Nikon D40 6.1 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera Kit with 3x 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens

"The quality of picture with this camera is magical. The color is so sharp, your subjects pop out of the scene. Awesome camera!!Note: This reviewer may have received a benefit, like a sweepstakes entry or rewards program points, in exchange for writing this review. The benefits were not conditioned on the positive or negative content of the review."

"The D40 has an excellent image quality with a very fine detail. Surprisingly, it's the smallest, lightest and comes with a modest kit lens as well as the most affordable DSLR camera in the market so far. It's an excellent first step for anyone who is eager to get into DSLR photography. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!"

"This is my very first digital camera and my first real camera.I consider this digital SLR a real camera.I also wanted a camera I could grow into, but not be disappointed or limited by, after I learned more about photography. I think I hit that sweet-spot with the D40.I researched the heck out of digital SLRs before I made my purchase, and I'm very happy with my D40, and having owned it for a month, I would buy it all over again.They say it's not the camera but the photographer that makes a great picture, and to a degree that is true, but when you are just starting out, the difference in your photographs between those taken with a good SLR and a cheap point and shoot is like night and day.You really have to try to take a bad picture with this camera.At the bottom I include a couple of pictures that I shot the very first day I got this camera and you can decide for yourself.[...]My ONLY complaint is that I wish this camera had more pixels (if I had more money I would have purchased the D40x). The only reason I mention that is because in the future I want to blow up some of my photographs to poster size, but 6.1 Megapixels is just a tad too small to do that.If you never plan on going beyond 8"x10", then you will be just fine with this camera and 6.1 Megapixels is more than plenty.The "kit lens" that comes with this (18-55mm) is also very capable and should be good enough for most people.If you want to step up to a larger lens then you will likely also want to grab the Nikon 55-200mm VR too.You will also want to get the Nikon SB400 flash and maybe a favorite tripod (if you shoot with one of those) and you pretty much will have everything you could possibly want to last you for quite a while.I really very happy with this camera!"

"I've had this camera for about 2 weeks, and am amazed by the amount of technology that is packed into this camera for the price. I have used point and shoot cameras for the last 10 years, after moving to the digital format, from my old 35mm cameras. Finally, after ater buying about 6 different point & shoot cameras and spending over $2500 on them in total, I made a wise choice to move back to the SLR type. I cannot believe the improvements that have been incorporated into this camera, from white balance, ISO settings, flash adjustments, flash power, battery life, etc., etc., etc. I was so impressed with this camera I talked my sister-in law into buying one, and purchased one for a gift for my sister. It cannot do everything a proffesional DSLR can do, but it can handle an awfull lot of situations very well, as well as giving it to my wife and let her turn it on, and point and shoot with great results."

"I've been using an HP P&S for a year and a half and beat it up to the point where it didn't work. It was not a good camera, but it was equipped perfectly for me to learn. Though it offered no manual controls I was able to trick it through using the right scene modes to do what I want after I learned what I wanted. When I couldn't use that anymore I picked up on old Minolta SLR my dad has from the '70s. I learned to about exposure better since it was manual to the point of rewinding film after the roll is exposed. I also learned the importance of lenses. Using that made me confident a dSLR was the way to go, not a superzoom.

When my D40 arrived I was surprised by its weight, or lack thereof. Right out of the box I charged the battery then it worked great. Everything I learned from using a point and shoot, and using a film SLR for a month or two fit perfectly. The kit lens is great. I would like a faster lens, but for the kit lens it handles a lot of the places I shoot fine without a flash. Focusing manually isn't easy, but the AF is great so it is rarely necessary. I've only needed to MF for artistic things I've tried. The colours are great! The camera picks the right white balance most of the time. When it is off it isn't too easy to correct in my experience however. The battery life is awesome. I haven't had it run out on me when I'm out shooting, and I use the burst function often.

A couple of things I would like to point out is first this the light meter on this camera is a bit dangerous. It will overexpose and image if you let it. When I'm out shooting I set the exposure comp. to -.7EV. The pictures are underexposed at this level, but that can be corrected later. One other thing is I bought an old 85mm f/2 lens and the camera won't meter with it. I didn't know this would happen when I was buying it, and it isn't a big deal really. With it I must guess for the exposure, then reference the RGB histogram if it is something important. This is a result of me being misinformed more than anything else. I think this camera only meters with D or G lenses, I'm not quite positive. Also it will only AF with AF-S or AF-I lenses. I'll be perfectly happy if Nikon comes out with one or two fast prime AF-S lenses."

"Wow! The D40 can give any SLR in the market today, a run for its money. I use it for casual photography on vacations, subjects being people, scenic locations, entertainment shows, etc.



Whats great - Colors are a big turn on and make for delightful photography. Since most of the deliberation is between the Nikon and the Canon, I think I should add that I find the color scheme on the Nikon far better and truer than on the Canon. Aperture and shutter speed settings are extremely easy to change, against the canon which requires some effort. Flash does not produce any red-eye and photos do not need any correction.



