Customer Reviews

Nikon D40 Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Lens and Nikon AF-S 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED DX VR Zoom-Nikkor Lens + 4GB (SD) Card

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I ordered this Nikon D40 through Cameta on Amazon after spending a few weeks researching and price checking other venders on the web. I could not come close to this price with all the accessories from any other legit vender without getting "grey market" merchandise, and believe me I tried !! I wanted and received all brand new equipment with original Nikon USA warranties.

The camera it' self is superb!! I was taking pictures with the camera set to auto within 30 min of opening the box. That was just the time I had the battery charging.

Once I set up the time and date I was snapping away! And the pictures were AWESOME!! There is a lot to learn on the DSLR world but this is a great entry level camera with lots of room to grow.

The owners manual is a little too technical so do your self a favor and also get this book from this site," Nikon D40/D40x Digital Field Guide" by David D. Busch, it explains all the features of this camera and teaches you some advanced ways to shoot also unlike other books it's written for this camera.

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!

Sidarta Tanu

I am just a novice photographer, and I purchased this D40 kit because I wanted to make the transition from point-and-shoot cameras to a DSLR. All the people I know that have any experience with digital photography recommended that I purchase either a Nikon or Canon. I was close to purchasing the Nikon D60 or D40x, but after doing a lot of research online I settled on the D40. The main reason was that the D40 has a faster shutter speed than either the D60 or D40x. This is because all three cameras have the same size sensor, but the D60 and D40x need more exposure time because of all the extra megapixels. This means that you can take sharper pictures (i.e. less chance of blurry pictures) with the D40 than with the other two, and for $300 less. That is the trade-off for the extra megapixels, and sharper pictures was more important to me than having extra megapixels that I don't need, especially since I am an amateur with a not-so-steady hand! In all other aspects the D40 is the same camera than the D40x or D60, minus a few extra bells and whistles that most amateurs and even some professionals wouldn't notice or care about.

I purchased this camera kit, along with an SB-400 flash, from Cameta Camera via Amazon, and I am extremely happy with the purchase. All the items came brand new and as described, and was well-packaged. The items also arrived in about 7 days; three days earlier than the earliest expected arrival date. This is amazing considering I am deployed military overseas, and I was having the item delivered to an APO address. for those of you not familiar with APO/FPO addresses, it usually takes longer receive a delivery sent to those addresses than normal domestic addresses, and it still arrived to me very early.

After taking the camera out of the box, you just need to charge the battery for 90 minutes and even a beginner is ready to shoot great pictures, even in auto mode! Make a few changes to the exposure and white balance, and play with the flash a little, and you are making professional-looking photographs you never thought you would make!

If you are a beginner trying to transition to DSLR, definitely get this camera; don't spend the extra money unless you plan to go pro! This kit is great, and Cameta Camera has definitely impressed me.

I purchased this camera because I was going on a trip to Africa and wanted a serious camera. Whoa! When you get started with it you will be a bit overwhelmed. Don't be. The auto shoot settings work just fine until you learn all the other things you can do with it. Arrived as promised and was a great price, too. The folks at Cametta have been good. They are nice to talk too (and that is rare here in New York)(you'll get a kick out of their Long Island accents)and they answer questions gladly. Curiously the so-called "expert" there said he did not know a lot about my camera (??!!), he probably uses the more expensive D70 or D80, but gave me a number for Nikon which I call with questions and that works well. Overall a good experience. And I found the best price with them. Warning before you buy: decide what you are going to shoot. The lenses that come with this kit are excellent(al beit the least expensive). But a longer lense; 300 MM and a 12-24 wide angle might be better for what you are shooting, so do you really need this 200mm?,(although at this price hard to pass up) something I found out after I made the purchase (so you really have to decide, something to think about) However, if you are just shooting family and vacation snapshots and things this is an excellent choice and a good step up from a point and shoot. And a great place to get it.

Our previous camera was an Olympus digital camera, but it was not an SLR. My husband takes a great deal of wildlife pictures, and so we decided to save for an SLR outfitted with a zoom lens more powerful than what we had previously had. My husband and I did a lot of research on digital SLRs while we saved, and it was soon evident that we should focus our final decision primarily between the Olympus Evolt 510 and the Nikon D40. The introduction of the Nikon D60 was a factor in that the D40 is now being offered at a much lower price point, allowing us to get a lot of bang for our money.
We are just so pleased with this camera! The image quality is amazing, and we love the additional features that will allow us to be more creative with our photos than we ever could before. We have used both lenses that come with this kit, and if photography is a serious hobby for you, you will enjoy the flexibility that having two such lenses will give you. The shorter lens is perfect for shooting most events such as BBQ's, birthday parties, community fairs and festivals, and is perfect when people and beloved pets are the main subjects of your photos. The longer lens is great for panoramic views and wildlife photography, as it allows you to zoom in on objects from far away. You can adjust the angle of the lens to take in a wide view of a landscape, or you can zero in on your subject so that there is nothing to distract from the main subject of your photo. My husband is a birdwatcher, and has already used this camera in our back yard as well as on his favorite trails, and the pictures that have resulted are just jaw dropping. The color is better, the detail is incredible. Despite the incredible value of this kit, we were still a little nervous at spending the money, at first. Now we are glad we did. You get a lot with this kit, everything a serious hobbyist or even aspiring professional photographer would need to begin learning and using a digital SLR.

I was a little hesitant and concerned because this seemed like a great deal. I had researched for many weeks trying to find the best deal. I was suprised when I seen this complete D40 kit for this low of a price. Everything arrived in new condition in a timely manner. I will definently purchase more items from Cameta in the future.

Perfect for what I needed. It comes with everything you need to get started with a DSLR. I chose this camera following the advice of an article I read which I can't rememer where I saw it but he reviewed all the DSLR in this genre and said that it really wasn't worth it to buy anything more expensive in this category because you still end up with pretty much the same thing. After I bought the camera I also started reading about digital photography and getting down to the nitty gritty on how these cameras work and there is nothing in there to indicate that spending more money for a couple bells and whistles is worth it and that possibly the biggest difference would be in getting a camera with a full size sensor which bumps you up to over $2000.00. And even then it depends on what kind of pictures will be taken if that matters or not. And if you can't even really pin that down for yourself you probably really don't need to buy anything more than this.

The D40 is a wonderful camera, great value for money. The package was just right for my needs. The lenses have the new consumer-style plastic casing, which feels less "professional", but seems durable enough and is certainly lightweight. Weight is important if you're lugging the package around all the time. The bag is conveniently sized. The SD card is good for > 2,000 images at my normal settings.

Simply Amazing Camera! I highly recommend this camera to any photographer, experienced or inexperienced, whether you just want your pictures to turn out better, or you just want to take better pictures. I have only had this camera for a few weeks, and I'm already taking more pictures with it than I did with any of my cameras prior to this one.

This is a great rig for an excellent price! Seller really delivered and product arrived quickly. Would definitely buy from them again. Camera takes excellent pictures & comes with many settings, though (so far) I have used only manual settings. A worthy purchase.