Nikon D40 with 18-55mm lens Reviews: Digital SLR Camera

+ Quick response and easy to use

- The LCD screen becomes easily smudged

+ The D40 has a comfortable feel, and balance. It has ease of use for the beginner, and plenty of settings for the more experienced photographer. Above all it takes really good shots, clear, sharp, excellent colour.

- If I was really picky then in some situations it would have been a handy feature to be able to use the playback monitor to compose the shot, rather than the view finder. Haven't found any other bad points.

+ The camera is very easy to use. The image quailty is very good. The camera is light and comfortable to hold. LCD screen is bigger than previous models. The lens is very good. Overall good quailty for money.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Great first DSLR. Huge step up in picture quality from point & shoot cameras. Great build quality, clear menu system, very impressive battery life, clear LCD display.

- Built-in flash inadequate - I would highly recommend buying a SB400 or SB600 flash unit ahead of a second lens - makes a huge improvement to the quality of indoor pics. No bracketing option - not really an issue unless you want to try HDR photography.

+ A good albeit basic starter DSLR. The ease of use and the ability to take many shots to familiarise myself without the cost and need to develop film is of great benefit. A necessary purchase as I would not consider buying a more expensive DSLR only to find out that it was not for me!

- Like it and I guess I'll have to consider an upgrade at some point!

+ Easy to handle,good quality pictures.

- A bit difficult to absorb all the details,but then i am in the older age range.

+ very good battery

- not found one yet

+ Fantastic results; flexibilty; quick to turn on at start of use; abilty to use manual settings as well as auto;special flash qualities eg on a moving object (the timing); battery lasts a long time

- None!

+ Everything about this product was satisfactory

- None

+ All round excellent

- None

+ Image quality and intuitive use.

- Lack of depth of field preview/stopped down metering option

+ Great pictures, Battery life, Simple to use

- Autofocus light is really bright, dazzles your subject!
Flash recharge time can be a little slow when taking lots of photos in dark conditions
No live view on the rear LCD
Olympus E410 is a lot smaller/lighter and has similair specs

+ Easy to use even for a complete beginner like myself. Takes a cracking picture.

- Very occasionally refuses to take a picture but second attempt is fine.

+ Light & compact. Easy to use, all controls in easy reach. Lens focusses accurately & fast. Battery life good, fast uploading to computer via USB2.0, easy to follow menu structure that can be customised, thus preventing children chanign the settings accidentally.

- Software does not support NEF (RAW) files even though the camera does (although I knew this before buying), but you can download a free plug-in for Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 or later which does provide support.

+ SIMPLE...for an amateur who hasn't been "involved" in photography for about 20 years, to find a camera that in moments allows you to get back to where you started from and give you images that instantly inspire you to look at its more sophisticated assets and start achieving them via a well written guide booklet and controls that do exactly what they are supposed to do, makes this a camera that even the most technically disenabled old fart like me can grow to love. Add to that, the excellent software that allows you to "grow" your photos into compelling pix on the computer screen and it makes every penny spent worthwhile.Recommend it!!!!...of course...anywhere you like...even on the rooftop for a small fee.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Camera is fantastic. Easy to use and great pix.

- I bought this as a bundle with case, card and camera. The case is massive (obviously designed for a camcorder, not a camera) making it impractical and I ended up having to buy another one anyway, so made it not such a good deal, hence low score for value for money.

+ Nice sturdy camera and very easy to use for a beginner getting into DSLR cameras

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Very easy to use, fantastic pictures even for us amateurs. First use was at my brothers wedding 2 days after purchase - no practice but sone excellent photographs.

- Can't honestly think of any

+ Very Good Beginners SLR Camera

- Have to use the view finder to take pictures, can't use the display until the picture has been taken.

+ good value for money

- i wish i went for the package deal with the extra lense 55mm- 200mm

+ It does anything you'd need a DSLR to do at a fraction of the cost of most DSLRs.

