Nikon D40 with AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II

As most other reviews have said, this camera is great value and produces excellent quality pictures.

Before buying, I was still a bit uncertain about the megapixels argument. Camera makers' advertisements seemed to be saying 10 is significantly better than six. But photographers seemed to be saying, "Take no notice, it makes no difference for the amateur."

So I looked at it this way. A 6 Mp camera produces shots around 3000 pixels long by 2000 wide (3000 multiplied by 2000 equals six million). A 10 Mp camera produces shots of around 3800 x 2590.

This means the D40 can produce prints at 300 dots per inch that are 10 inches long, whereas the 10 Mp camera can produce prints at the same resolution that are around 12.95 inches long. The difference of less than three inches isn't that significant for me since I hardly ever print above 10 inches anyway. So I went ahead and ordered one.

After I got the camera, to test out the practicalities of the argument, I took a portrait picture and cropped the original - the result happened to be reduced to 2000 x 1500, or three megapixels. I then had it enlarged to 10 inches by eight. The result was stunningly pin-sharp. And that's from just three megapixels. I know readers aren't going to be completely convinced without being able to see the print themselves. But, as it happened, I also had another 10x8 print made at the same time. This one was taken by a professional wedding photographer with a £1,400 Canon 5D plus probably an equally expensive lens. The file I sent to the developer was 13 megapixels, compared with the three megapixels from the cropped D40 image. So, same processor, almost certainly using the same processing machine at the same time. And the result? The professional 13 Mp picture was, if anything, slightly less sharp than the D40 picture!

Please note that I am not saying the D40 is better than the Canon 5D or that I'm a better photographer than a professional. The 5D is reputedly a great camera and obviously preferable to the D40 - if you want to spend five times as much. Other factors must have been involved. Maybe the professional chose a soft focus on purpose. Maybe the lighting was less suitable. However, what I am saying is that (1) the D40 can produce excellent results with its six megapixels and its kit lens and (2) there are all sorts of other factors (eg. lighting, flash accuracy, how sharp the lens is, how accurately focussed, how slow the exposure was, how steady the camera was held) that are more important in getting a sharp picture than (in this case) quadrupling the megapixels.

Before I bought the camera, I didn't realise how much bigger the sensor is on a digital SLR than a compact digital. It's around 16 times bigger in area! A typical compact has a sensor approximately 6mm by 4mm, whereas the Nikon DX format sensor on the D40 (and D40X) is approximately 24mm by 16mm. That's 24 sq mm on a compact, compared with 384 sq mm on a DSLR. This is one of the reasons the quality is so much better on a DSLR than on a compact.

After three months of using the camera, other things I like about the D40 are:

1. You can set it to adjust the ISO rating automatically. This means you can take pictures in poor light without flash and the camera will automatically raise the sensitivity of the sensor up to 1600 ISO from its standard 200. This adds hugely to the flexibility of the camera.

Some compacts have auto ISO settings but they don't go much above 200 or 400 because the picture quality from the small sensor starts to deteriorate significantly above around 400 ISO. On the D40, 1600 ISO shows hardly any difference in quality from 200 ISO. Other DSLRs can be set at high ISO ratings but not all can be set to choose a high rating automatically as you take the picture if low light needs it.

This is a fantastic feature. It revolutionises the way you take pictures. It means you can often take better pictures inside without flash than with flash. (Though if you set the dial to Auto, the flash will always fire when light is low. You need to choose a non-auto setting to stop the flash firing.)

Confusingly, there are two entries in the menus for auto ISO. This one is under the Custom Setting Menu, item 10, ISO auto. And amazingly for such a revolutionary feature, the factory default is "Off". Turn it on straightaway if you're going to use manual settings.

2. It has a high flash sync speed of 1/500. This means you can use fill-in flash at faster shutter speeds than on, for example, the D40X (only 1/200) for sports shots or portraits on a bright sunny day. (You need a fast shutter speed if you want to freeze action, or if you've set a wide aperture for a portrait in bright light).

3. I'm impressed by the kit lens. Maybe I've been lucky with the example I got but my experience isn't in line with those who say the kit lens is inadequate or the weakest part of the system. If anything, I've found it's one of the strongest parts. But, as I say, maybe I was just lucky with this example.

4. The camera feels nice to handle. My daughters say it sounds nice too! Its shutter makes a nice professional sounding noise as you press the button (as long as you turn off the artificial beeping noises.)

In summary, I'd certainly recommend the camera. And for the price, it's great value for money.

Have been thinking about purchasing a DSLR for awhile - purchased the D40 one saturday after reading several good online reviews, charged the battery and popped a 2gb memory card in, and spent the whole of sunday taking pictures. I'm sure there're no magazine cover shots in there, but the quality of my photos was a million miles better than I've ever taken with a compact, and the ease of use was stunning - there's a manual (pretty user-friendly, too, from what I've seen so far) that I want to get into to learn how to get the best from this camera, but if I only ever left it on automatic and used it as a point-and-shoot, I doubt I'd find anything easier or more gratifying to use. An incredible bit of kit.

After many hours searching for the "best" DSLR in the market, i came across the Nikon D40. Firstly, however i must say that if you are planning on buying a DSLR, buy it for your own personal needs, and try not to be influenced by anyone elses.

Ok so onto the review. The most important thing ill start with first is the image quality. The Nikon D40 produces EXCELLENT images in good light, and if you can compensate for bad lighting conditions with the Manual setting or flash then you can get equally great results. My first few shots were really sharp, and you can really notice the difference in quality, especially if you have just moved from a compact camera to a DSLR. Whenever you say "6 megapixels" to anyone, they usually say "oh.." quite sympathetically, but with the Nikon sensor and 3D matrix metering system there really isnt any difference from say, the Nikon D40X that is also on the market at a more expensive price, despite having 10 MPX.

For £328.00 in my opinion it was a bargain, because as an amateur i needed to start at the beginning, but with the Nikon D40 it allows you to progress from a novice, to an expert in months with all the detailed features the camera possesses. If your a "novice" then the camera has numerous inbuilt modes to suit the occassion, no tweaking needed. However, like me, if you like to be "experimental" with your photography the camera certainly allows you to be, with spectacular results in modes such as Shutter & Aperture Priority, Program mode and Manual.

Aesthetically, the camera looks great. Its slightly wider than the Canon EOS 400D, which is a good thing, and for me (someone with medium sized hands) it sat perfectly in my hands with no problem. The layout of the buttons is ergonomically sound; ie: they are placed so that the consumer has little to do in order to get the result they desire. The LCD screen, as mentioned is a MASSIVE 2.5 inches, compared to my friends' Nikon D100,D200, D50 AND Canon EOS 350D, you can really tell the difference, and its really bright too, which is a good thing.

The Nikon D40 can only mount AF-S or equivalents (sigma HSM's etc) due to its lack of a body motor drive. This is not a problem, as Nikon and Sigma (Tamron and Tokina too i think) are constantly developing new lenses for the future of digital photography, so dont worry about that.

The package comes with the body, 18-55mm DX lens, a neck strap, charger, manual, photo editing software / firmware, battery, lens caps, USB cable etc (Just off the top of my head.

For the needs of an amateur / intermediate photographer such as myself, this gem of a DSLR allows me to be so creative with my photography, with GREAT results if you know what your doing. I chose this because it was the best value for money, and will suit my needs as a novice photographer for a few years, until i decide to splash out on a more expensive body.

Hope i helped...