I bought this kit + the 55-200 zoom in June 2008 and it's been perfect. I was a former SLR user in the film age but couldn't justify the crazy prices of DSLRs in the past. Now, I can't recommend this camera enough for anyone who is looking for better photos than a point and shoot can provide. As with any SLR, you will get more out of the camera if you learn the basics of aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. but unlike the more professional versions like the D300, this camera has modes like full-auto and scene (sports, portrait, landscape, etc..) that help out the rookie. In fact, I borrowed a D300 for a day and much prefer my D40. The D40 is much easier to use and has some features (like showing overexposed highlights in the preview pane) that the D300 doesn't have. The D40 is also much lighter and more compact than a D300 so I'm more likely to take it places.

The sensor in the camera is wonderful, especially to someone used to point and shoot sensors. All of your friends will be amazed at your pictures.

That being said, I may soon graduate to a higher end version in the next year or two. As soon as you want to move away from the kit lenses, you'll run into lens compatibility issues. I'm about to purchase a 50 mm f1.4 AF and it won't auto-focus on a D40. Also, with 6 MP your ability to crop pictures is more limited. It's not critical but you'll eventually notice it as you advance.

Fortunately, the resale value of D40s on Craigslist or other sites is high enough that you can sell it later on and trade up. Thus, buy this kit and only switch when you feel like you've outgrown it. A lot of people never will.

One more regret is I should have looked more closely at the VR version of the 55-200 or the 18-200 VR lens. I might have made a different choice on my second lens.

I have been shooting with a DSLR for almost a year and the first 10 months were with the Nikon D40. This camera is a great starter camera. It is really easy to learn on, and works great for those who just want to shoot on auto. Plus you can't beat the price!

I recently updated to the nikon d80, and wish I had my D40 back. The D80 underexposes everything.

The reason I got rid of my D40 was because there were only 3 focusing points, and it can't auto focus with some lenses. I really wanted the Nikkor 50mm 1.8 and it wouldn't auto focus with the D40.

I would buy the D40 again and hold on to it until I could afford the D300 if I were to do it all again.

Also, the resale price was good. I bought this camera for a really good deal at $450 almost a year ago and sold it recently for $400. That is only a $50 loss for a whole year worth of pictures- Awesome!

Awesome camera! Takes amazing pictures for any level of photographer. The camera is quick to take the shot, and once you become familiar with its functions and operations, its quick and easy. Good price for an entry level DSLR camera that comes with an all around "day to day" lens. Please, read reviews and make sure that this camera is what you want. The camera is not the important piece for quality shots, its shot composure. Ive taken shots with a lowend 3MP point and shoot that blow this camera away. The biggest thing to remember if you want great photographs is to remember to compose your shot; think about lighting, background, foreground and most importantly what is in focus. Take the shot and you will be amazed with what you get. This camera takes huge resolution pictures and outputs them in JPG or NEF (Raw format). I would suggest shooting in Nikon Raw format (NEF) and then converting it to whatever format you need.
90% out of 100 for this camera. 10% minus because in my opinion they should give you a 4GB SDHC card with the camera considering how much it cost and how little the SDHC cards do cost.

My sister-in-law was prodding me to move away from 35mm photography and take a stab at digital format. I have used several of the small cameras from Kodak, but knew I needed a SLR if I was going to get serious.

The D40 has worked like a charm. The settings are easy to understand and the pictures so far have been excellent. One note: I did sit down with the camera and the manual and go through it page by page. There is a learning curve, but it is not steep.

Very good product that I am glad to carry with me everywhere I go on a regular basis.

I sincerely think that this is an excellent camera. You can't have anything better for this price.

I checked out this camera after reading a review in MAC WORLD magazine. I also read some on-line reviews which were mostly favorable. Well, I love it! It is easy to use right out of the box. The color and sharpness are excellent. The camera is lightweight and feels comfortable in my hand. I think it is a really great camera for the price. I use it for my graphics design business - I think it was money very well spent.

OK.

For the record, I am not a professional photographer; however, I have blatant OCD about photo quality. I can find even the most innocuous flaw in a digital photo. I currently own an HP 6MP digital camera which was sufficient for the task, but required significant lighting for a decent photo, even with blinds open. While I didn't require anything higher, I wanted it. I wanted to see what I was missing. I am quite skilled at photo editing though. If I'm given a photo that doesn't look that great, I can make it look better - bring out the "pop" as it were. With that in mind, I went searching for a DSLR as I've seen numerous comments that any sort of professional-quality photos are not to be found anywhere else. Budget was of course a consideration; so I locked in on two in particular: a Sony, and this one.

NOTE: For quick and dirty bullets, skip to the end.

First, this camera cannot operate without the included detachable lens. This caught me off guard; From the pictures I'd seen, there should be at least an intermediate lens, but maybe that's just the angle of the images. In either case I wasn't too pleased about it, but at least the detachable version was included. My understanding is that these lenses are quite expensive - depending on how much zoom and options they contain. Being on a budget like I am, I wasn't inclined to even spend this amount of money, but hey.

