Nikon D40 digital SLR

May 1st, 2007

It was slightly lower key than the launch of the D80. There were no countdowns on the website, no teaser movies but there were certainly rumours. Now it’s official - the D40 has been launched. At ThinkCamera we had a hands on sneak preview before the launch and got to try out the camera - read on to find out what the big deal is. So what’s new?
It’s small, cheap and easy to use. That’s it.

Actually, it’s very small. We have seen bridge cameras here at ThinkCamera that are larger than the D40 with kit lens and that’s far from accidental. This is a camera that hopes to steal market share from the bridge and compact sector rather than the existing DSLR market.

The Nikon D40 is scheduled to sell for less than any digital SLR from Nikon ever. The whole thrust of the campaign is that if you want a DSLR from a top tier manufacturer, you’re going to want a D40. In fact, with a recommended retail price of £449 complete with lens you’ll be hard pressed to find many DSLRs cheaper. That’s a bold move for Nikon - previously they have presented themselves as quality at a price. The question is can they make the transition to a bargain camera manufacturer without losing their reputation for quality? Sharp eyed observers may note that the D50 is currently available for less than this since you can buy it without a lens for around the £380 mark. If you want one then snap it up because the D40 replaces the D50 - there are some still in the “system” but once those dry up there will be no more.

Everything about the D40 has been designed to appeal to the enthusiast. Following the lead of the D50 there is only one control wheel rather than Nikon’s favoured 2 but the refinements go further. We’ll look more at this when we review the D40 in depth but the plan is that this will be a camera you can just pick up and shoot with. There are advanced modes there when you are ready for them but getting going is easy. A beautiful example of this is when you change a control such as metering pattern. A screen turns on to show you the type of picture you may like to take with matrix metering or spot or centre weighted. The same is true of practically all the controls including some very clever screens that show the effect of flash compensation.

Nikon D40 specification

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Entry Filed under: Digital SLR Camera, Nikon