so on.
- in a SLR you see the exact image as it will be shot. In a compact you do see the image, but on a big LCD, which fares poorly in light, is subject to angles of view, it is not the 100% full picture and so on. On a SLR you can compose the image only in the optical viewfinder which is a bright, accurate tool and shows you the real optical image, not distorted by electronics. If a compact does have a viewfinder (few do), they're not optical viewfinders and work only if the main LCD is turned off.

Normally on a SLR you get more control, almost anything can be set manually (including focus), tracking a moving subject and others.

Answer 2

My mom is a semi-professional, currently using a Nikon D200 as her main camera. She just bought a D40 as an impulse buy, and I've used it a couple times. For an entry level upper tier camera, the D40 is an EXCELLENT camera. Unlike the D80, the D40 does not give you an LCD on the top near the shutter button giving you ISO, shutter speed, and F-stop information. Instead, this is built into the camera's LCD on the back. At first, I was skeptical of this compared to the D80 and D200. However, I soon realized this is no different than my Canon point and shoot camera, and if you don't know any different, it really isn't a bother at all. The image quality of the D40 is excellent as well. Granted, as the previous answerer noted, the pixels, shutter lag, and recovery time will not be as quick as the D80 or other upper level cameras. But if you're looking for an intro to the Digital SLR realm, the D40 is the way to go. And from the deal my mom received, she got the camera and an included 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Nikkor lens for around $500. You can buy just the D40 body for around $350.

Answer 3

Look at the Nikon D40X. It's an upgrade from the D40, which is already an excellent camera, and it's much cheaper than a D80.
The big benefit of SLR cameras is the ability to change lenses, which in turn allows you to get almost any shot you want. Even the cheapest SLR lense is better than what's on most regular digital cameras. Be sure to buy a good lens, and you will really notice the difference.

Answer 4

The D40 is not a real "pro" camera, but it is a good stepping stone into the higher quality league. The photos are unbelieveably better than "regular digital camera" photos, because the lens quality in immensely better and the sensor is almost TWENTY TIMES larger than most "regular" digital cameras. (Well, 18 times...) It is still almost TEN times larger than the best point and shoot cameras.

Here's my canned answer and then there is more for you at the bottom about sensor size, sine you asked, "What's the difference...?"

The Nikon D40 is a great little camera, very easy to use and quite reasonably priced. It has a few "consumer friendly" totally automatic modes that make it very easy to use - including a "Child Photo" mode - but still offers total photographic control when you are ready to take charge. It will get you in the Nikon family which is a great place to be. If you buy accessories and lenses, you will be able to use everything on any Nikon that you might upgrade to later on.

Check out Nikon's "Picturetown" promotion, where they handed out 200 D40's in Georgetown, SC. http://www.stunningnikon.com/picturetown/

Here are a few reviews, in case you have not read them yet. Be sure to note that they are several pages long and some of the reviews also have some sample images that you can look at.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_reviews/nikon_d40.html
http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3756/camera-test-nikon-d40.html
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/d40-recommendations.htm

I hate to see people slam the camera because it can't autofocus with older Nikon lenses. It is true that there is a "slight problem" with older Nikon lenses not autofocusing on the D40, but if you do not own a bag full of older lenses, it is not going to be a problem. It is barely a problem anyhow. If you check www.nikonusa.com for "AF-S" lenses, which are ALL 100% compatible with the D40, you will find 23 lenses, including 7 "VR" (vibration Reduction) lenses and one true macro lens with "VR". There are another 25-plus lenses in the current catalog that provide all functions except autofocus as well as many (possibly dozens) "out of print" lenses that will work just as well. In addition, although these lens will not autofocus, most of them will still give focus confirmation. From the D40 manual: "If the lens has a maximum aperture of f/5.6 of faster, the viewfinder focus indicator can be used to confirm whether the portion of the subject in the selected focus area is in focus. After positioning the subject in the active focus area, press the shutter release button halfway and rotate the lens focusing ring until the in-focus indicator is displayed." (See http://www.members.aol.com/swf08302/nikonafs.txt for a list of AF-S lenses.)

The D40 only has 3 autofocus zones arranged horizontally at the center, 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions. This might be considered a limitation, but realistically, most people will find this perfectly adequate, especially if you are moving up from a point and shoot with only a center zone.

There is no "Status LCD" on top of the camera, but Nikon chose to use the rear LCD for this information. This is actually a nice move, as the display is bigger than the top display and you aren't using the read LCD for anything BEFORE you take the picture anyway. This is not a step backwards and it actually makes sense to me.

You can get the D40 with the 18-55 kit lens at B&H Photo available through Yahoo! Shopping or at 1-800-622-4987) for $525 (June 2007). Add a Lexar Platinum (60X speed) card for $25 or 2 GB for $35. Or - get the D40 with 18-135 lens and 1 GB Lexar card for $750. They also have used D40's from $475.

SENSOR SIZE

Here is a mini-tutorial I made myself to compare 10 MP sensors in a digital SLR (DSLR) and a point and shoot (P&S) camera. I have tried to keep everything on equal footing with no unequal cropping of the original images. Both images were taken at the equivalent of 75 mm from about 1,000 feet away. View this FULL SIZE and scroll through the image to compare the resolution at various points of the images. To me, the P&S sensor practically looks like an impressionist painting compared to the DSLR sensor. Please note also that this is the "large size" P&S sensor, as most are using the smaller 1/2.5" (5x4 mm) sensor.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7189769@N04/476181751/

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Answer 5

I think the most noticable difference you will find between DSLRs like the D40 and any point and shoot is the speed.
"The D40 takes just 0.18 seconds to power up, and its almost imperceptible shutter release lag time does away with the frustrating picture taking delay common with point-and-shoot digital cameras" ~dpreview.com

Answer 6

Actually the D-40 is the entry level professional Nikon digital camera. If at all possible, look at the D-80, you get more pixels, more shots per second and faster recovery time. You also need to look to see if you have the choice of f-stop or shutter speed priority.

Answer 7

slr