Product Description

The lightest, most compact Nikon digital SLR ever, featuring intuitive controls and an ergonomically designed operation for first-time SLR users to enjoy. High level performance and ease. 3D Color Matrix Metering II with 420-pixel RGB sensor delivers consistent and dependable automatic exposure for ideal results in most lighting conditions Advanced 3-area AF system Automatic control over ISO-equivalent sensitivity from ISO 200 to 1600 with manual override Eight automated Digital Vari-Programs [Auto, Auto (Flash Off), Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close Up, and Night Portrait] optimize white balance, sharpening, tone, color, saturation and hue to match the scene Near-instant 0.18-second power-up Versatile shutter speed control with a range from 30 to 1/4000 s, plus bulb Creative in-camera effects and editing functions consolidated under the new Retouch menu, including D-Lighting, Red-eye correction, Trim, Monochrome settings (Black-and-white, Sepia, Cyanotype), Filter Effects (Skylight, Warm filter, Color balance), Small Picture and Image Overlay Large 2.5-inch LCD monitor Information displays can be shown in selectable formats Assist Images help select the appropriate settings for many camera features by showing an example image typical of that setting Large, bright viewfinder Fast image data transfer and recording to SD memory cards Exposure Metering System - TTL full-aperture exposure metering system Electronic-Flash - Auto, Portrait, Child, Close Up, Night Portrait modes USB and NTSC PAL image transfer capable Unit Dimensions (Body Only) - Approximately Width 5.0 x Depth 2.5 x Height 3.7 inches / Weight - 1 pound, 1 ounces Nikon USA 1-Year Warranty

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #925 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Nikon
• Model: 9437
• Dimensions: 2.50" h x 5.00" w x 3.70" l, 2.50 pounds
• Display size: 2.5
• Included Software: Yes

Features

• 6.1-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 14 x 19-inch prints
• Kit includes 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX and 55-200mm f4.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lenses, plus 2 Nikon School DVD
• 2.5-inch LCD with three display options; built-in flash and hot shoe
• Fast startup with instant shutter response; shoot at up to 2.5 frames per second
• Powered by one rechargeable Li-ion battery EN-EL9 (included); stores images on SD memory cards (memory card not included)

Manufacturer Description

Great pictures used to require complicated and cumbersome equipment along with years of experience. Not any more. The D40 is compact, lightweight and designed specifically for ease of use, yet contains all the top-quality, high-performance technologies that you expect from a Nikon digital SLR. And with world-famous Nikkor lenses, you know you have the sharpest and most reliable optical performance available. All in a camera light enough to carry with you everywhere. Beautiful photography has never been easier.

Nikon D40 Highlights

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.

The D40 is capable of shooting 2.5 frames per second

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 and 5-200mm f/4.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lenses Designed exclusively for use with Nikon DX-format digital SLRs, these lenses offer 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 6.1-megapixel 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 editing functions include red-eye removal

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.

Enjoy easy in-camera optimization

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.

Customer Reviews

Love this Camera
I'm not a pro, but I've always wanted to step up into more serious photography. I did my online comparisons, read a bunch of reviews and settled on the D40. From the first click (on Auto setting), I was amazed at the quality of pics (but I just graduated from an ancient 2 megapixel Cannon Elf so the bar was pretty low).

It came with two instructional videos which were helpful but I purchsed a recommended book which helped explain all the features in language that a non-professional could understand.

The zoom lens that came with it and the sports feature allowed me to take amazing pictures of my nephew's ultimate frisbee team two days after it arrived.

For the price, the features, ease of use and a million other reasons, I'd definitely recommend this camera.

Great entry level DSLR
Ok, I do a lot of nature photography, birds mostly. Two years ago I knew nothing about photography and needed something that would make getting bird pictures easy. A friend of mine recommended the Sony DSC-H1. It's an "SLR like" camera. After a while, I started seeing the limitations of that camera and wanted to upgrade. I have learned the basics of photography on that Sony and was ready for the change.

My roommate ordered a Nikon D40 and the 55mm-200mmVR lens. The first thing that impressed me was it's performance in low light (remember I had only used a fixed lens camera). He showed me some shots he took with it and let me play a little with it. All I can say is that I fell in love with this camera! It's perfect if it's your first SLR but, that does not in any way mean that pros won't enjoy it. I know a few pros who have a D40 and they love it as much as their D3's or whatever.

I finally ordered on with the kit lens and the same 55mm-200mmVR lens my roommate has. Doing mostly wildlife, I shoot telephoto 90% of the time so I rarely ever use the kit lens but, it's a gem of a lens as well. I have been able to capture some great shots and have really built a nice gallery.

This camera is so easy to use it's insane! the menus are great and easy to understand. Only if you know absolutely nothing about photography will you ever need to use the owners manual, it's that good!

pros:
Small size and light weight make it a breeze to carry around. I was able to stick it on my carry on bag in a small camcorder bag on a plane.

Battery life is great! Up to 1000 shots at times. I tend to constantly recompose and focus so this could be even longer with normal photographers.

Good ISO performance for an entry level SLR. Better than the higher priced D60 as that model has more megapixels crammed into the same size area, making them smaller and thus less sensative to light. ISO 1600 is actually pretty good if you don't crop.

Can't beat the price. All other SLR's in it's class, even those from Nikon are at least 150-200 dollars more.

Cons:
metering is defective. You have to set the exposure compensation to -3 or -7 to get a good exposure.

Auto ISO does not turn off in full manual mode! This can screw up your exposures and pictures so be careful of this.

Will only auto-focus with AF-S or AF-I lenses (the motor on these is in the lens). The D40 does not have an auto-focus mechanism in the camera. This will limit your choice of lenses. If like me, you need auto-focus because your vision isn't the best when looking through a view finder (my contact lenses tend to hate being restricted), this can be a handicap. I don't always trust my eyes to focus correctly.



These days, I now shoot with the 70mm-300mmVR lens. I've learned to really drive the camera to get more out of it. I will be upgrading to a D300 within the next 6 months or so because of what I now do. However the D40 will always be a favorite of mine and will still be used, perhaps most of the time when I'm not doing bird photography. This camera actually teaches you how to use and SLR if you've never used one before. It's also a great teaching tool if you wish to show someone else. If you're thinking about an SLR as your first one, or if you want a second camera, I would recommend the D40 either way. It's excellent for both beginners and pros.

Love my new camera
This is my first SLR and I've only had it for about a week, but I absolutely love it! The automatic modes run laps around my old point and shoot, but the real fun is in manual modes. The menu is very intuitive and easy to make the necessary changes I'm looking for. I'm not a big fan of hard light and don't really like the built-in flash. I played around a little with the flash compensation, white balance and ISO, but I still find the flash not to my liking. I just ordered the SB-400 with a diffuser so I'm looking forward to some more balanced lighting. I highly recommend the D40 to any entry-level DSLR owner.