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 enlarge | Brand: Nikon
Category: Photography
Buy New: $449.00
New (9) Used (1)
Avg. Customer Rating:  420 reviews
Sales Rank: 325
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Includes Software: Yes
Optical Zoom: 4
Display Size: 2.5
Maximum Focal Length: 55
Minimum Focal Length: 18
Maximum Resolution: 6
Has Red Eye Reduction: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.5
Dimensions (in): 3.7 x 5 x 2.5
MPN: 9437
Model: 9437
UPC: 018208094370
EAN: 0018208094202
ASIN: B000SDPMEI
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 This camera will hook me on photography February 27, 2007
22 out of 23 found this review helpful
Many reviews of the D40 state that Nikon targetted the camera at first time buyers of DSLR. I fall into this category...exactly! I owned several point and shoot digital cameras, including a high end Cannon Power Shot. After a while I felt I was not fully satisfied with the point and shoot. I was especially annoyed by red-eye problems and with the relatively poor workmanship of the cameras despite their high price. But, I was not ready to spend money for an expensive DSLR.
The moment I learned about the D40, prior to its availability in the marketplace, I knew that I would wait until I could get one. The price was right. Now, after few months of owning the camera, I'll say it is a bargain. I am very pleased with the camera. It feels good in my hand and the workmanship is superb. The quality of the camera is immediately apparent.
The first photos I took with the camera were taken in Auto mode, no different than with a point and shoot camera. Results were much superior. No red-eye whatsoever! Magnificant landscapes and even some daring close ups of flowers. Of course these photos may not meet the standards of a real photography pro, but they were extremely gratifying to me. Moreover, I knew the camera would allow me to take better photos with time.
The D40 compelled me to learn more about digital photography, and photo editing on the PC. Ergonomics of the camera made it relatively easy to discover its rich feature set. Menus are organized in a logical manner. The innovative on-camera Help is very useful. Right there I can see how one setting differs from another and what effect it will have on the photo. On camera, granted limited photo editing is very nice and a good initial step for more advanced editing on the PC.
I am sure that Nikon will be glad to know that I am already thinking of purchasing another lense for the camera at some point in the not too distant future.
 Not for Soccer Moms, Sports Shooting, Others will Love It. February 23, 2007
436 out of 480 found this review helpful
The D40 is a hard camera to rate because for some, it will be a 5 star camera, but others will regret their decision to buy this camera. If you are in the 5 star group, you will LOVE the D40. But . . . because of a decision Nikon made to save $$$ by leaving out an autofocus driver out of the camera body, if you want to add a lens to shoot your kid playing soccer, the D40 is a very bad choice, and you may be a dead man walking. Let me explain:
The 5 Star buyer:
If you are moving up to a digital SLR, and want nothing more than to use the kit lens (which is very good), then you will LOVE this camera: it is light, feels good in the hand, and puts out better looking JPEG files than the more expensive D70 and D50 cameras. If you intend to use this camera for general travel and around-the-house kid pictures, the D40 is a great choice, and I think you will be very, very happy.
The 1 Star buyer:
You want a camera for sports or telephoto shots of nature. This is not the camera for you, and here is why: the D40 has a DIFFERENT lens mount than every other Nikon DSLR which came before it. To save costs, Nikon left an autofocus driver out of the camera body, which means you must buy special/more expensive add-on lenses with the autofocus driver built into the lens itself.
Why is this significant? Because of the 200 lenses made for Nikon DSLRs by Nikon, Sigma, Tokina, and others, only 20 or so work with the D40 with autofocus - something most amateurs will need to shoot sports and day to day photos. Many of Nikon's own consumer grade lenses, such as the 70-300mm G Zoom (Street price $150), will not autofocus with the D40. As a practical matter, this means that if you want an autofocus lens to shoot junior playing soccer, you must spend $525 for a zoom lens, the fantastic, yet pricey Nikon 70-300mm VR Zoom. That is almost as much as what you paid for the camera itself. The D40 is significantly limited in the number of lenses it will accept, and you really need to think about these limitations before purchasing. Moreover, what if your intentions change and want to pick up a cheap zoom for occasional use? With the D40, you can't, and I really think this is a significant limitation on this camera.
But hey, if you are in group 1, this is a 5 star purchase, and you will be a very happy camper. Good luck!
P.S. - In April, 2007, Nikon will begin selling the D40x, the same camera with an upgraded 10 megapixel sensor for $800 w/ lens.
