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.
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