I will admit that the number of options on this camera are staggering and quite intimidating. The photo options are not included in the LCD menu like my digital camera; things such as portrait, landscape, timer, etc. are all in a turn dial control rather than simple LCD menu options (which of course would make them easy to navigate without having to resort to the instruction booklet). Additionally, the flash control is, in my opinion, not well thought out. There's a button on the front of the chassis that should be a switch to control the flash method, but it doesn't seem to do anything (another issue...more on that later). Buyer beware, there are buttons all over this thing - a novice can easily be thrown. If you're the kind of person who has too much pride to read the instruction manual (either because you don't feel like you should have to read it, or you just are stubborn), get ready for a shock.

The capture button is press sensitive. A halfway press does auto-focus; it seems to scan the capture area and attempt to pick up what you're trying to snap, and then focus to the optimal setting, then beep to let you know when it's ready for capture. Pressing all the way down actually does the snap. If the sensor detects a low light condition, it will pop up the flash module (part of the issue I mentioned above) in preparation to use it. You can force it back down, but the camera will put it back up again. In either case, the shutter speed is quite rapid - you can flash multiple shots in rapid succession, really capturing the essence of a moment quite well.

The camera can save in different shades of JPG - quality levels which are controllable - or in the NEF RAW format, which can then be either opened with Nikon View software, or imported directly into Photoshop for more specific editing. The RAW format is for the purist who wants greater control over the final output - if you were doing human or animal photography, or deeper macro photography, you'd want to use the RAW format and make the edits to that version before compiling into a final format. Of course, if you're just a regular person who wants to take photos without thinking about it, JPG Normal should do you just fine.

Keep in mind that this camera does not have its own memory. That means you'll need to get an SD card in order to store and transfer photos. I selected a 4GB SDHC (high capacity) card and it's suited me quite nicely. By default, the camera saves photos at a 3008x2000 resolution - expect between 1-2MB per photo depending on quality (JPG) or 4-5MB per photo (NEF RAW), so you would be fine with a 2MB SD card if you're a casual user, but the 4GB SDHC is only $20, so I would recommend just picking that up instead. Don't let them steer you to the high speed version; quite frankly, the SDHC is fast enough as long as you have a decent enough computer. The camera supports USB, either as a mass storage device or as a camera, and if you're using Vista, it requires no drivers and will allow you to do picture import automatically.

If you're a stickler for just plugging your devices in, you'll want to note that the camera does not come with an AC Adapter. Instead, you get a battery charging dock, meaning you'll have to remove the battery whenever you want to charge it. For most this isn't an issue, but it can definitely be a negative. It also does not charge via USB, even though (rather insultingly) the camera will show you a battery indicator when it is connected.

At this point you're probably on the edge of your seat wondering about the flash issue. Well, it seems like the camera isn't quite intuitive about when it does and doesn't need the flash module. On Auto mode, it should only show up when it absolutely needs it due to the lighting condition (unless I don't understand how cameras in general work). On mine, it'll pop up at the most odd of times. For example, I had to use it to take a picture of a windshield crack so I could get a quote. It's a bright, sunny day here in San Diego. From the outside of the car, it was fine, but when I did it from inside, the flash module popped up. On a bright, sunny day? I mean you can force it down and make it take the picture while it's down, but you have to hold it in place. Additionally, the flash button doesn't seem to allow me to select an option to disable the flash completely at my whim - the only time I would take photos is when the light is sufficient that flash isn't needed anyway. I tested that theory with my HD lamp and got results similar to an outside photo. It just seems as though the flash wasn't well thought out at all.

I don't think I need to describe picture quality. A lot of customers have uploaded photos which quite frankly speak for themselves. I will say though, as before, that with the inordinate number of various options on this camera, it might seem as though you'll never get to that quality. I want to reassure you that you can. Out of the box, the camera takes quite stellar photos in optimal (daylight) conditions. Even indoors under certain "daylight bulbs", you can get some high quality photos. Some have made mention to "macro" mode - or extremely close-up photography - and you can do this as well. The one thing I can say to you is to not let the camera intimidate you.

QUICK PROS:
- Stellar image quality out of the box
- Competitively priced compared to other cameras with the same quality
- Textured, so it's not likely to slip out of your hand
- Supports USB transfer of photos and/or SD direct
- Works great even on the default "Auto" settings
- Makes great use of existing surrounding light
- Auto-focus is intuitive

QUICK CONS:
- DSLRs in general, though quite great quality, are still expensive
- Detachable lens is required in order to take photos even when zoom isn't required
- So many options as to intimidate the novice user
- photo capture options on turn dial rather than in menu with descriptions
- Flash doesn't seem intuitive; activates in broad daylight sometimes
- Compensation for motion doesn't seem to be very smart either
- Would it REALLY have hurt Nikon to include a SDHC card?

we are new to the slr cameras, and don't need much out of it - but this camera is awesome - and certainly fits all the needs we have. easy to use, great pictures, and excellent quality! the price couldn't be beat as well. we considered going to a more recent model - but for the increase in price - with features we would probably never use (or understand) - it was recommended to stay with the D40 and we couldn't be happier. i highly recommend it for all who want great picture quality, but don't want to spend $1000 for a camera that you just want for the basics...

As I decided to make the upgrade from a little, pocket-sized camera to "one of those black ones with the lens," I kept running across fantastic descriptions for the Nikon D40. I started with price range and, so far, this camera has exceeded what I expected a camera of this price range to produce. It's incredibly light, but still packs a punch.
The zoom isn't fantastic, but I suppose if I got off my wallet and bought a different lens, that would solve that issue.
If you're a wannabe amateur photographer like myself...go for it!

