Do you like your Nikon D40?

Question

If not, what should I get instead for around the same price range?

Answer 1

Perhaps you have heard of the highly respected Ken Rockwell? He is world famous for reviews on cameras. When it comes to which camera, click on the link below to read which is his favorite.

Answer 2

I own a D40 and love it for the type of shooting I do (outdoors, critters, close-up product documentation, ...). Plus, I can use some of the old Nikon lenses I have at my disposal like a 500mm (equivalent to 750mm on the D40) lens for shooting wildlife. Read Ken Rockwell's diatribe on how he sets up his D40. It covers the practical aspect of how to set the camera that the manual doesn't cover. Of note is the AutoISO setup and minimum shutter speed.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40/users-guide/index.htm

The 18-55mm kit lens that comes with the camera is fairly good. It will focus down to 11 inches from the film plane, even at the largest zoom setting.

The only thing I don't like about the D40 is the light metering. I usually use an EV compensation of -2/3. I think the D40 was meant for people taking pictures of people outdoors in bright sun without a flash. The default settings tend to blow out highlights. Other than that, it's a great camera.

Oh, get a large memory card, 2GB or larger. They're cheap (under $40 for 2GB). I have my camera set so I get about 1100 images on a 2GB card (6Mpixels, medium JPEG setting).

Answer 3

check out the d40x