Like the canon EOS 300D of 2003, Nikon's D40 broke a psychological price barrier at the end of 2006 as the 1st DSLR kit launched at a price under £500!!
Using the same as the 6.1 mega pixel sensor as the D50 may not make it the highest resolution model in this group, but it does benefit from having the largest pixels, which should, in turn, mean less noise.
Changes to the body design mean there's no longer an AF motor in the camera, so the 3 point MultiCAM-530 module is only compatible with AF-S AND AF-I lenses which have their own motor. While older lenses will still fit, they may not offer auto focusing.
That aside, the D40 certainly has a lot to offer, with a full range of shooting modes, from fully automatic to manual, and an extensive ISO 200-1600 range that can be extended to an ISO 3200 equivalent. Exposure and white balance control comes courtesy of the same 420 pixel sensor seen in the more expensive D80.
OTHER FEATURES!!
Something
Borrowed:-
Many of the features present on the D40 have filtered down from the D80 which, in turn, inherited from the D200 and D2Xs.
Touch Up:-
First seen in the D80, the D40 has a retouch menu that allows you to tint and tone your pictures, as well as instantly correct wayward exposures or remove redeye.
Getting Flash:-
The D40 is compatible with all of nikon's current SB flash modes and boasts a 1/500 sec sync speed.
HANDLING!
Though smaller and lighter than Nikon's previous entry-level model - the D50 - the D40 retains a distinctly 'Nikons' appearance, with a very comfortable right hand grip, single rear- mounted control wheel and few external controls to overwhelm novice DSLR users.
Overall this 'minimal design works well, especially as Nikon includes direct access to the camera settings displayed on the bright 2.5 inch LCD in a similar fashion to the Olympus E-500. As a result there's no great reliance on the menus and making changes to the shooting settings is a simple button push away.
To further simplify and explain things there's a built in 'help' menu (similar to having the instruction manual on hand) and neat graphics to show when you might want to use a particular setting.
Other commendable traits include the camera's viewfinder, which is simply excellent. Like the company's D80 it is large and bright, with easy-to-read information that doesn't disappear under bright conditions.
On the downside, the AF isn't quite as hot as the other models. For starters the 3 point system is a touch slow to sony and canon ones, and when left on its own devices it doesn't always lock on the closest subject as it should do. Often, setting the AF point, focusing and then recomposing the scene works best, although the scene works best, although clearly this only works with stationary subjects.
There is far more to commend than condemn with the D40. though, and it is the easiest of quartet for the first timer to master.
EXPOSE AND METERING!!!
With a metering system inherited from the D80, images from the D40 have been given a great start in life, with a proven 3D Colour Matrix Metering working very well in a wide range of conditions, including those that challenge other cameras in this group. It isn't 'perfect' though, with a tendency towards underexposure on days when the sun hasn't got his hat on. However, this isn't just a Nikon trait as most SLRs - even in the days of 35mm film - are also prone to producing slightly dark images on overcast days and it's easily resolved by adding =1/3 EV of exposure compensation.
WHITE BALANCE AND COLOUR!!!
It's difficult to find a chink in the D40's automatic white balance, as it seems that no matter what the lightning conditions are it will come up with a very good result. There is tendency for slightly cool or blue images on overcast days, but this is easily sorted by using the overcast or shade preset - which injects much-needed warmth - or you can employ the D40's 'Warm Up' filter from the retouch menu to edit the image in-camera.
NOISE!!!
As I have seen many times, physically larger pixels tend to deliver a 'cleaner' image and the D40 is no expectation. As it only has 6 MP on its CCD with a compatible area to that of the 400D and the Alpha 100(Both 10MP) it follows that each photo site on the D40 is larger, and therefore capable of gathering more light from which the digital pixel is formed.
The end result is that noise isn't a problem and, even at ISO 1600, images appear relatively smooth at A4. As a general rule, ISO 200-400 is great for A3-sized enlargements, while ISO 800-1600 will give good results at A4 if you don't mind a little bit of 'atmospheric' grain or noise. At the extended HI-1 (ISO 3200 equivalent) setting, things start to get a bit messier, with both chroma and luminance noise disrupting areas of fine detail and reducing contrast. Realistically this limits you to an A4 print size at best but this isn't too bad.
SHARPNESS AND DETAIL!!!
With only 6 million pixels fighting its corner, the D40 is always going to need a bit of help if you want to make a decent enlargement - even an A4 print will involve interpolating the 6 million pixel result or reducing the resolution to around 250 ppi. Either way, sharpness is paramount, as any slight image softness will be enhanced. The D40 is significantly sharper when viewed at 'actual pixels'. It even retains the edge over the others when most others are sized to deliver a 10 mega pixel image. However, slight over- sharpening of JPEGs at the default setting is noticeable, and the sharpness gap narrows when shooting Raw and sharpening post-capture.
ARTEFACTS!!!
As well as introducing sharpness 'halos' at times, the other thing you're likely to see from D40's kit lens is blue or purple fringing around blacklit and high-contrast image elements. Although the new 18-55mm 'Mk ll' kit is generally fine, controlling fringing is not one of it's best aspects.
CONCLUSION!!!
It might be stating the obvious, but if you look at the relative specifications of this group the D40 appears to be lagging behind somewhat. Its sensor is populated by 'only' six million pixels, the AF system is a little rudimentary and there are no obvious dust prevention or reduction systems. Yet as Mr. Kipling is said to make exceedingly good cakes, so the diminutive D40 takes some exceedingly nice pictures while plenty of neat touches. This insures that regardless of your previous photographic experience you won't be overwhelmed by the digital side of things.
Ironically, it is perhaps one of its apparent 'deficiencies' that under pins the quality of results. There may only be six million of them, but the D40's pixels are big enough to keep noise at a minimum and - in conjunction with a kit lens - sharpness at a maximum.
Ultimately, if you want a camera that delivers really cracking A4 and respectable A3 prints, the D40 is an excellent choice!!! :D
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Nikon's success in the D-SLR market has been outstanding and the new D40 is sure to be yet ... more
another sales sensation. Written by Simon Stafford this "Magic Lantern" manual gives owners all the information they need to understand and operate their camera...
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Advantages: Great quality and value for money, feature-rich, the good old dependable Nikon name Disadvantages: None really, unless you need more megapixels and more features for pro use
thereddragon 10.04.2009 (10.04.2009)
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Review of Nikon D40
Advantages: Excellent image quality, good core functionality of an DSLR, cheap, portable and lightweight. Disadvantages: Megapixels may not be sufficient for some, no autobracketing and no autofocus with non-AFS lenses
geft 14.10.2009 ·
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Review of Nikon D40
Mar 14th, 2007
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