Nikon D40

RRP: £450 with AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G II ED lens

User: Digital SLR under £500: Aimed at beginners

Nikon hopes that its latest digital SLR will appeal to those wanting the quality and versatility of an SLR, but the ease of use of a compact camera. Small, lightweight and with a low price tag of £450 with lens, it is certainly a tempting proposition for those on a budget. Dan Lezano finds out if this 6.1-megapixel SLR has what it takes to make it a hit with the beginner.

While virtually every home in the UK has at least one camera, SLRs represent a relatively small proportion of the total. Why? Well mainly because they have always been quite pricey and demanded a certain level of camera know-how to get the best from them. In other words, compared to compact cameras, SLRs have always been expensive and too technical for the happy-snappy type of shooter. While the versatility and performance of SLRs puts what’s possible from most compacts in the shade, they haven’t always offered the point & shoot versatility of compacts. However, great strides have been taken in this respect, with fully automatic program modes and instant image review in particular making digital SLRs more appealing than ever to the mass market. The D40 is Nikon’s latest attempt to attract newcomers to digital SLR photography. It’s well specified and has been designed from scratch with beginners in mind. Its shape, weight, size, control layout and range of features have all been thought out with the aim of making a model that will hit the bulls-eye with beginners. Has Nikon succeeded? Read on to find out…

Handling & ease of use

Two things are clearly obvious on picking up the camera. The first is that the D40 is small and lightweight; the second is that, despite the low price, it's still very well made. Despite its small size, the D40 is very easy to hold, thanks to its chunky shape and in particular its well-sized, textured handgrip. While the body is made from plastic, it doesn’t feel cheap at all, but rather solid and well constructed. In other words, rest assured that major corners haven’t been cut in its construction to achieve the low price point. Put your eye up to the viewfinder and you’re presented with a better than average screen, which is bright and large and provides a comprehensive exposure readout along the base. The control layout on the D40 is very clean, with buttons neatly arranged and well labelled. Many of the functions are selected via the LCD’s menu system, so the number of buttons on the body is kept reasonably low. The control system is very easy to use and is aided tremendously by the information display and helpful hints that appear on the rear LCD monitor. The very innovative display system is particularly suited to beginners and gives the D40 a real unique selling point. At 2.5in, the LCD dominates the rear of the camera and its clear and bright screen will play a major part in its future success. We cover the LCD information display in more detail in the panel at the bottom of this page. Overall, the D40 feels very well made and handles nicely, which is impressive considering its low price.

Features

You could be forgiven for thinking that considering its price, the D40 will be sparse of features, but it’s actually a very well specified camera. At its heart is a DX 6.1-megapixel CCD. This may surprise some people, as eight-megapixels is the current resolution of entry-level cameras, but Nikon firmly believe the six-megapixel sector of the market still has potential. We discuss the resolution debate briefly below in the panel 'Is 6-megapixels enough?' The exposure system is very comprehensive, with a full complement of exposure modes and a full set of metering patterns, including the same 3D Colour Matrix metering pattern that’s found on the more expensive D80. The autofocus system is based on a three-point system, with the on-screen menu allowing you to choose individual points or use all three simultaneously. Depending on the exposure mode you’re using, the integral flash pops up automatically or can be raised via the flash pop-up button. It offers a decent level of features, including flash compensation for varying the balance of flash and ambient light, red-eye reduction, first or second-curtain synchronisation and a 1/500sec sync speed.

Activate the menu system and you find a host of features and effects to try. For instance, you can shoot with added or reduced colour saturation, or in black & white and once you have taken the shot, various retouching options are available, such as colour filter effects, sepia toning and D-Lighting, which allows you to lighten underexposed subjects. Other features worth noting are the rechargeable lithium-ion battery (not AA’s as with some budget models), PictBridge compatibility for direct printing with suitable printers, an ISO range of 200-1600 (plus Hi-3200) and a 2.5 frames-per-second frame rate.