This camera is GREAT! I love everything about it.The pictures are awesome.
I recommend this very highly.

I love this camera. I got the lens kit 55-200mm. Some people have posted saying it is not a good camera for sports but I have found that it takes fantastic shots of my sons soccer games. with the 200mm zoom lens it lets you get in close to the action and if thats not enough zoom for you you can do a zoom with the camera that lets you crop(trim) the picture on the camera setting. In this mode pictures that were maxed out on the 200mm zoom turned out incredible with the camera setting zoom and the nice thing about that is that it will not alter the original photo. My friend saw that I had a nikon and wanted to borrow it because he had a nikon that was older that took film. he saw the pictures and was blown away at how crystal clear the had come out with even the auto settings. He has mentioned he will be getting one soon. I do have a canon point and shoot that is close to five years old that had a lot of settings I used for soccer baseball and basketball. This camera was nice but when I was indoors it would focus then as you depressed the button fully it would go out of focus just as the picture was snapped. This happened ALL THE TIME! I had made my mind up that I would look into other reviews of different and found that alot of people liked nikon with little or no neg reviews. I am satisfied with my purchase and look forward to upgrading with nikon in the future. My landscape pics turn out nicely as well. Did I mention that my canon point and shoot cost nearly the same as my nicer nikon d-40? Bottom line is if you are a beginner like me then you can't go wrong with this camera.

I really enjoyed this products. Im not a professional photographer but it takes more-than-average photo shots.

I would recommend this to any average Joe. Wonderful Camera

This is the first dSLR I own, but not the first advanced-amateur digital. I always thought that even the worst film camera had better quality than a digital --- unless you were willing to pay a fortune. I'm glad this camera proved me wrong. For less than 500 you get terrific quality, a relatively light and simple to use camera that would give you much more satisfaction than other cameras.

Among the many virtues of this camera I'd point out:
- Excellent image quality: sharpness, depth of field, colors, etc.
- Meaningful quality: The 6MP sensor produces just the right amount of detail without overburdenning the user with heavy image files, slow transfers, etc. Keeping the MP count low was a priority when I bought this camera and I'm happy to see that I was right.
- Good controls. I'm certain that more advanced users would like more knobs and button customization, but for users who want to take pictures without much tweaking, the scene knob and the dial provide a great means of control for regular situations. More advanced tweaking requires the menu, but I find that a reasonable compromise to keep the camera simple. Compared to the other (non SLR) cameras I used (Canon, Olympus, Sony) this interface is the best.
- It's light and compact

What I would have preferred:
- VR lens offered by default
- ISO 100 (yet the minimum ISO=200 setting is way better than the ISO 64 setting in a prosumer canon!)
- More battery life (but I'm using it with eye-fi, which likely drains power faster)

Overall, the quality of this camera is great; it's fairly intuitive and easy to use, very responsive. You immediately are taking pictures with simple settings. At the same time it allows the user a lot of customization. It reminds me a lot the spurt of creative photography I experienced with the coolpix 950, but certainly with a much better quality.

so a friend of mine has this camera and i played around with it for an hour or so and fell in love. I dove into the pool and with the feature of continuous shutter it got every shot from me jumping off and my hands sliding into the water. i bought one for myself with the standard 18 - 55 lens. although as a beginner this lens is great i would like to get the 55 - 200. this camera takes the most amazing pictures and me and my bf always fight over who will be snapping them away. i recommend this to everyone. I LOVE IT =)

This is my intro into the DSLR world. I wanted one for better pictures than a Point and Shot one. Researched around and was told by many to go with Nikon, and by other to go for Canon. I guess there is this Nikon vs Canon thing with DSLRs. Of course all opinions biased as they own a nikon or canon. I decided to get the D40, main reason, cheaper than the others (mainly the XTi, which i was told to get). And if I decide to get a better DSLR, more expensive, I can use this as my back up camera.

Anyway, it is a great camera. I have had a lot of fun with it. Not until recently, i notice a lil green spot on all my images. Very slight, but there. When zoomed in onto the spot it looks like a small + . Very slight that it can easily be touched up. But I did pay some good money so I decided to give a call to Amazon. They are shipping a replacement. So a las I must say bye to this one. Cant wait to get the replacement.

I really like it. I have tested other and really like the texture of the nikon. Very nice feel, small, and lightweight. I really didnt like the textures of the other brands. Canon and Sony. Cant wait to continue shooting. I need moar lens's...Eye'ing the 50mm 1.8!

I have now owned the Nikon D40 for almost a year, and I feel that I now have a strong enough opinion on this camera to write a meaningful review.

The D40 was my first digital SLR. Going back about a year, around this time in 2007, I was busy doing a lot of research on whether I should buy the Canon digital rebel XT, or the Nikon D40 (both of which are entry-level SLRs from the two leading camera manufacturers). I am glad now that I chose the D40. When it came down to it, both the D40 and XT were for the most part equally matched, in both price and specs. I chose the Nikon D40 simply because it felt like a more tough, less "plasticy" body. If you are currently caught in the same position that I was at the time, I urge you to go to some electronics store, and try both of the cameras out. Get a feel for them, and make your buying decision based on which one is more comfortable in your hands.

