The D40 weighs 470g without battery and memory card, and even when fully loaded, it’s compact and comfortable to carry around – we spent an afternoon walking around in the countryside carrying the camera in one hand. We felt no discomfort whatsoever. It might seem an odd complaint to make, but if you have rather large hands, you might even find the D40 just a tad too compact when gripping it.
The D40's performance more than belied its rather humble price point. Firstly, switch-on time is lightning fast – Nikon quotes a 0.18s start-up time, and the D40 is certainly ready to go in an instant. Image quality was excellent too, with contrast, colour and resolution far exceeding the performance you might expect from a six-megapixel camera. We also liked the focusing system, which was fast, accurate and reliable.
Sample shots
Click for larger images
We were impressed with the low noise levels. This shot, taken on a dull day was set at ISO 1600
Even though it's only a 3x lens, it gets you much closer to the action
The D40 kit comes with an 18-55mm zoom, and the wide angle setting lets you squeeze in plenty
COMMENTS
@Tony Smith
Different Audiences? They're both older models available at a decent price for those that can't afford the latest models. The Canon is by far the better choice and about the same price.
@Jared
Different cameras with different audiences in mind and therefore different scores regarding their suitability for the DSLR newcomer.
Better luck this time
Hopefully my negative comment won't be moderated to oblivion this time.
Why does this merit 90% but the 400D only gets 75%?
seriously considered one of these
After reading Ken Rockwell, but the guy's shill at best and an opinionated egomaniac at worst.
Still a good cam but I'm happy after deciding to shell out more ££ and get a 450D.
@ Matt / saltyknob
Why not read the first paragraph of the review, i.e. the bit just under the main facts, and just before the second paragraph?