- It could do with a bigger image size, but then again the images are big enough for general photography

+ Very compact, lightweight, great fun to use, fantastic bright and clear LCD screen just so much better than those on the Canon cameras I had before. I have a D200 but often pick up the D40 because its so easy and quick to use.

- None regarding the camera although a bit more software, like remote capture bundled with Canon cameras, would be nice.

+ Very good value for the price

- No body integrated lens motor, so some lenses are manual focus only

+ Easy to use excellent image quality even built in flash ok for snap shots. Does everything i want.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Really great point and shoot performance balanced with should you want to, the ability to get back to good old SLR manual photography and have fun re-learning the wonderful art of photography. Take time to read the manual and learn how the camera works and it reward you many times over

- hav'nt found any yet

+ For the money this is a brilliant camera.

- The lens is OK but I have upgraded it.

+ Clear menus. Dial selection very good. Easy to learn features. 'Standard' lens offers good range for landscape and portrait photography. Excellent sensitivity (ISO range).

- No facility to keep sensor dust-free

+ Very good value for money. Picture quality and ease of use.

- Old Non-G Nikon lenses (i.e. with aperture ring) do not mount well on the D40. It requires a certain degree of force to get such a lens attached. This is contrary to Nikon's claim of mechanical fit of such a lens on the D40.

+ Reviewer left no comment

- not able to use Nikons full lens collection

+ very easy camera for a beginner

- none

+ Seems on first use to be a good starter SLR, with good quality pictures. Do you need 10 + mpix when most of us dont print big photos.

- None found yetUn biased

+ Looks and feels great. Really easy to start using straight away.

- Not compatiable with many lens.

+ Inbuilt tutorial plenty of guidance.

- On screen viewing

+ quite easy to use with lots of options and good quality build

- menus a bit confusing and long winded to use

+ Light easy to use Digital SLR giving excellent results. The 3 frames per second is a very useful feature.

- Could be a bit cheaper, a more versitile lens would be very useful.

+ Small & light, great quality

- Only 3 AF points, lack of RAW + Fine Jpeg option

+ Easy to use and understand. Good weight. Battery lasts a long time and camera is capable of storing plenty of images.

- Auto focus is sometimes difficult to focus on the right element of the shot. Does not have ability to take a series of rapid shots.

+ Good quality pictures.
Well laid out controls.
Lightweight

- No top screen
No shortcut buttons for several functions access is only through menu.
Focus guide does not hold position.

+ high iso rating, speed of use,

- not lower enough iso rating, inconsistant auto-focus, aperture control,

+ Easy to either 'point and shoot' or to manually set.

- Image can only be seen 'On screen' after exposure. To take picture the normal viewfinder must be used.

+ very good value for money,easy to use,the photographs are very good quality,my
youngest son also uses the camera,and had one of his photographs published in the local newspaper.we are new to using the SLR camera,and we are still getting used to the many features on the camera.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Easy to point and shoot

- You might need to read the manual more than once.

+ Very easy to get it up and running. The zoom is pretty fast, and the camera overall is pretty light.

- There was some dust on the low pass filter. I only found out when looking at my holiday pictures. The 2 black spots appeared on all the pictures from picture #1, which make me think the dust was on the filter from day 1. It is fixed now.

+ Large screen with easy to navigate settings. Settings scroll in logical sequence and are very intuitive.
Very quick start up time to take first picture. Auto focus is good.

- Additional lenses are a bit expensive.

+ Overall feel when handling; Lightweight; Quality of images;
Excellent camera to learn on, from starting with auto right up to own ideas and decisions on aperture, etc

- Focussing system not always good for spectacle wearers - sometimes have to hunt the viewfinder to find what I am looking for

+ stands out from the rest

- Cost of spares lenes

+ Easy to use. Takes images of excellent quality.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Light weight, easy to use, "looks good",and excellent value!
Lens quality is suberb and I like the ease with which you can switch from auto to manual focusing.
Menus are easy to follow and screen is very clear.
Quick and easy changing of lens.