However, this is not a review of the Canon Rebel XT, so without further adieu, let me tell you why I have loved the D40 so much over the past year.

1.) this is a camera that can easily grow with you. It offers a host of customizable features - far more than you would find in any point and shoot camera. As you begin to explore photography, you will find that the D40 contains many doors for you to open along the way (some of which you might never even touch, depending on your style of photography). I consider myself an advanced amateur photographer, and I love the D40. Many people seem to think that it's only useful for absolute beginners, but that's simply not the case. Additionally, as an SLR camera, the D40 allows the interchanging of lenses, for more creative and professional control over your images. While this is all true, please realize that the D40 cannot grow with you forever. As an entry-level SLR, it has limitations that I will describe later.

2.) The image quality of the D40 is fantastic, as you would expect. If you're worried because the D40 has "only" 6 megapixels, don't be. 6 megapixels is enough to capture plenty of detail in your images, and will allow you to make fantastic prints at 8x10 inches. If you print larger than 8x10, the quality will degrade slightly, but not to a significant degree. I have recently been making 11x14'' prints, and they have all turned out wonderfully sharp. Tied in to the technical image quality is the "noise" performance of a camera. As you increase your camera's ISO setting (which determines how sensitive it is to light), you will begin to see an increase in what's known as digital noise: the off-colored speckles/grain that appears in many indoor and nighttime images. Some cameras produce more of this grain than others, but the D40 is a very solid performer. The reason for this brings us back to megapixels. The higher number of a megapixels a camera has, the more noise it will produce (unless noise reduction is applied). Thus, with 6 megapixels, the D40 unsurprisingly has better noise performance than the more expensive 10 megapixel D80 ($600) and D200 ($1000). Of course, with the D80 and D200 you are given a lot of more advanced features, and that's what accounts for their higher prices. Anyway, the point is that most of the time I am very satisfied with how the D40 performs, even at ISO 1600 (which may be shocking to many people, since this is an entry level SLR). Those of you moving up from a point and shoot camera will be amazed by the quality of the D40's images, outdoors and inside.

3.) The bright 2.5 inch LCD on the back of the D40 is used to display the camera settings, such as aperture, shutter speed, white balance, exposure compensation, metering mode, autofocus mode, and more. Also, this is where you change 99% of the camera settings (other than aperture and shutter speed). As you will see later on (assuming you read this whole review), I have also marked this as a negative aspect of the D40. However, if you are a beginner in the world of advanced digital photography, you will definitely appreciate being able to clearly see what settings you're changing on a large color LCD display.

4.) The ergonomics of this device are simply outstanding. The menu system (which you will be using a lot, trust me) is very easy to navigate through, and all of the controls are placed exactly where you want them to be. Over the year, I've had the chance to play around with cameras from both Nikon and Canon, and Nikons always feel more natural in use. Also, even though the D40 is made out of plastic, it doesn't feel like it will fall apart or slip in your hands easily (I suppose this is primarily attributed to the material surrounding the grip, which the Canon Digital Rebel XT, discussed earlier, doesn't have much of).

5.) Ease of use. The D40 is a very simple and well organized camera. The moment you pick it up, you will immediately begin figuring out all of its controls without having to read through a manual (not to say it doesn't come with a manual!). If you ever want to know what some menu item does, just push and hold the "zoom out" button on the back of the camera, and it will overlay a brief description of what that setting does. This could prove to be very useful for amateurs.

6.) Speed. No, the D40 is not the quickest digital SLR in the world, and will not satisfy all sports photographers, but it is MUCH quicker starting up, focusing, and shooting than any point and shoot camera. It will make you feel quite "snappy" if you have never used anything better than a point and shoot before.

7.) Size. The D40 is very small and light. You won't be getting any aches in your arms or wrists holding the D40, unless you have a gigantic lens attached to it. With the standard 18-55mm kit lens attached, this is an extremely lightweight and portable camera. Some people like to have a hefty and larger camera because it gives greater balance to the photographer, and makes the device feel more solid; Many times though, it's very nice to have a small kit (NOTE: The D40 is much larger than any point and shoot that I know of -- that's why even most professional photographers keep a P&S around -- but for a digital SLR, it is very small).

8.) Full manual control. The D40 contains several automatic modes, which are nice to have if you're just doing snapshots, or handing the camera over to someone that's photography illiterate. However, the D40 gives you a fully manual mode, and 3 other semi-manual modes (aperture priority, shutter priority, and programmed auto) for when you want to have complete control over the look of your image. Keep in mind how important this is... Let's face it, every good image consists of 3 main things: good composition, good exposure, and uniqueness. No camera in the world is going to tell you how to compose your image, or how to be more creative... but even the D40 will allow you to make any manual adjustments to the exposure!

9.) RAW files. The Nikon D40, like all digital SLR's that I know of, allows you to capture images in a file format known as "RAW" (Nikons RAW file format is called "NEF" and Canons is called "CR2"). RAW files are exactly what their name implies... Raw (uncompressed) data from the actual camera's imaging sensor. As such, they occupy more memory than a JPEG (which is a compressed image format). However, RAW files give a lot more flexibility to your image. For example, you are able to to precisely alter the white balance (a critical aspect of the image) using software such as Photoshop AFTER the photograph has been taken! Generally, the only point and shoot cameras that offer a RAW file option are the advanced ones, which I will state my opinion on a little later in this review.

