Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera + Nikon 18-55mm AF-S Lens + Nikon 55-200mm ED AF-S Lens + Nikon SLR Gadget Bag + Transcend 4GB SDHC SecureDigital Card + USB Card Reader

I bought the D40 because it was considerably cheaper than the D40x, D60 and D80. All of which would have been good cameras, but for an amateur this camera is perfect. It takes perfect pictures, with little-to-no advanced photography skills. I'm used to the user friendly buttons on the point and shoot cameras, like our HP-R967, but this camera was so easy to use. There are advanced setting and great built in options to edit the pictures before and after you take them. I am used to a 3" screen with my point and shoot, but the 2.5" screen is more than enough on the D40.

What I like about the camera:
-The fast response time. Just a second or two from being off to a flash picture.
-The high quality LCD screen. Even in full daylight you can review your pictures.
-Impressive autofocus, very sharp
-Menu options to edit your pictures after you take them. Red eye, cropping, B&W, resizing. (Yes, you can resize the picture for emailing from the camera).
-Takes great pictures. I can't find a point-and-shoot that compares, even a 10MP.

What I don't like:
-You can't use the LCD as a picture preview. You can only look through the viewfinder.
-It doesn't take rapid shots in quick succession. There is probably about a 1.5-2 second delay.
-The plastic feel of the movable parts. e.g, the battery cover and dials seem flimsy. My old film Nikon SLR had the same issue, so maybe it's just me.

Since it's relatively cheaper to buy this camera, I would recommend you buy some accessories that would really enhance your photos. My theory is you can take a GREAT picture with a cheaper camera if you do it correctly. That means lens filters, zoom lenses, speedflash (a MUST), extra battery, rubber camera skin, and loads of memory (4Gb card). Funny thing about filters: I read an article about the folks who did the movie Blair Witch Project. They did that movie with a $300 camera with $600 worth of filters. I believe that. I have $10 UV filters on the 18-55mm lens with a Nikon Speedflash and you would think this is a $4000 camera. I would also buy the cheap remote control, it's a much more impressive way to take your own pictures than the stressful timers. The timer works just fine on this, but the remote works better. I spent $800 on the camera kit with extra lens and all of the aforementioned accessories on Amazon. . You can't buy many decent camera and lens combos for that.

The 6 Megapixel Nikon D40 is targeted for those who want a relatively compact and light camera yet having most of the important SLR features. The D40 is priced reasonably (cheaper than D50/D80 and Canon Rebel XTi). In my opinion, if you are still considering whether to get a point and shoot camera or a DSLR, the D40 will be a better choice than any point and shoot camera, by far, even those with 8MP or 10MP. But if you are already deciding to get a DSLR or you want more control of the picture taking experience, then I would recommend you to also test the D50 and/or D80 first before deciding to buy the D40. I want you to make sure that you know what you will get (and not get) with the D40. Don't get me wrong though, the D40 is an awesome camera, and I don't think you will regret buying one. There are some limitation with the D40 which shouldn't bother most people, for example, the D40 doesn't have dedicated button to change picture quality, white balance or ISO settings (which generally only professional/enthusiast will care). Once you understand (and accept) its limitation, the D40 is a potent and exciting photography machine.

Just like all its (DSLR) siblings, the D40 powers on instantly and take pictures with almost no shutter lag which are the major advantages of a DSLR over a point and shoot camera. In addition to the P,S,A,M mode, the picture quality of the auto settings (auto, child mode, landscape etc) are also very good. With 2.5 frames per second you can capture movement progress in sports like football, basketball, baseball etc. Also great to photograph your family or child (child mode). The D40 is a great all around camera.

Some notable new features:
1. Auto (no flash) mode. Without this mode the flash will pop-up (on all other pre-programmed mode) even when you don't want to use flash (which can be annoying). The internal flash will not pop up automatically with the P,S,A,M settings.
2. In camera editing capability such as black and white, sepia and some filter effects etc. While sounds gimmicky, these features are useful especially for those who doesn't have Adobe Photoshop (or other image editing software).

To date, D40 is the smallest and lightest among all the Nikon DSLR (even smaller than the Canon Rebel XT/XTi, however the D40 is more ergonomics). I believe that choosing a camera that fits comfortably with your hands is important. Therefore, I recommend people to test the camera before buying (even if you want to buy online, please do go to a physical store and test the camera first whenever possible).