- Neck strap is rather stiff and bulky when trying to put camera into a case.
USB connection door seems a little flimsy

+ Excellent value for money and extremely easy to get great shots from just reading the quick start guide. On the rare occassions you need to deal with red eye, it can be corrected using the camera so easily. Lightweight and comfortable to use. Multi exposures are quicker and less restricted than some more expensive models.

- You are restricted on lenses because of the auto focus mechanism, but this wasn't an issue for me as I bought the extra lens I needed with the camera and got a good deal on the price.

+ Easy to use, compact (for an SLR), nice help system for beginners, great image qualtiy, fast startup, good battery life, decent kit lens. All in all a perfect entry level digi-SLR at a great price.

- For me the only thing this camera is really missing is depth of field preview in the viewfinder.

+ Ease of use, practicallity, so many extras e.g lenses etc, quality of build and images.

- Not as many megapixels as others for the money

+ cheap dslr brillant value for money

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Picture quality
Easy to use

- no inbuilt af motor

+ Great Camera

- I am no pro it works great for me, no bad points

+ Great build quality, excellent photos, fairly intuitive to use

- Lacks dust removal system

+ Compact Size, Solid Build Quality, Fantastic Value for money

- Could have done with more focus areas

+ Its early days but I use it a lot for work and the pictures taken seem to be of good quality & the battery life is excellent. for the money I think its great!

- Early days but none as yet!

+ Excellent build quality, feels like a much more expensive camera. Size is just right not too small but not too large either. Lots of features that you can either use manually or with leave it on auto and get some great pictures. Great inbuilt help system.

- The only real thing I can come up with is it is only 6 megapixel but if you are not planning on printing out much bigger than A3 then don't worry about it.

+ Perfect entry level/starter SLR camera. Good price which allows you to buy an extra lens.Easy to use in auto but has full SLR features to let you progress as you get more confident.

- Can't think of any about camera.Just local shop staff,hence purchase online which was easy,quick and simple

+ Easy to use small

- Metering

+ Its an ideal lens for a first time buyer

- Not the lens to go for if you are taking varied subjects

+ Very easy to use. Great pictures on auto function.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Easy to set up, clear instructions - first digital slr I've had.Produces super images with total flexibility

- NON

+ Light. Good quality photographs.

- Hard to navigate menus and find certain settings.

+ Compact, easy to use, built-in flash powrful enough to cover most indoor events, compatible with previous Nikon lenses, although the autofocus is a different system making the older lenses manual operation.

- None apparent as yet, watching battery life, no prob as yet.

+ ergonomics of the camera
ease of use

- comes without a camera to tv lead

+ Brilliant at capturing natural shots of the children from a distance

- None

+ easy to use

- none so far still learning

+ This is my first SLR and 100% happy with my purchase. I have found it really easy to use and lightweight. Does everything I'm after

- Can't think of nay bad points

+ Easy to use and lightweight

- Reviewer left no comment

+ I didnt know anything about cameras before I bought it, this is a great camera for anyone

- Reviewer left no comment

+ The image quality, nearly instant startup so you don't have to wait for it to think about booting up. Has a good feel to it. Pin sharp and very fast focusing.

- No bad points yet!

+ I have owned other Nikon products years ago & this has the same high quality that I enjoyed then. It is very tactile, lightweight & quiet.

- Have used it not to a very great extent yet, but have found no bad points.

+ Excellent value for money good stepping stone into SLR photography

- Just one little niggle - the plastic lens hood is easy to lose or mislay as has no thread to connect with camera body. It is so easy to lose especially if your in a hurry to take a swift picture.

+ light enough to carry around, and easy to use

- haven't found any yet

+ Image quality. Don't be fooled by the mega-pixel con. If you pint 6x4 (like most of us) there will be no noticable difference between 6mp and 12mp. 6x4 or5x7 prints from this are excellent, easily as good as my 35mm SLR.