10.) A trusty companion. Yes, this is where the title of the review came from. I can give you my guarantee that this device is reliable (unless you got a dud, due to manufacturing complications... which can happen). This is not a professional-grade camera, obviously. It's not made out of magnesium alloy like the higher end cameras from Nikon and Canon... but it can take more punches than I ever expected. I live in Wisconsin, and winters here are quite bitter. I've taken the D40 out in below freezing weather, and never had any problems with it. I trudged around New York city for a week with this camera around my neck, and never had any problems. I photographed a football game with this camera in the evening, at which point the air got quite cold, foggy and moist. Never had any problems with it. The only thing that I'm sure this camera CAN'T take (and I don't intend to test this) is a light rain shower. The Nikon D300, D700, and D3 are professional weather sealed cameras, and they have been proven to stand up even against the rain (for a little while). The D40, while fine in most situations, probably can't handle rain.

11.) Price. This is Nikon's cheapest digital SLR, and let me tell you, you get a lot of bang for your buck. That's something that EVERYONE can appreciate. By the way, this is one reason that I don't recommend the Nikon D60 -- you know, one of the cameras that Ashton Kutcher advertises. It has only a few extra features over the D40, such as 4 more megapixels, and a built in accelerometer to make the screen rotate, and it costs a couple hundred more! Both are entry-level models, so you'll essentially be getting the same package for a lot more money. For those who are looking into buying an advanced point and shoot, such as the Canon G9, or the Canon S5 IS, I would recommend that you stop for a moment and consider spending just a few bucks extra on a low priced digital SLR like the D40. You will be getting a lot more "bang" for a little more "buck" (although, this is debatable, as a digital SLR is not the best option for everyone).

Now that I've covered most of what I love about the D40, I'll reveal the truth... I plan to upgrade to either a Nikon D90 or D300 soon. As I said early in this review, you will most likely outgrow the D40 eventually, as I have now. Why? What does the D40 not have that the other cameras do? Here's what it doesn't have for me (keep in mind, these aren't the only things it's missing):

1.) Flash commander mode. The D40 has a fairly nice built in pop-up flash, and you can even alter how powerful its output is. That's about the extent of it, though. The Nikon D80, D90, D200, D300, and D700 have what's known as a commander mode, where the built in flash can be used to trigger external Nikon speedlights (SB-600, SB-800, and SB-900). If advanced lighting technique is not something you care about, this doesn't matter. This is something that I, on the other hand, have been getting more and more interested in.

2.) The D40 does not have a built in focusing motor. This means that the only lenses which will autofocus with the D40 are ones designated with "AF-S". For many people this is not a problem, because Nikon ONLY makes AF-S lenses now (and they have many to choose from now). If you own older AF lenses that aren't marked with "AF-S," the D40 will not autofocus them. AF-S lenses have "silent wave motors" inside of them which do the focusing. Older AF lenses are focused using a screwdriver-like device that's built into the camera body (not the D40 body).

3.) Earlier, as you may recall, I mentioned the fact that you have to use the LCD to change 99% of camera settings as both an advantage and a disadvantage. Here's the disadvantage: clicking through menus and menus of information to change one setting can be a bit of a hassle. If you are mostly interested in shooting objects that don't move, this is no problem. However, for shooting action, it's helpful to be able to change settings with just the push of a button. More advanced SLR's have more external controls on the body, so that the photographer can almost immediately change a setting without having to look at the back of their camera.

4.) The D40 does not have a live view mode. This is a bit ironic, because most people see live view mode as more of an amateur feature than a professional one. Live view, for those of you that don't know, is the ability to use the LCD screen in place of the viewfinder (like you do on all point and shoot cameras these days). This means that you will have to put your face up to the viewfinder of the camera. For most situations, that's what any photographer (including myself) would rather do anyway. There are times though, when live view can be helpful. For instance, in macro photography, the photographer is often times forced to be right on the ground and look through their camera's viewfinder at a very odd, or sometimes even impossible angle. In this case, having live view mode would be a great asset, so that the photographer can simply look at the LCD screen from above. Live view can also be helpful if you're handing your camera off to someone (which I tend to do a lot) who isn't used to the viewfinder. It's funny how intimidated some people can become when you ask them to take a family picture for you, and then they realize they have to look through that hole in the back of the camera!

5.) As I mentioned, the D40 can handle everything from ISO 200-1600 fairly well in most cases. In some rare cases, a sensitivity higher than 1600 is necessary to capture the action (such as a night/indoor sports game). The D40 produces extremely grainy images at ISO 3200, which is surprising considering the overall usability of ISO 1600 (just one stop below 3200). While the D90/D300 have a lot more megapixels than the D40, they have remarkable noise reduction systems, which makes ISO 3200 images quite a bit more usable than those of the D40 (although, they're far from perfect).

