Is It Just my D40 or me?

[tkaat]

I've had my D40 for just over 4 months and find myself using manual focus and manual mode a lot of the time. Not because I like to - I do but not this much - but because the metering on my D40 is sorta off -wanted to use retarded but found that word a little to harsh.
And just so you all don't think to little of me yes I've changed the metering prefs. numerous time but it still wouldn't follow the subject or focus on the subject or properly gauge light accurately or if it did it would take awhile so I would have to just AE-lock on the focus if I was really tee'd/impatient
It is just my D40 or me -as in I'm I expecting to much out of my D40?

 

[kellylindseyphotography]

Post some examples with your EXIF data attached... only way to know for sure.

 

[tkaat]

I either don't take the photo or delete -the photo that isn't focused- it before I transfer any files off the memory card (I have to little HDD space to transfer then decide).
If you mean take 2 pictures - 1 with metered and 1 manual- uhh :meh: 2morrow in the daylight so that it is a fair chance for the meter 2 compete :lmao:
BTW your I.D. pic is very nice

 

[dEARlEADER]

Have you checked to make sure your exposure compensation setting is flat?

Is the camera constantly overexposing or underexposing?

What focus servo are your using?

Does the focus just fail in lowlight or daylight too?

What lenses are you using?

 

[tkaat]

#1.Yes
#2.mostly underexposing but do get some pics overexposed from time to time in A and S
#3. It depends on what I'm shooting mostly auto or single (mostly landscape shooting)
#4. mostly low light (almost always 8 out of 10 times)
#5.kit lens (18-55)

 

[kellylindseyphotography]

Get rid of your kit lens.

Low light nearly always has trouble with focus. As does very contrasty scenes, as does working with very wide open aperatures.

Shooting with proper lighting shouldn't be a problem with your D40 or autofocus. But yes, very low light and moving subjects are a bad combo for any camera to try to focus on.

 

[tkaat]

Get rid of your kit lens.

I would love to get another lens but I am currently in y senior year of high school and all my monies are going into this or that for the grade soo I don't have sufficient funds to buy another at this moment.

And I had a feeling that it was just me wanting to much out of the camera. I'm just going to have to rely on my own skills more and less on the camera.

Thanks for the speedy replies.

 

[andrew99]

I've had a D40 for almost a year and I think the metering is pretty good. If you're shooting in A or S mode and the camera is over or under exposing, it could be that a correct exposure is not possible with the shutter or aperture you selected. For example, if you're in S mode and set the shutter to 1 second on a bright day, the camera cannot choose an aperture small enough to get the right exposure and the photo will be over exposed... try the P mode in these cases and see what aperture/shutter speed the camera chooses. Also I prefer to disable the Auto-ISO feature so I know what ISO I'm at.

 

[Bifurcator]

I've heard lots of complaints about the D40's metering and tracking. People who have used the D40 and also a good camera say the D40 just plain sucks in those areas. I shot with the D40 for a few hours and thought it was the single worst SLR type camera on the market for the same and different reasons.

So it's definitely at least partially, the camera! It's also you tho as even people who complain about how bad it is still can take pretty pictures. One thing they say they have to do is to leave the exposure compensation set to -2 or something... So that takes care of the metering. And for it's inability to track I assume people just don't use that feature much. <shrug>

 

[epp_b]

You can get great results with the D40 if you know how to use it. However, you are right: the metering is retarded

One thing they say they have to do is to leave the exposure compensation set to -2 or something...

Uh...I think you mean dialing two notches to the right, not -2.0; that would result in pitch black photos.

I usually keep the exposure compensation at -0.7. After taking a photo, look at photo the LCD, check the histogram and also the RGB histograms (hit OK, filter effects, colour balance) to check the exposure (In the future, you can just blindly hit OK three times to check the RGB histograms because the D40 will remember the previous selections in the menus!). Dial the exposure to the right (darker) or left (brighter) as necessary.

As for focusing, make sure you're using the right setting for the subject. I usually keep the focusing on the centre point only and shift it around as necessary.

 

[shivaswrath]

i have never had issues with my D40x - but I guess different sensor, so maybe different metering/focusing?

I love it though. . .was your D40 a refurb? I would send it back to Nikon to get inspected. . .

 

[ksmattfish]

It is just my D40 or me -as in I'm I expecting to much out of my D40?

It's you. The light meter in your D40 works basically the same way in-camera light meters have worked for the last 50 years. Your light meter is not off or retarded. It is a simple tool that does one simple thing: measure for middle gray. It's up to you to interpret and use that information in an effective way.

 

[Bifurcator]

So the light meter isn't connected to a computer?

And together they don't meter a scene and set the aperture and/or shutter?

And there aren't different types and numbers of sensors/sensor points that work better or worse than another?

Hmm interesting... I think I'm going to call BS on that.

 

[tkaat]

You can get great results with the D40 if you know how to use it. However, you are right: the metering is retarded

I usually keep the exposure compensation at -0.7. After taking a photo, look at photo the LCD, check the histogram and also the RGB histograms (hit OK, filter effects, colour balance) to check the exposure (In the future, you can just blindly hit OK three times to check the RGB histograms because the D40 will remember the previous selections in the menus!). Dial the exposure to the right (darker) or left (brighter) as necessary.

Soo it isn't only me :mrgreen:

Thanks for the tip for seeing the RGB histogram never knew I could do that

So the light meter isn't connected to a computer?

And together they don't meter a scene and set the aperture and/or shutter?

And there aren't different types and numbers of sensors/sensor points that work better or worse than another?

I thought there was more than 1 type of internal metering also :meh:

 

[Bifurcator]

I thought there was more than 1 type of internal metering also :meh:

Yup, there are usually a given number of sensor points that an on-board computer can use. It can use any one, combination, or all of them to average, bias (weight), or individually process for different types of "internal metering". On top of that each sensor point can be a different kind of sensor. What kinds are used where in the D40 you can find out by reading but the metering and results are only as good as the sensors and computer program that is processing the data. KS Matt Fish would be more correct if we were still back in ancient analogue times though. And he's fairly correct if we're talking about using your camera in full manual mode.

Does the D40 even have full manual? j/k