Olly
04-20-2007, 01:18 PM
Two weeks ago I got the Nikon D40, the entry Nikon digital SLR with "only" 6 megapixels :)
I have already the Nikon D70 so why did I get it?
Well, the D70 kit lens (18-70mm) is broken. It would only go between 24 and 45mm. I have no idea how it happened but I have seen other people having the same problem.
I still have the Sigma 10-20 and the Sigma 70-200 working on Nikon but they are extreme lenses so I had to get a new mid range zoom like the 18-70 or the 18-55mm.
Seeing the price of the lenses, it was a better value to buy the D40 with its kit lens (it gets decent reviews) than just buying the 18-55 separately, especially since my D70 was getting slow: with more than 52,000 photos taken, it is really well used.
The D40 is a nice tiny SLR compared to the D70. It is light and fun to use. It has an automatic ISO feature I really like: you set the shutter speed at 1/60 per example and anytime the speed doesn't reach 1/60 it automatically uses the next ISO level up to 1600ISO.
The image noise level is very low, it beats the D70 easily and probably also the Canon 350D. Well, at 3200ISO it certainly beats the Canon because it doesn't go up to 3200 ;)
It has only 3 autofocus points but it is still very fast. I mostly use the central autofocus point so even a 1 AF point camera would be ok :D
Its noise (the sound when you take a photo) is very low wich is good with wildlife.
It has a 2.5 inch lcd. Coming from the D70 and the 350D that have only 1.8 inch, it is fantastic :D It is also very sharp and bright.
What I don't like: I miss the second little lcd on top (now I have to rotate the camera to see the information from the big screen) and I also miss the second dial on top (like on the D70). It has only 6 mp. It is not that I am that much into megapixels but with more of them it is easier to crop images. I could have got the D40X which is the same but with 10mp but it is a lot more expensive and I had to save some money for another SLR :D (will post about it later as I haven't tried it yet).
In conclusion, the D40 is a great SLR for newbies and for traveling. With a lens like the 18-135 or 18-200 it can be used as a "bridge" camera handling well high ISO.
A robin:
http://www.photoboard.eu/photography/showphoto.php?photo=2423
I have already the Nikon D70 so why did I get it?
Well, the D70 kit lens (18-70mm) is broken. It would only go between 24 and 45mm. I have no idea how it happened but I have seen other people having the same problem.
I still have the Sigma 10-20 and the Sigma 70-200 working on Nikon but they are extreme lenses so I had to get a new mid range zoom like the 18-70 or the 18-55mm.
Seeing the price of the lenses, it was a better value to buy the D40 with its kit lens (it gets decent reviews) than just buying the 18-55 separately, especially since my D70 was getting slow: with more than 52,000 photos taken, it is really well used.
The D40 is a nice tiny SLR compared to the D70. It is light and fun to use. It has an automatic ISO feature I really like: you set the shutter speed at 1/60 per example and anytime the speed doesn't reach 1/60 it automatically uses the next ISO level up to 1600ISO.
The image noise level is very low, it beats the D70 easily and probably also the Canon 350D. Well, at 3200ISO it certainly beats the Canon because it doesn't go up to 3200 ;)
It has only 3 autofocus points but it is still very fast. I mostly use the central autofocus point so even a 1 AF point camera would be ok :D
Its noise (the sound when you take a photo) is very low wich is good with wildlife.
It has a 2.5 inch lcd. Coming from the D70 and the 350D that have only 1.8 inch, it is fantastic :D It is also very sharp and bright.
What I don't like: I miss the second little lcd on top (now I have to rotate the camera to see the information from the big screen) and I also miss the second dial on top (like on the D70). It has only 6 mp. It is not that I am that much into megapixels but with more of them it is easier to crop images. I could have got the D40X which is the same but with 10mp but it is a lot more expensive and I had to save some money for another SLR :D (will post about it later as I haven't tried it yet).
In conclusion, the D40 is a great SLR for newbies and for traveling. With a lens like the 18-135 or 18-200 it can be used as a "bridge" camera handling well high ISO.
A robin:
http://www.photoboard.eu/photography/showphoto.php?photo=2423