Nikon D40: The Perfect Point-and-Shoot DSLR
Nikon has confirmed rumors over the past couple of weeks by officially releasing Thursday its entry-level Nikon D40 digital SLR camera. It’s what I’d call a point-and-shoot DSLR, comfortable enough for novice photographers to use but powerful enough to offer SLR features.
Its price of $600 will make it affordable for serious amateurs on a budget. It comes bundled with an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor kit lens that’s also easy to use. Top it off with an optional $130 SB-400 Speedlite and you’re good to go, ready to take your place beside professional paparazzis.
The Nikon D40 is built on an ease-of-use philosophy: everything about it is meant to make it so much easier to use a DSLR, complexity is kept to a minimum, controls are easy to use, and menus are easy to understand.
Photo: Dave Etchells/Imaging Resource
But this is certainly not a dumb-down camera, says Dave Etchells of Imaging Resource. “The D40 is clearly all Nikon; its heritage is apparent throughout,� he says, adding that its novice-friendly features make this camera destined for greatness.
DPReview’s Phil Askey notes that the D40 follows on from the D50 but at a significantly lower price point and with a subtly different feature set. He also likes that fact that Nikon did not chase megapixels this time but concentrated on what makes a good camera: a decent viewfinder, short shutter lag and very short viewfinder blackout.
The hands-on previews are positive. Now, let’s wait for some production units to roll out for in-depth analysis of the D40’s image quality and actual user experience, including how its battery holds up.
Stay tuned.
nikon, d40, dslr, sb-400, speedlite, point-and-shoot, affordable
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