- White balance. Like most digital camera's it has a tendancy to over expose. This is easily corrected but can be a pain if it's a one-off shot and you don't get a chance to compensate and take the picture again.

+ I have along learning curve to be able to use all the features on this camera and therefore will not get bore.

- Wife will not let me buy another lens for it!!!

+ Excellent user interface, usability and build quality. Brilliant pictures right out of the box.

- The only thing is, it doesn't have a lens focus motor built-in. As a first time DSLR user, I thought that it would be long before I'd grow out of the 18-55mm kit lens and start using the so called 'prime' lenses (fixed focal length lenses), almost all of which don't auto focus with the D40, but alas! I was wrong. If you are looking for a long term investment, go for the D80 or save up money to buy the Sigma 30mm HSM lens...

+ great entry level digital slr and so far took some great shos with it.

- price of lenses and compatility issues regarding old lenses

+ big view screen.easy to use.feels well built,value for money possibly the cheapest slr digital on the market at the moment

- could not register the camera for 2 year warranty because it was already registered by previous purchaser.?
only takes nikon lens .no memory card

+ lightness, features, value for money.

- no case or spare battery

+ This is my first SLR camera and I am very suprised how easy it is to use - I went on holiday before reading the instruction manual but still came home with some fantastic shots. Can't wait to try playing with the settings now. Also the camera is quite light and unobtrustive to carry during a day out.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Auto facility whilst learning the camera.
The feel of the camera in the hand.

- Reviewer left no comment

+ Solid and adaptable.

- No Case

+ For the price I couldn't find its equal.

- The resolution is low, buts thats why its cheap.

+ Very easy to use, the in camera help is first rate. I found the image quality produced is much better than my 7.1 mega pixel cannon. Its a good size and weight and feels well balanced and made.The menu system is very good, clean and easy to understand. The big screen makes alot of difference.
A very good camera that i would recommend without hesitation.

- It seems to find focusing and VERY close objects difficult and I have had to goto manual a few times. No dedicated button for ISO so you have to use the menu system.

+ replaces lumix FZ5 - Has a brighter picture & much more detail.Start up time & focus time is much faster so it is a pleasure to use. Battery seems to last for ever.

- Heavy to carry round.

+ Exceptionally clear, sharp images. Rapid response time - perfect for photos of children.

- Three weeks after purchase, I'm still learning about white balance, ISO speed and exposure settings - I feel once I understand these, many more of my pictures will be keepers.

+ good list of fweatures for a 'basic' camera. Light weight.

- Havent found any yet

+ its quite light weight and very easy to use. You don't need to read the whole instruction book before you start using it as is very simple to use the built in instruction book and its all very clear.

- I found the bag that came with it very boring.

+ i just like it and it's fun

- not found any yet

+ quality

- none

+ Everything

- Nonthing

+ A very good camera. good value for money. make sure you read and understand the instruction booklet

- no bad points

+ Nice size and balance.
Very simple to use for a first time DSLR user, but enough features to enable you to develop your skills.
Fantastic value for money.

- Could do with around 2 megapix more, although image quality still good. I wonder how much it would add to the price - my phone is 10 megapixels.....

+ The whole family from the youngest to the oldest (me) have taken some great photos with this camera and have found it very easy to use.

- self clean

+ I have only just begun to get to know my camera, but it is easy to use,light and easy to handle. The images are excellent. I know it does a lot more than I have discovered already, looking forward to using it more.

- Haven't found any yet.

+ Very easy to use, excellent picture quality, good optics and overall a well designed camera.

- None discovered so far

+ Small, quick, quiet, inexpensive SLR with decent lens and a bright view finder. Easy and fun to use with excellent menus.

- In this price category, none really.

+ Easy to use as first time DSLR user
Good quality

- Find the software tricky to use