Performance

Let's get straight to the point – the D40 is a superb bit of kit and worth every penny. In every department it performs far better than you’d expect of an entry-level camera under £500.

The camera’s very quick to start up – it’s ready to shoot in only 0.18 secs and the autofocus system is very swift and responsive. I also found the camera to be very quiet in use, with the autofocus and mirror action both proving very smooth in action. Image quality from the D40 is excellent too. In terms of sharpness, the new Mark II lens and the accurate AF helps produce very detailed images, while the Matrix meter consistently gave perfect exposures in all but the trickiest of lighting situations. Image noise is very well controlled, with none obvious at ISO 200 and 400 and only a little noise being evident at ISO 800. The flash system also proves to be extremely competent with the integral flashgun giving consistent exposures. The scene modes also work well, giving decent exposures with the minimum of fuss. So much so that beginners picking up the D40 may wonder what all the fuss is about with SLR photography, as taking high-quality images on it is as easy as Nikon claimed it would be. Very highly recommended.

Nikon D40 Specification

Type: Interchangeable lens digital SLR
Lens mount: Nikon F mount
CCD sensor: 23.7x15.6mm with total of 6.24-million pixels
Effective pixels: 6.1-million pixels
Max image size: 3008x2000 pixels
Effective length increase formats: 1.5x
Viewfinder: Fixed eye-level type. 0.8x magnification & 95% frame coverage
Autofocus: Three-point AF using Nikon Multi-CAM 530 module with AF-assist illuminator (0.5-3m). AF range: -1 to +19EV. AF-area mode: Single-area AF, dynamic-area AF, dynamic-area AF with closest subject priority. AF servo modes: Single-servo AF (AF-S), continuous-servo AF (AF-C, auto AF-S/AF-C selection)(AF-A); predictive AF
Exposure modes: Program, aperture- & shutter-priority; Manual and scene modes (Full Auto, flash-off, portrait, landscape, child, sports, close-up & night portrait)
Metering: 420-segment 3D Colour Matrix, spot (2.5%) and centre-weighted average. Metering range: 0-20EV (Spot 2-20EV). Exposure compensation +/-5EV
White Balance: Auto, 6 lighting presets with fine-tuning & user-preset
Storage media: SD (supports SDHC)
File formats: Raw, JPEG
ISO Range: 100-1600 (plus Hi 3200)
Shutter range: 1/4000-30sec in 1/3 steps plus Bulb. Flash sync to 1/500sec
LCD Monitor: 2.5in 230,000 pixels TFT
Power: Rechargeable Nikon Lithium-ion (EN-EL9) battery
Other features: Self-timer (2, 5, 10, 20sec duration); USB2.0 Hi-speed & Video-Out sockets; retouch modes
(D-Lighting, red-eye correction, Trim, Monochrome, Filter Effects)
Dimensions: 126x64x94mm
Weight: 475g (body only)

Supplied accessories

D40 body with cap; 18-55mm MkII zoom; strap; EN-EL9 lithium-ion battery; DK-5 eyepiece cap; MK-23 charger; USB cable; instruction manual & Quick Start Guide; PictureProject 1.7 software CD

Is six megapixels enough?

There is sure to be many who question the resolution of the D40 and ask if the market has room for a six-megapixel SLR? The answer is yes. The D40 is aimed at beginners who might never print their images larger than 7x5in. The D40’s resolution is good enough to print up to A4 and that should be good enough for the majority of users. After all, ask yourself, how often did you blow up images to this size or larger when you first started out?

Get focused!

Autofocus with AF-S & AF-I lenses only

The D40 lacks an internal focus motor so autofocus is only possible with AF-S and AF-I lenses. With other AF lenses, you’ll need to focus the lens manually

D40 information display

It’s worth taking a good look at the D40’s display. When shooting, you can set the exposure details to appear a number of ways. My favourite is the screen that shows an iris opening and closing as the aperture is changed, which should prove useful for beginners. A more conventional screen provides a wide range of information, and there is also a ‘wallpaper’ option that lets you use a favourite image as a backdrop.