Nikon D40 Makes Me Drool

Among the major differences between Nikon and Canon is in the delivery (or the launch) of their products. Noticeably, Canon releases modified versions and upgrades in short intervals (much like Nokia in the realm of mobile phones) such that when you finally decided to, say, buy a Canon 350D, Canon 400D is already on the way. Nikon makes us wait, and in a practical sense at that. IMO, Nikon users don’t get the feeling that their DSLRs become obsolete quite fast, and by the time the new “upgrade” is released, everyone’s ready to take the leap.

The release of the Nikon D40 Kit blew me away and made me think that maybe, this is it. I’m in love (again.) ♥ And considering that this camera is NOT pink, I figured, this must be true love. Hehe.

The basics: D40 takes over D50, and is now the starting point for Nikon’s line-up of Digital SLR cameras. It’s small and handy, it comes with an 18 - 55 mm lens, long battery life, and best of all, it’s affordable.

Truth be told, among the few things that’s holding me back from doing serious photography is the investment part. I’ve always thought that photography is a very expensive hobby. Back then, aside from the main SLR, you need to invest on lenses and other accessories. And then you need a lot of money to develop rolls and rolls of film. Talk about jurassic era. Then again, when DSLRs came to grace our lives with their existence, the investment is still way too expensive for most of us to handle.

The new Nikon D40 cuts through that particular “consideration”. Priced at just $599, and with features that match monster cameras that are available in the market today, I know in my heart that I found my match. So I spent a good 2 hours of my Monday day off, hopping from one review site to another, drooling, and wishing I was part of Picturetown — that small community at Georgetown, SC, whose residents were lucky enough to get 200 free units of Nikon D40. WOW.

Anyway, *wiping the drool away*,

Nikon didn’t cut a lot of corners to keep the price down, either — this is a very capable camera. It has a 6 Megapixel CCD, a large and sharp 2.5″ LCD display, full manual controls, an elaborate help system, and the kind of performance that you’d expect from a D-SLR. Did I mention that it’s also very compact? (Via DCResource.Com)

Yep! Very compact, indeed, it’s almost like regular point-and-shoot cameras.* Prior to this, I was considering on buying a new p&s digital camera (somewhere in the line of a Canon Ixus or a Sony Cybershot — and a pink one at that) since the Kodak Easyshare p&s I was using had gone blpht. Needless to say, I need a handy digicam because what good is it to be a camwhore and NOT have a camera?

So hey, I’m still weighing them all down. This Nikon D40 makes me drool but I’m still recovering from the expenses I’ve put up (and still putting up) with the laptop. So I’m giving this a month or so. If this love continues to grow deeper each day, then there’s no more holding back. I’m going to take the leap. ;)

Below are more Nikon D40 reviews I found helpful:

• Nikon D40 Review by DPReview.Com with tabular comparisons between Nikon D40 & Nikon D50.
• DCRP Review: Nikon D40 with tabular comparisons between D40, D50 and D80, as well as battery life comparisons with Canon DSLRs, and sample photos taken with D40.
• Nikon D40 Review by Kenrockwell.Com
• Nikon D40 Review by Megapixel.Net

Nikon D40’s Key Features from Nikon’s official website:

Extraordinary Nikon Image Quality: The D40’s high-resolution image quality is made possible by Nikon’s high-performance 6.1 megapixel Nikon DX format CCD imaging sensor and exclusive Nikon image processing engine which assures stunning sharpness and color.

Easy Operation with Intuitive Controls: Intuitive controls make the D40 point-and-shoot simple, enabling even first-time SLR users to capture beautiful memories perfectly.

Nikon’s Smallest Digital SLR Ever! At just over 16 ounces, the beautifully styled and compact D40 makes high-performance digital SLR photography easier and more convenient than ever.

Fast Startup with Instant Shutter Response: Fast startup combined with super-fast shutter response and rapid-action shooting at up to 2.5 frames per second makes it easy to freeze special moments instantly.

Includes 3x 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens: Designed exclusively for use with Nikon DX-format digital SLRs, this ultra-compact 3x zoom offers Nikkor sharpness and versatility in a wide variety of shooting situations.

Shoot at up to 2.5 frames per second: The D40 can fire continuously at a speed of up to 2.5 frames per second, capturing high-quality action sequences of children in sporting activities such as soccer, baseball and much more.

2.5-inch color LCD monitor with 3 colorful display options: Playback images are easy to see, and function menus are easier to use with a larger and brighter color LCD monitor. The large 2.5-inch LCD monitor enables image preview at up to 19 times magnification and has large type fonts and easy-to-view menus as well as three all-new display options: Classic, Graphic and Wallpaper.

High-performance 6.1megapixel Nikon DX format CCD imaging sensor: Nikon’s DX format CCD image sensor delivers vivid color and sharp detail, great for making beautifully detailed enlargements of 16 x 20 inches and beyond. High resolution also provides room for creative cropping.

In-Camera Image Editing: Highly versatile in-camera editing features include Nikon D-Lighting, Red-Eye Correction, Image Trimming, Image Overlay, Monochrome (Black and White, Sepia and Cyanotype) along with Skylight, Warm Tone and Color Balance filter effects. These features provide greater creative freedom without the need for a computer, for those who prefer to send pictures directly to a printer.

New advanced HELP menu system with Assist Images: The D40’s newly introduced “assist images” help you select the appropriate settings for many camera features by showing an example image typical of that setting as well as an advanced HELP Menu for the current item selected. The D40’s Question Mark icon (?) indicates that help is available for the currently selected item; just press the help button beside the LCD monitor to see a context sensitive help page.

Fast, accurate 3-Area Autofocus: The D40’s advanced 3-area AF system and the refined algorithms inherited from more advanced Nikon digital SLR cameras deliver fast, efficient and precise autofocus. AF refinements deliver greater precision with fast, more consistent subject acquisition and improved focus tracking for consistently sharper pictures.

Image Optimization Options: The D40’s Image Optimize setting lets photographers adjust color, contrast and sharpening as well as other image settings according to the type of scene or output desired. Settings include: Normal, Softer, Vivid, More Vivid, Portrait, Custom and Black and White, each of which are automatically adjusted based on sophisticated Nikon algorithms or user-selected settings for optimum results.

Built-in Speedlight with i-TTL automatic flash control: Nikon’s innovative i-TTL flash control evaluates flash exposure with incredible precision to achieve better automatic flash balance and deliver outstanding results. The built-in Speedlight is always at the ready and brings beautiful exposures in darkened conditions as well as adding sparkle for fill flash in outdoor situations for enhanced twilight shots or an added impact to daylight images.

Bright, accurate SLR viewfinder: A large viewfinder makes composition easier, and overall viewfinder brightness makes focusing in low-light photography possible. Its bright and sharp viewfinder, with 0.8x magnification, ensures precise composition.

Automatic exposure with 8 Digital-Vari Program Modes: Eight Digital Vari-Program Modes include: Auto Flash-OFF, Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close Up or Night Portrait, each of which adjusts automatically for optimal results under varied conditions.

Nikon 3D Color Matrix Metering II: The D40’s 3D Color Matrix Metering II evaluates each scene for brightness, color, contrast, size and position of shadows and highlights, selected focus area and camera-to-subject distance, comparing that information against an onboard database of more than 30,000 actual photographic scenes.

$599.95 ESP Includes 3x 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens.
ESP (Estimated Selling Price) listed is only an estimate. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time.

Know more about the Nikon D40 Kit HERE.

*Image from Megapixel.Net.