Did you notice how all of the "negatives" I just listed about the D40 are only significant in rare situations? The fact is that the D40 is an extremely capable camera, and an absolutely outstanding value. I would highly recommend it to anyone that wants greater image quality than they get with their point and shoot camera, that wants to explore the art and craft of photography with more depth, that doesn't want to spend $1000+ on an excellent camera, and advanced-amateur photographers that can sacrifice a few specialized features of higher end cameras for the sake of a lower price.

5 out of 5 stars, without any reservations, considering the price.

I have been very pleased with this camera and recommend it to anyone who wants to take great pictures. I love being able to zoom in without losing the quality of the picture. This camera is good for sports or just taking still pictures. I rate this product with a 5 star

I kept telling myself, "I'm a Canon person, I'm a Canon person." The Eye-Fi crew kept trying to turn me into a Mac person, now they were trying to turn me into a Nikon person? I didn't think this was possible. They had a D40 shipped out to us for testing and I was quite a bit more surprised at how excellent this camera was. After using a Nikon L11 Point N Shoot, I didn't think that the D40 would tickle my fancy. In fact, I expected to be disappointed.

It seemed like no matter what mode I put it in, I just could not get a bad picture to come out of this camera. Even when I mistakenly left it on manual focus and took way too many pictures that were out of focus they still seemed good! The ISO settings were amazing, as well. I put it all the way up to ISO 800 and still failed to get any real noticeable noise in the pictures (unless you looked at 150% or so). ISO 100 was absolutely fabulous, no noise whatsoever. I took a ton of night shots with this camera, never disappointed.

The Nikon DSLR really changed my opinions on Nikons. I will still never use another Nikon PnS again anytime in the future, but I am now a Nikon DSLR fan!

Camera purchase okay and good camera. Very dissatisfied with Amazon as they canceled another order with no explanation. Will not order again from Amazon.

I have now owned my D40 for just under a year and I am hooked. I've shot 10,000+ pics and still counting. It's size, ease of use, and user friendly interface are perfect for people thinking of getting into the DSLR world; and the battery life is phenomenal! The only things I wish this camera came with were the ability to bracket shots automatically, and an intervolometer, other than that I love my D40!

This is the camera that I've been waiting for. After years of using a point and shoot, it was time to upgrade to a dSLR. This camera and lens kit are a phenomenal value and the photos are perfect quality.

There is no need to buy a more expensive camera if you are new to the dSLR market!

Hey guys,
I just got this camera and this camera is awesome. I am having alot of fun with it right now and am gonna go practice taking shots and stuff. I been a long time customer with Amazon and they are great for shipping. I have no complaint for this camera. So far I am loving it and the 18mm-55 lens that come with it is really nice and you can make your photos come up close by trimming/cropping it. So this is a must buy camera if you are an amatuer photographer, then get a better one later on if you want to. Have fun with the camera if you get it =) Later

I purchased this item more than 6 months back from Amazon. It is a wonderful entry level SLR. Even if you use it as a point and shoot (in the Auto mode) you get much better pictures than a non-SLR camera. And of course, it really helps if you want to start using all the features and functionalities of an SLR. I have nothing to say that hasn't been said here, but am leaving a review and a well deserved 5 star for the item. It is a classic. Just check Ken Rockwell's guide to hear what he has to say about the D40.

I wanted a camera that was not as heavy as the D200 or D300. I am very happy with the D40. The lens is a pretty good also. Together they are very easy to carry around. Good photos and accurate exposures from my point of view. I am an experienced amateur who takes a lot of family and floral photos. You will be very pleased with this camera and lens. I would also add the 55-200mm VR to complete the package.

It arrived on time & in perfect condition. It is definitively a great camera for beginners.

I am generally satisfied with the D40. I'm an old school photographer who had been out of it since digital took over (except for using it occasionally in my job as a detective). My experience has been that most digital cameras are excessively complicated and do everything except allow you to have control over your photographs. I'm working on a project that requires extensive photo-documentation. When I found that it would be next to impossible to accomplish it with slide film, I bought this camera. So far it's doing the job and the software was easy enough to install (unlike most software that I have tried to install). I haven't had time to experiment with the manual feature yet, but I plan to before long. My biggest complaint so far is that it has no cable release feature. Much of my work involves low light shooting and maximum depth of field. It's not always possible to have a rock solid tripod. To me, it makes no sense to make an SLR without a cable release.

I bought this camera because I wanted to have a better digital camera than a regular point and shoot one and wanted to advance from 35mm SLR (Nikon FM10 and N80). After waiting for 1 year (I was thinking to buy Nikon D50 at first) I'm glad to have bought this one because it fits my budget. I've owned this camera since 2007 and have taken a lot of great pictures with it, and I'm using the lens that came with it. I don't consider myself a professional photographer so I have not used a lot of its features.

For those who never use an SLR / DSLR camera before and would like to buy one, I fully recommend this camera. I think for most people they could get by with just using the "AUTO" shooting mode, just make sure you focus on the subject. It also helps a lot if you have a basic knowledge of photography.

I bought the D40 and kit 18-55 lens a few months ago here on Amazon. I have had only film cameras until now, except for a cheap Fuji p/s digital.
Not being familiar with digital cameras, for me it was kind of like trying to run the space shuttle. I, like some others here, looked at Ken Rockwell's pages for help and got some basic settings going that work all right.

