Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm f/ 3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens

Very good entry level camera

5/3/2009

First off, I am by no means an experienced photographer. Calling me an amateur would be almost too much credit. On that note, the camera is very easy to operate. If you are looking for one to just take out of the box and have at it, then you can easily do that. If you are looking for some more options and advanced features such as adjusting your own shutter or aperture, then you can do that as well. The camera has a comfortable grip with well placed buttons on the back so that you can basically operate the camera with one hand if necessary. The multiple flash modes are fantastic, especially the slow sync. If you are looking for a way to use your flash indoors and not have the picture look like it was taken with a flash, this mode makes the picture look a bazillion times better. The pictures come out very clear, clean, and sharp. I also have the 55-200 VR lens and from what I can tell compared to a few friends that have a Canon DSLR, they do not offer any lens that can keep zoomed in pictures as crisp as the Nikon VR series, especially if you have the skills of barely an amateur photographer, like myself.

There are only 2 complaints I have. The first is that there is no live view on the camera. I didn't know that seeing your image on the screen before you took it was something that didn't come standard on DSLRs. I figured if a cheap point and shoot had it, so would a much more expensive camera. It's not the end of the world, but it is something the be aware of. Secondly, I guess to make the camera cheaper, they left the autofocus motor out of the camera. The only problem this causes is that if you have any older Nikon lenses that aren't the AF-S model (which include their own autofocus motors), then they will not be able to autofocus on this camera or the D60 for that matter.


Overall: I would definately recommend it based on it's ease of use, extremely light weight, high quality of pictures, and awesome array of lens options (especially the VR series).

Great camera

5/3/2009

This camera is well worth the money. I've been looking for a new camera for a while, and it occurred to me that it would be better to get one that I could grow into as my skills increased, instead of one I'd grow out of.

The lens is pretty good, too. I do suggest buying a UV filter for it, but that's only a few bucks.

All in all, I'm happy with my purchase. You will be too.

5 star camera for a 3 star price - Better than D40x or D60

5/2/2009

My first Nikon camera after Canon and I love it. I researched alot before buying it and found out that this camera performs better than D40x or D60 because of the ISO. Camera came with 18-55mm and 55-200mm lens kit and I also own the 18-200mm lens ($700 approx just for the lens). Takes great photos specially in low light and I am just amazed by the performance.

Check Kenrockwell's website for some nice comparisons too. V. helpful

More than I expected

5/1/2009

Two months ago I just wanted to buy a DSLR to get a feeling of what a DSLR can do and see if it is that good as others people saying it is. So I decided to buy the cheapest DSLR and tried it out. D40 was the cheapest I could find, at least for Nikon and Canon. And it surprised me. The camera is so easy to operate and the pictures are way better than the pictures from my point and shoot camera. I first used the auto mode to start and easily made a lot of great pictures. Now after reading some books I started to use some other modes to take picture of landscape and portraits. I am absolutely happy with the camera. It makes me want to know more about photography. I know there are cameras that are 10 times more expensive than D40 but do they produce picture 10 time better than D40... Well at least for a beginner it is more than good enough. The camera may be a 4 years old model but unless Nikon is going to make a replacement for ths DSLR. It is still the choice for beginner.

i am dissappointed

4/25/2009

I like the camera but im dissappointed in the fact that the auto focus is not on the camera, but it is on the lens. i had a cheaper model an the auto focus button was on the camera itself. i have two extra lenses now that have no auto focus.