Nikon D40 User Reports, Reviews and Experiences

Collected here are links to various user feedback on the Nikon D40. Most of them are snippets of forum posts about the D40. Clicking on equipment names will bring you to a site where you can perform a quick scan for deals and best prices across multiple merchants.

Ken Rockwell's Nikon D40 Review

For some reason, many photographers hate Ken's articles (even Nikonians), but I always enjoy his reviews. His D40 review is the longest one he's written yet, proof of the delight he has with the camera. Short of owning the D40, I don't know of a better way to get acquainted with the camera than to read his writeup.

Thom Hogan's D40 Review

Unlike Ken, Thom writes his reviews on a more technical level. Excellent material to be read in conjunction with Ken's. Thom clarifies his remarks about the image quality of the D40 vs the D50 here, adding that noise on the D40 is better controlled than on the D50.

Miscellaneous feedback from various owners

  1. Perl, an ex-Nikon D50 owner and current owner of a Nikon D200, advises new buyers to purchase the Nikon D40 over the D50, and lists down several factors to consider. He also recommends several lenses to go with the D40. (source)
  2. Donavan is of the opinion that metering on the D40 is "damn near perfect", besting the D80, and less conservative than the D200's (source)
  3. Nuno Santos prefers the sharpness of the pictures obtained from the D40 and kit lens (Nikkor 18-55mm II) than from his old Canon 350D (Digital Rebel XT) plus EF-S 17-55mm combination (source). He shares some photos taken at a zoo with his new kit, and quotes the extremely favorable Nikkor 18-55mm lens review done at Photozone.de.

    By the way, Nuno shot the lizard photo at ISO1600 - impressive!

Summary of Thrushbeard's Initial Impressions of the Nikon D40

(source)

  1. Thrushbeard was a previous owner of a Nikon D50
  2. The D40 has a nice grip, and feels good in his medium to large-sized hands
  3. Viewfinder is noticeably brighter than the on the Canon Digital Rebel XTi / 400D, and the D40 has the better grip.
  4. The D40 has a much nicer LCD than the D50. Information presented in the LCD is an improvement over the status LCD on the D50 which is not backlit
  5. He programmed the function button on the D40 to change ISO values easily
  6. The D40 plus Nikkor 55-200mm lens fits nicely into his Customary Barge Crumpler Backpack . He finds the inexpensive 55-200mm lens light and suitable for landscape photography. (source)
  7. The D40 produces nicer ISO1600 photos than the D50
  8. He is very satisfied with the JPEG quality of the Nikon D40 images. (source) Visit his Flickr gallery here, and this full-sized image of a citrus fruit is one of my favorites from his collection.

Nikon D40 Shutter

  1. Shutter lag is as fast as that on the D80, and shorter than that on a Nikon D70s. It is also quiet and pleasantly responsive. Autofocus in AF-C mode is spot on. (source)
  2. Shutter action is also noticeably faster on the D40 than on a Fuji FinePix F30. (source)

Have a look some nice images shot with the D40 that I've linked to.