Nikon D40X Digital SLR Camera With 18-55mm Lens - Black (10.2MP)

I finally took the plunge and abandoned film and I'm not regretting it. This camera is everything a serious amateur needs in a DSLR - get it out of the box, charge the battery, set to auto and off you go. But read the thick instruction manual and you'll soon find that the flexibility of the manual settings and the ability to do everything and more a top-end film SLR can do will get your creative juices going! I upgraded to the excellent 18-135mm AFS zoom, to give a bit more range and reduce the need to keep changing lenses which can cause dust to get inside onto the sensor. In RAW format the 10.2M sensor produces files of 9Mbytes, so get yourself a decent SD card - I went for the Transcend 2Gbyte 150X which is really good value for money and fully compatible. I disagree with the other reviewer - in fact a whole range of legacy Nikon lenses can be used, you just won't get autofocus with them.

I have a D80 and a D40X, and I am probably going to sell the D80, the D40 is smaller, lighter and just as quick in operation, the image quality is identical, actually the JPEGS straight from the camera are actually nicer from the D40X, more consumer friendly and require less or no post processing, and the big big advantage of the D40X over the D80 is the metering.

In my opinion the matrix metering on the D80 is rubbish, the camera is excellent in every other respect, but the quirky metering leads to way too many overexposed shots, I dont/cant use matrix metering on the D80, most require between -0.3 to -0.7 EV compensation even in evenly lit situations....Oh Joy oh Joy, this seems to be completely resolved on the D40X with great reliable metering, I have experienced no issues, the D40X metering is consistent hooray !!

If you are happy with the D40(X) viewfinder (which is good but even better on the D80)...are not worried about no AF motor for older lenses (dont even worry about it if you dont know what this means), then save yourself at least £200 and get the D40X...or even consider the even cheaper D40 (theres not much between the two for image quality)

Oh and the kit 18-55 lens is really pretty good with little distortion at wide angle.... Most people need not go to the expense of the D80 (which is an excellent camera please dont misunderstand me) in my opinion, highly recommended

Having been an enthusiastic (old style, but highest quality) SLR user for many years and having then switched to several digital compacts, from the disappointingly basic (circa 2000) through to the brilliant latest versions (in my case, a 7.0 megapixel Panasonic Lumix), I was intrigued when a professional photographer friend said I should check out the new generation of low cost digital SLRs and, in particular, the Nikon D40x... you'll enjoy it she said... and she wasn't wrong.

First off, the price was only £150 or so more than a top end compact with the same 10 megapixel rating and, in the shop, it turned out to be smaller and much lighter than the old, dramatically more expensive SLRs I used to lug around... so, worth the plunge?

A resounding yes, not only does it deliver the most beautiful, high quality photos but the control options over virtually all aspects of shot selection, including a powerful built in flash unit, are quite incredible - far better and much, much more comprehensive than I'd expected - with the ever present, wholly effective, compact-style "point & shoot" option if you can't be bothered. Plus, you get a large preview screen and extensive "in camera" editing features that allow a wide range of post-shot manipulation if you don't have access to your PC. Just amazing... everything, plus a huge amount more, that I got from my previous SLRs.

Could it get any better? Well yes, because the stock Nikon autofocus zoom lens that comes with the camera (rated at 18-55 mm new digital style and equivalent to a just about perfect 26-83 mm old style) is now matched with Nikon's new, low cost, autofocus DX VR lens (rated at 55-200 mm new digital style and equivalent to 83-300 mm old style) which really does cut out camera shake to allow genuine "point & shoot" at its higher focal lengths. In other words, for a total cost of well under £600 I got a stunningly powerful and flexible camera plus a "tripod-less" combination of two lightweight autofocus Nikkor lens covering a full 26-300 mm range... which is nothing short of sensational for any "old style" SLR user like me.

SLRs are a different world from compact cameras - you definitely can't fit them in your pocket - but for anyone wanting to move up to a higher level for not much more, or for anyone wanting to rediscover the lost joys of their SLR past at an incredibly cheap entry price, the Nikon D40x is a "must have" option... certainly it's got one more very happy user.