 A real winner and a wonderful introductory digital SLR February 23, 2007
44 out of 44 found this review helpful
Good job, Nikon! The D40 is an ideal entry level DSLR. It is aimed at persons who want better quality images than a point-and-shoot pocket camera can deliver, who are willing to put up with the somewhat extra bulk of a true SLR, but who do not want to spend a lot more money. The D40 is an outrageous bargain at its price point. Only a tad bit more money than the high-end point-and-shoots, the D40 will produce better images with the kit lens, and more importantly, enables the user to expand the capacity of the camera at will, by buying other Nikon and compatible lenses. Or by equipping the D40 with one of Nikon's superb outboard flash units, such as the SB400, SB600, or SB800. You cannot do that with point-and-shoots.
Thus, it is a mistake, in my opinion, to spend a lot of time comparing the D40 to other DSLRs, because its real competition is the top-end point-and-shoot cameras, which are pretty good these days. Nevertheless, I will point out some of the advantages and disadvantages of the D40 vis'a'vis other low-end digital SLR cameras.
First-price. The D40 gives a lot of bang for the buck compared to any other DSLR on the market. Particularly for folks for whom its price is a bit of a stretch, the D40 is a howling bargain, in my estimation.
Second-ergonomics. Nikon got the D40 just right. It fits in one's hand in a solid and agreeable way. This is a camera most people will not mind carrying around all day. It is small, but has a wonderful "quality" feel that Nikon seems to get right more often than other manufacturers. The menus are pretty good. Yes, I miss the top LCD display (the D40 uses the big rear LCD for this information, to cut costs) but once you get used to it, it is OK. The control layout on this camera will appeal to most users.
Downsides: the focusing system is less advanced than either the D70s or D50, with three focus points. This may annoy some purists, but the user group to whom the D40 is aimed will mostly not mind this. The other downside is that the D40 does not have the built-in bayonet mount motor, which means that it can only autofocus with the newer Nikon lenses which have the motor in the lens. The older lenses will be autofocus only. In reality I doubt that many will mind this, as the targeted user group for the D40 will likely not own any older Nikon lenses, and will simply confine their subsequent purchases to the newer lenses. Lastly, the D40 is 6 megapixels (in common with the D50 and D70s) rather than the 10MP of the superb D80 and D200. This is probably not going to be a big deal to many D40 owners. You can take awesome pictures at 6MP, the differences as between 6 and 10MP are subtle, and not likely to make a difference to most users.
The D40 is a wonderful choice for someone who wants to be able to take high-quality digital photographs and take advantage of the Nikon system of lenses and flashes, but does not want to spend the kind of money involved in the higher-end cameras. And the wonderful thing is, that if you buy a D40 and get hooked on photography, the D40 can grow with you for quite a ways, since it can use the high-end Nikon equipment. And if you do upgrade the camera body, all the extra lenses and flashes will work with the higher-end model. This makes the D40 an excellent choice for many.
Nikon put a lot of thought in the design of the D40, and by doing so they produced an excellent product for a bargain price.
AfTERMath February 21, 2007
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
I must say I am beyond pleased with the D40. I have also used the D70 with its standard 18-70 lens and I must say I am far and away much more pleased with the D40. (IF they cost the same I would still buy the D40).
Again with Nikon and their lenses (and this new one with the D40 is no exception), the image will be bent towards the center. Be aware that this "flaw" is intrinsic to both of the Nikons I have used, and seems to be about the same with every Nikon lens under 900 dollars. Other than that, I just can't find anything else wrong with it. The CRI is wonderful with this camera. (I feel like I get the comfort and features of the Nikon with the vibrant colors of a canon).
Summary: light, comfortable, easy to use, great colors, lens bends at 18...cool by 30-35. Best camera by Nikon for the Dxx series.
D40 Perfect for the Amateur Looking to Move Up from non-SLR Digitals February 11, 2007
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
I've had a couple of Sony digital cameras, and I've always said nice things about them to friends and family. The small digitals are convenient to take most anywhere, and my most recent Sony is truly pocket sized. But I was often disappointed with the picture. And frankly, the Sony's (videocams and digital cameras) often broke well before I would have expected.
So, I bought the D40 because of the Nikon name and the relatively good reviews that Amazon and other sites publish. I recognize that it's only 6 MP, but for nonprofessionals, that's more than enough. (You can find plenty of articles that challenge ordinary and professional folks from distinguishing 5 MP from 8 MP from 13 MP; they said the quality of the camera and lens is far more important.)
The Nikon hasn't disappointed one bit. I'm happy with the pictures, and I'm floored that I truly can take 300-400 photos (half or more with flash) on a single battery charge. I mostly use the auto settings on the camera, but I hope to begin experimenting with the wide variety of settings available to the user. I even purchased the 55-200 zoom lens -- it was only $180.
I couldn't be more pleased with my selection, and in comparison to everything else, it seems like a great deal. Given the Nikon name and reputation, I feel like I got a Porsche for the price of a Honda.
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