After getting familiar with it, I decided that the kit lens sucks for a lot of what I like to shoot, which requires a wider aperture than the kit lens has. Not to mention that it sticks out of the camera quite a ways and I also like to be as invisible as possible. The honking big lenses just shout to everyone in sight that a photo is being taken (but I guess that doesn't bother all the shooters with the 18" long super zoom lens always attached). I am also not impressed with the autofocus, which sometimes won't lock on anything, dithering around back and forth until the subject isn't there any longer. And the camera won't fire if it isn't locked on something. So forget about photos of those flying birds.

After looking at the prices of the faster single focal length dedicated digital lens prices (and after recovering from cardiac arrest) I went totally in the other direction and bought two Nikon Series E 35mm film camera lenses from the 1980s, a 28mm f/2.8 and a 50mm f/1.8 for basic lenses. These are roughly 40mm and 85mm on the D40. These lenses don't couple with any electronic components in the camera except the aperture lever, and will only function in manual mode, happily neutering most of the camera's unneeded, sometimes silly, and sometimes difficult to use functions.

The image quality is pretty good overall, definitely better than the kit lens and these lenses cost me $30 each.
There are many other lengths of Series E lenses available at reasonable prices so I'll probably add to the collection at some point.
The lenses are really small and the camera is super easy to handle with them, just like an old 35mm.

I always leave the viewing screen in histogram mode, set the shutter/aperture where I think it should be for the light available, fire a test shot and quickly check the histogram. It's very easy to tell if the exposure is off, and equally easy to change the shutter speed if needed. It's as fast as adjusting manual film cameras I'm familiar with.

The only downside to this so far is that they are a bit hard to focus as the viewfinder screen is not fresnel, but the 28 stopped down at all has huge DoF so it's mostly an issue for the 50 when shooting wide open. I'm willing to put up with it because this is a better set up for me, more like a mechanical film slr, but with a 4gb card it will shoot almost forever. I leave the 28 on it most of the time for street shooting and the 50 is a fantastic portrait lens.

So, I give it a 3. It's easy to use and being digital it's easier to get the images in the computer than from film. The battery goes an incredible amount of time before needing a charge. Build quality seems adequate for people that aren't prone to dropping their cameras.

Image-wise, I don't think it's as good as a 35mm film camera loaded with slide film, definitely not as good as professional print film in some high contrast conditions, given the ccd's tendency to blow out highlights any time there is the slightest bit of high contrast lighting. Underexposure is often necessary and then hopefully retrieve the low values in Photoshop.
Still, it's a fun camera to use for snapshots and gives decent results, and I would recommend it in it's price range. I'm definitely not chucking my film camera for this one though.

Got this for my wife as a Christmas gift. We have used it mostly for shots of our daughter and other "candids". This has everything we need. As we progress more into learning about our camera, we will use the manual selections, but the auto stops are GREAT on this camera. We mostly use the sports or kids functions and it has created great photos. We are still working on framing, etc. but good equipment helps take good pictures.

If you have kids, this camera is great because (as opposed to other digital cameras we've had) this has variable shutter speeds so you can actually take the picture you see instead of waiting 1+ seconds for the camera to actually take the picture! There's nothing we hated more than seeing a shot we wanted, only for our daughter to have looked away in that split second while the camera we had was "taking" the picture...

I emphasize the portability because it is small and lightweight (for those long hikes or shows). I have used this camera for a year now in all conditions. From snow storms to the beaches of Huntington Beach and it still surprises me at the beautiful photos and the new things I am learning about it every day!

My best investment, besides the camera body itself, would have to be my Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor lens. It only costs around $100 and is perfect for all occasions, low light and all. Even though this lens does not auto-focus with the D40, when you get that perfect shot in focus you feel that much better of a photographer.

Back to the camera, I cannot praise it enough for giving high quality photos with minimal effort. My love for Nikon and it's products grows daily.

If you are a beginner or advanced photographer, this camera is light, compatible, and sexy. I would recommend it to all beginning and wanting to leap from the point and shoot cameras to a digital SLR. If you can spend the extra cash, get the Nikon D40x. It has a few more features, though the D40 holds its own.

Again, this is the best investment of my life. The best thing about most digital slrs and lenses are that they worth just as much if you sell them years later if you keep them in good condition! Almost like you are getting a camera for free, except I will probably never sell my camera gear ever.

I researched the Nikon camera bodies for several months before I finally purchased the D40 and have no regrets. Keep shooting and never give up fellow photographers!

Excellent camera package. I believe the D40 is better than D60 and D80 for accurate color rendering. The pair of zoom lenses included in price was a great bargain.
Delivery on time with up to the minute tracking. Adorama is a great company.

I researched which entery level DSLR to grab for probably 3 months and this camera stood out as the clear winner.

The pictures are beautiful and the learning curve isn't very steep.

Having used digital cameras for several years I wanted to upgrade to DSLR for the ability to change lenses. Have taken over 1000 pics so far and am very pleased. The menu is very handy and the Help feature is a plus. Pictures are sharp and clear, as long as I do my part. Don't take flash pics with the hood on, it leaves shadows. Software loaded on Vista easily and downloads are fast. And the price was right!

Pros:
Compact, Very easy to use, Inexpensive, Nikon reputation, Very useful 'Help' menu, nice LCD screen,

Cons:
6 Megapixels may be less for people who want to take very large prints, the outer ring on the kit lens moves while focussing..

