Nikon's Introduces the New D40 Digital SLR

Nikon's replacement for the popular D50, the new D40 has been announced. Specifications are almost identical to the D50. It has the same sensor used in the earlier model (6.1 mega-pixel, 2000x3008 Sony-made CCD). Resolution should be the same and image quality should be every bit as good as the D50. Nikon claims it will make "beautifully detailed enlargements of 16x20 inches and beyond." Many critics will claim that they are pushing it a bit with that, but with today's wide-inkjet printers, I would expect pretty good results.

The new D40 is "just over 16 ounces" according to Nikon. The kit lens is an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 "G" series lens with ED glass. This kit lens is a pretty nice piece of glass. I would grab the kit lens and plan to use it rather than stick on a cheaper replacement from a third-party supplier. If you want to get a different lens, Sigma and Tamron both make nice lenses with 2.8 apertures in similar size ranges and I'd consider nothing less as an alternative. This is one kit lens worth having and I would not pass it over unless you already have one. That's why I'd expect to see much higher sales of body and lens kits than bodies only.

The D40 has a "three-area" auto-focus. That is less than other DSLRs in similar price range. It sports the same general image enhancement settings found in the D50. My best recommendation here is not to set the camera saturation to higher modes. You will not like the results most of the time. The exposure modes do give novice users a bunch of accurate pre-sets for general shooting conditions.

photo credit: Nikon Corp.

This camera will be on store shelves in time for holiday shopping and sales will be strong. If you are interested, though, I'd buy sooner rather than later. Supplies will most likely be exceeded by demand. At budget prices, you can grab a couple of fat SD memory cards and have plenty of picture-taking fun over the holidays.