Nikon D40

grantlewis

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For those of you that have used this camera, what's your opinion? My mom got me this camera around a year and a half ago. I haven't really used it much since but I try to take it out with me once a month. Hopefully I can jump in and learn some cool tricks to start shooting more. So is it a good starting camera? I have the D40 and my mom has the D5100, and between us we share four lenses;
1) Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm 1:3.5-4.5G ED w/ Bower Digital HD PL 67mm (packaging: Bower Digital Multi-Coated Polarized Filter dHD - digital High Definition)
2) Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G II ED
3) Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G w/ rocketfish RF-UVF52 UV 52mm (filter)
4) Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm 1:4-5.6G ED
Can someone tell me the differences between this lenses and what each one would be ideal for starting out? I'm sure as I get deeper and deeper into all of this I'll have more questions, so expect to see me around.

Thanks all. :heart:
 
Camera is old and not amazing in low light but if you feel it serves you well then go outside, shoot and be happy. If it was me I would sneak and take moms camera (with her permission of course).
Lenses are all very basic kits lenses but that doesn't mean they cant produce good pictures with them.

My advice is lean the basic of photography (ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed) then continue to improve your knowledge.
Camera is a tool and your skills are the most important part.
Photography is a big world to learn but its a must if you want to get more serious with your photography.

Good luck.
 
I've shot the D40. It's an okay camera. The 18-70mm zoom is the more-versatile of the three shorter zooms, and the one I would have on much of the time, bypassing the 18-55 models most times.
 
Nikon D40 is a good camera although is old. And it can still produce nice images. There are many many awesome images out there produced by the D40. (search d40 in flickr to see some samples)
 
I still have mine. The only thing that sucks to me is the small is the small LCD screen and the view finder. Other than that I like it. Good glass makes a huge difference.
 
Yes. the D40 is a good starter camera, regardless how long ago Nikon was making them.
Many don't know the D40 (D40x, D70, and D70x) can do something none of today's Nikon DSLR's can do - sync flash at shutter speeds greater than 1/250.
The D40 (and the othres mentioned) can sync non-dedicated flash units at all the way up the to D40's maximum shutter speed of 1/4000.

The low quality Bower polarizing filter and the Rockfish UV filter are likely harming the image quality of the lenses they are on.

Keep the:
Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm 1:3.5-4.5G ED
Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G II ED
Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm 1:4-5.6G ED

Mom can use either the 18-70 or 18-55 on her camera, while you use the other.

Sell the filters (if you can) and the redundant (and older (not II ED) version of the 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G) Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G

I would recommend replacing the Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm 1:4-5.6G ED with the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

You can sell the 55-200 for about $125 and apply that to a well cared for used 70-300 VR which would be about $350 -$375 - so the 70-300 would only cost you about $250 - $275.

A TPF member has one for sale - http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/buy-sell/347154-nikon-70-300-vr.html
 
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Nothing wrong with learning on the D40. Get out there and practice. The principles you need to learn are the same regardless of what you shoot. If you start noticing shortcomings that might be holding you back, then you could start thinking of an upgrade. By then you would have a better idea on what to look for in a camera that may better suite you rather than someone else' opinion. I used the D40X until I got into High School sports and needed better autofocus and frame rates. I'm going on a cruise in a couple of weeks and I'm planning to take the D40X since it's smaller and lighter than the D300 and D800.
 
I started with a D40. No thrills camera, but gets the job done. I did NOT like how it handled blacks/shadows. It lost a lot of data in those areas, I "upgraded" to the D3100 is it was a bit better in that regard, but not a huge improvement. I saw most improvement/upgrade when I went to the D5100.
 
I'm a rank amateur who shoots with a D40, although I have purchased some nicer lenses.

From my perspective, the only limiting factor I have run into with the D40 is low light performance / graininess with higher ISO settings.

I think that the newer sensors do a much better job in lower light conditions and/or when needing to use higher ISO settings.

When I can afford to upgrade, I'll be looking at a D7000 or D7100, depending on how much money I have saved by that time, and how cheaply a D7000 can be had in relation to a D7100.

Steve.
 
I started on a D40. It's a decent camera to learn on, but I think I quickly outgrew its capabilities.
 
It's still my only dSLR (going on seven years). About the only things I really wish it had were higher ISO and flash command mode.
 

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