If you want me to put it in one sentence then This is the perfect Digital SLR for a beginner. Its very compact (the smallest DSLR, i guess), but Nikon did not compromise on the build quality. Its very sturdy and has a nice comfortable grip. The buttons are all in the exact positions where you would expect. Its also very inexpensive. So if you are planning to take a dip into the world of SLRs, then you'd be happy with its pricing. This would give your budget enough room to invest in lenses!!!

Now for the features... The reason why i call it the perfect DSLR is that, when one upgrades from a point and shoot to a DSLR, then the options and features offered may be overwhelming to the point of getting confused on what to do.. Now here is where the 'Help' menu comes handy. With the click of one button the camera would tell you what the selected mode does and also makes recommendations like "Low lighting, Flash recommended." This is a blessing to a total beginner. The option of Auto and Program-Auto along with a wide variety of scene modes makes the transition from a Point and Shoot a pleasure. The graphical view of the LCD screen shows the representation of a lens aperture and becomes very useful for a beginner to understand the concept of Aperture and Shutter. There are a lot of dedicated buttons (not as many as you would find in a Full frame, but good enough for the first timer) to adjust the most common settings like, exposure compensation, ISO, flash, Self timer. There is also a Function key which the user can customize to do a specific function.

Now although this is a perfect beginner camera, it can be used by amateur or advanced level users as this can handle really well almost any kind of situation. Due to its compact size its great for traveling which even advanced photographers would appreciate.. It has a hot shoe to connect any external flash, you can add accessories like filters, wireless remote controllers, and also pick from an enormous selection of Nikon lenses as it works with any Nikon lens. One thing to note is that the Auto-focus motor is not in the camera body so you need an AF-S lens if you want automatic focusing.

But as we all know nothing is 100% perfect, the D40 also has some minor negetives.. First, the 6 megapixel resoluion might be less for an advanced level photographer, who would like to make Very large prints.. But for most amateur users this is more that enough. My second concern is with the kit lens that comes with the bundle. When you set it to auto focus and push the shutter release half way down to automatically focus, the outer ring of the lens rotates to focus, this becomes a problem when using a filter.. But more advanced lenses of nikon do not have this issue. Another note. If you have large hands and fingers i would recommend you to go to a store and check out the camera for yourself to see how comfortable it feels. I have small hands and it fits better than my biking gloves!!!

So if you are in the market for a compact Digital SLR and can get over the "6 megapixel" thing, then the Nikon D40 should be the ideal camera for you.

P.S. Do invest in a good tripod and you'll always thank yourself!!!!

Unlike most people who have reviewed the Nikon D40 here, I came
from a film based SLR background, rather than a digital point and
shoot background. I still have, and treasure, some very nice and
fully working gear built around the Olympus OM-4, which is a beautiful
camera indeed.

However, switching to the D40 is like moving from a bicycle to the
space shuttle.

The main advantage of a digital over a film based system is of
course that you can see the picture immediately, and use it to adjust
your parameters and actions. That's obvious, but if you are like me,
and used to shooting film, you have to experience it to appreciate it.
To me it was a tremendous eye-opener. The LCD display on the Nikon
clearly shows composition, colors, and brightness, and you can
zoom in to judge the sharpness of the image.

Secondly, my two Nikon lenses almost always focus much better
mechanically than I could manually. (On the other hand, if you do
want or need to focus manually then Nikon offers little help beyond
the picture in the viewfinder, whereas the Olympus has several
effective focusing aids.) Failure to get good focus was the most
frequent obstacle on my Olympus (and on a film based camera you find
out about bad focus only long after the party is over).

I used to shoot 35 mm slides because the usual commercial
processing of paper prints produces average exposures. It's
virtually impossible to get very dark or very light prints, unless you
do the processing yourself, or pay for expensive lab work. With the
D40 you can easily adjust the brightness of your pictures, as you
take them.

Another advantage of digital versus film is that you no longer
need to worry about the expense of taking many pictures. You can
easily shoot hundreds of pictures a day, and later pick those you
want.

The 18-55 mm kit lens that comes with the D40 is very good, and the
system is very powerful with just that one lens. You may be happy for
a long time with just the kit lens. I thought I would be, too.
However, I lasted only 3 days before I ordered the
Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens.
That lens is a technological marvel. (It also costs
more, and weighs more, than the camera.) Its tremendous zoom range
makes it more versatile than any other lens I've ever even heard of.
With its vibration reduction system it is feasible in good light to
obtain sharp hand held pictures at maximum focal length. Of course you
still want a tripod if you aim for perfection, and you do need one for long
exposures.

Both the kit lens and the 18-200mm super lens work very well as a
macro lens, although I'm tantalized by reports that Nikon has some
magical macro lenses in their lineup...

The D40 has six mega pixels, (3008x2000) which is just fine for me.
But if I was to start all over again I'd consider the D40x because of
its greater resolution. On the other hand, the D40 does have the
advantage of a higher flash sync speed (1/500 sec) than the D40x
(1/200 sec).

You can't use a wire release on the D40, but the inexpensive Nikon
infrared remote works even better.

I am very pleased with my Nikon system. It has revitalized my
interest in photography and I look forward to exploring in greater
depth its tremendous potential.