Whats not - Autofocus is quite slow and is a pain in the neck, especially if you are in your car, at say 30 mph and taking pictures through the windshield. Trust me when I say that you would be better off doing it manually because all you would really be doing on autofocus is focussing back and forth on the windshield and the subject, which would be long gone by that time."

"The D40 is our first DSLR. We've upgraded from our five year old point-and-shoot Kodak EasyShare. We know barely anything about photography, but we are really loving our camera. We have taken nearly 500 pictures in the month that we have owned it. Right now we mostly take pictures on the auto setting, but we are slowly gleaning more knowledge from the helpful DVDs and mostly from the instruction manual. We love the quality of the pictures and the speed of the response. We got sick of missing smiles for our one-and-a-half year old son and we just had twin daughters. Now we have the capability to captures those smiles instantaneously! If you're beginners like us, this camera is basic enough to take great pictures on Auto, but then has all the settings for you to really learn something about photography.We love the gadget bag--it fits the camera and both lenses with room to spare. The attachable carrying handle is sort of awkward, so we just stick with the shoulder strap.We'd like to get a 50 mm f/1.8 lens for the camera, but we've read that the lens isn't fully compatible with the D40--it only works manually and the auto settings don't work. That's one potential drawback.In all, this camera is light years ahead of point-and-shoot. I'm sure in the DSLR world it would be considered a "starter" camera. That's good enough for us. We sure liked the "starter" price for the kit--[$][...][...]we've been completely happy since.All of the pictures below were taken just on the Auto settings. No more missed smiles!"

"After growing up with a Pentax Super Program, I embraced the digital age with a point and shoot Canon A40. After four years, I realized I missed the versatility of an SLR. I am kicking myself for waiting so long. This camera is a dream! I wish I had gotten the 18-200 lens instead of the 18-55 and 55-200 pair, however, they are both fantastic and I end up carrying them both with me. Next will be the 12-24 wide angle. The colors are so vibrant in landscapes that I can hardly wait for vacation to really give my D40 a workout. Even on a teacher's salary, this camera is worth saving for."

"Think of events that you take pictures of... now how many times in your life do they occur? Now, do you want to trust those moments to a cheap point and shoot or a quality camera? I decided if it was important enough for me to take a pic, might as well take a good one!



I must admit, I am a first time D-SLR user. I got tired of seeing pictures from friends of mine with D-SLR's that were stunning (and they knew nothing of photography) while my more common digital cameras just lacked the quality I saw in theirs. My P&S's were not basic either, I was using highly rated $300 cameras for that and they still just did not seem the same. Once Ritz came out with this package of the D40, two lenses, bag, etc... it was a done deal. That is why I never looked back... and I never use a point and shoot anymore! In addition... this camera is an "old model" and practically a dinosaur in today's electronics age. It rolled out THREE years ago and the fact that it is still competive and being used says volumes for the style, performance, and value it continues to bring.



GREAT THINGS

- Image quality

- Very minor shutter lag (great for catching those "blow out the candles" moments...) No more snapping the photo only to have the camera take the picture a second later, costing you the shot.

- Feel of the camera... it just fits your hands well.

- Menu system and help menu... great features to help first time SLR users adjust to the features.

- Package deal (videos help a lot with features)... plus Ritz had available for sale a specific D40 video that really opened my eyes to the capabilities of this.

- Inexpensive UV filter protects lens elements meaning less chance of damage to actual lens.

- Battery life is amazing, and if left on, auto shuts off so you do not return to find a dead battery just when you need to snap a photo!



Things that I are not so great...

- I love having the 18mm to 200mm that two lenses provide... I hate having to change them! Perhaps this is the reason the 18-200mm lens costs the same as this whole D40 package?

- Lens cap tethers would really be nice.

- Remembering to switch lens to "M" before manual focusing is important and can be a pain.

- Size... no matter how small this is, it is still not the size of a pocket camera.

- Will spoil you from ever wanting to use a pocket camera again.

- Get ready to look like a tourist... you need to not only carry the camera, but the extra lens as well! But one thing you will notice... as the price of these has dropped, there are many more DSLR users out there...



All in all, I have never regretted this purchase and it has turned me into an amateur photographer! Again, if the situation calls for taking a photo, why not take it with the best you can afford to use... and with these prices, no DSLR is out of budget anymore!"

"I bought this as an early birthday present to myself, and it's the best one ever! I decided on the D40 rather than the D40x (convincing myself that I would not be making any massive enlargements or cropping into small areas of a photo) so that I could use the difference in cost for buying accessories. So far, I have only invested in a few filters, but would like to get a speedlight next. If I had to do it over, I would probably buy the camera body & a 18-200mm lens rather than toting around the 18-55mm PLUS the 55-200mm lenses that came in the kit. My next big buy will be the 200-500mm Tamron lens! Overall, it was an excellent buy, and the knowledgable staff [...] made it a snap. Also, the classes they offer have been a great basis for learning."