The D40 has only 3 (horizontal) autofocus point (5 for D50 and 11 for D80). If you know "The Rule of Thirds", the additional AF points above and below the center focus point (available in D50 and D80) are handy to help create the horizontal third line. However, the 3 horizontal AF point in D40 is still helpful to create the vertical third line. Also one can focus with the middle AF point and after the focus is lock then move the frame upwards/downwards to create the horizontal third line. Just make sure the exposure level is still accurate when you move the frame after you lock the focus.

About the 18-55mm II AF-S kit lens: A good lens producing sharp photos (though not a very fast lens). Also decent for close-up/macro photography. Lens uses internal focus technology and focusing operation is silent. A very decent kit lens.

Lens compatibility: Notice that with D40, autofocus function will not work for non AF-S/AF-I lens. If you already have non AF-S/AF-I Nikon lenses and want a backup or replacement camera, you will be better off buying D50, D70s or D80. If you buy the D40, it will be convenient to stick with AF-S and AF-I type lenses. I'm not sure why Nikon choose this route for the D40 (whether to enable smaller size camera or from now on Nikon will only make AF-S lens compatible camera). There are a lot of good Nikon AF-S lenses (price range added: low, medium, high) that are fully compatible with the D40 such as:

- Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX (L)
- Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX (L)
- Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED IF AF-S DX (L)
- Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX (L)
- Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S DX VR (M)
- Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED AF-S DX (L)
- Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED AF-S DX VR (L)
- Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR (M)
- Nikon 12-24mm f/4G ED IF AF-S DX (M)
- Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S (H)
- Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX (H)
- Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S (H)
- Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR (H)
- Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro (M)
- And several other expensive prime tele/zoom lens like 200-400mm, 300m, 400mm, 500mm, 600mm.

High priced lens ($1000+) are usually pro level lens which usually have better construction, faster (f-stop), and produce better quality picture. However, often times, lower price lens will serve your needs just fine. I think it is important to know what you want to use the camera for before deciding which camera and lens to buy.

Image quality of the D40 is very good which is #1 factor that I look for in a digital camera.

Here are the pros and cons of the D40 in my opinion:

Pros:
1. Nice out of the camera result picture quality
2. Affordable price
3. Compact size and light weight
4. Large and bright 2.5 inch LCD
5. 2.5 frames per second
6. B/W, Sepia, several more in-camera editing features.
7. Instant power on, fast autofocus and no shutter lag
8. Noise is acceptable at high ISO settings. Auto ISO settings available.
9. Great 18-55mm II AF-S kit lens.
10. Great battery life (400+ on a single charge. 1000+ if flash is not used).
11. Auto (flash off) mode available
12. 1/500 flash sync

Cons:
1. No direct button to change QUAL, WB and ISO settings
2. Grip comfortably but might be a bit too small for some people
3. No top LCD and no front command dial
4. Autofocus will not work with non AF-S or non AF-I lenses (such as the 70-300m G and 50mm f/1.8D lens)
5. No AF/MF switch (have to use the switch on the lens)
6. Only 3 autofocus point
7. 6 Megapixel (More Megapixel needed to print larger than 12 X 18 at 300 dpi)
8. No night landscape mode in pre-programmed settings
9. No in camera image stabilization (like Sony and Pentax) but Nikon has lenses with it (VR).
10. No depth-of-field preview button

In conclusion, the D40 is perfect for those who want high quality pictures, more control (than a point and shoot camera), and have a DSLR experience (instant power on and no shutter lag), without having to carry a bulky camera. And unless you are shooting sports/actions professionaly (which faster focusing processor, faster frames per second and larger memory buffer might be needed), the D40 is pretty much all you will need.

Happy Photographing!

On the plus side the 4GB SecureDigital Card gives you tons of storage - on the recommended setting, it has room for over 2K photos. This is a big WOW factor. The camera is very easy to use and has as much flexibility as any amature could want. It has point and shoot simplicity with complete autofocus, autoflash, autoexposure and auto white balance,and other features not mentioned, or if you choose, you can manipulate each of these features manually. The lenses are Nikon quality. On the negative side, it would be nice to include the EP-5 AC Adpter Connector ($44) and the EH-5 AC Adapter ($65) and the video cable ($10) in the package. Other than that, for the non professional this is a good package and I feel okay about recommending it to someone that would like to move up from a point and shoot to a SLR. All in all, a good deal.