Nikon D40 officially announced

Right on time for a holiday launch (specifically early December), Nikon's announced their new D40 entry-level DSLR; look out for what they're claiming to be the smallest, lightest, easiest DSLR they've made to date. The 6.1 megapixel camera takes SD, shoots in RAW or JPEG, has a 2.5-inch display, and comes bundled with an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens. How much? How much you ask? $599, that's how much. We can't find much that isn't pleasing here, so let's pass you on through to see some more photos of the thing.

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[Chris White @ Nov 17th 2006 2:37PM]

Ability to use only AF-S lenses is a huge minus, though. Some of Nikon's best (and cheapest, too) lenses are AF or otherwise incompatibel.

[Ronny @ Nov 16th 2006 2:40AM]

Who won the Nikon D80 grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, thanks for never announcing a winner engadget.

[Ryan Block @ Nov 16th 2006 3:37AM]

Been swamped with the Wii, PS3, and Zune! I'm on it ASAP... we've got some great stuff coming up after the D80 winner gets announced.

[hijk @ Nov 16th 2006 2:42AM]

Ya, really... what happened with those contests??

[Joseph @ Nov 16th 2006 2:46AM]

i won it! It rocks! thank you engadget!

[Bryan @ Nov 16th 2006 3:03AM]

Got a D50 this January, the previous incarnation of this camera, and I've loved every minute of using it. Although it may not have some of the "hardcore" features of the $2k+ cameras, you can't go wrong with a Nikon DSLR at this price, given its features. As one site I frequent puts it: "It does 99% of what most DSLR users want of it".

Anybody who's thought about taking the DSLR plunge, this is the camera to do it with!

[Norm @ Nov 16th 2006 3:12AM]

YO - WHAT THE! Seriously who won the D80 contest? Joseph say's he won it but...........nooooooooo - I can't take the pain. Seriously when do you guys announce who won?

[Glenn @ Nov 16th 2006 3:36AM]

dpreview already has a 12 page hands on preview http://www.dpreview.com/articles/nikond40/

[Rohit Kapur @ Nov 16th 2006 5:39AM]

Yeah Ryan. Thanks for clearing that up at least. I thought I missed the posts, but I found that hard to believe cause I never miss Engadget posts!!

Anyway, get to it! :P

[Aaron @ Nov 16th 2006 4:47PM]

If I had a Wii or PS3 I wouldn't be doing anything else.

[Nizam Rahman @ Nov 16th 2006 3:47AM]

I have the D80, and that's some sweet piece of DSLR. Can't wait to get new lenses for it though.

I thought this D40 was kinda bogus at one point, but I'm proven wrong again.

[Ryan Waddell @ Nov 16th 2006 6:33AM]

I really hope this isn't intended as a replacement to the D50. No LCD on top? WTF? Looks like it'd make a nice little backup camera though.

[Dalton @ Nov 16th 2006 7:28AM]

Yes, strictly a starter or backup camera, but a good deal at that. Hard to believe there's no LCD on top, though. Every SLR I've had since the mid-80's has had an LCD on top.

This is great for times when you're shooting in the field and you don't have time to switch lenses, though - just carry two cameras around your neck!

[ars @ Nov 16th 2006 7:55AM]

dagnabbit, i was just plannin in getting a d70s. now im quite confused. what to get!!!

[Panduka Senaka @ Nov 16th 2006 8:00AM]

Ars get the D50 or D70s. You cant really compare this with the D70s.

[Panduka Senaka @ Nov 16th 2006 8:00AM]

I wouldnt recommend this to be honest- the D50 already fills this gap well. Chances are people who get this would need to upgrade pretty quick so they would probably end up paying twice.(Might work out for Nikon.)

Get a used D70 or d50 instead imo. D80 FTW.

[hypoxide @ Nov 16th 2006 9:16AM]

I just ordered a D50 yesterday and when I saw the D40 here on engadget, I thought for a second that maybe I'd made a mistake. But after looking at the review for the D40 on http://www.dpreview.com/articles/nikond40/ (thanks Glenn), it's obvious the D40 is a significant step DOWN from the D50 (which is logical, considering D40 < D50 < D70 < D80, etc). However, it's a good thing that there is a step down from the D50, because it will drive Canon to compete, thus driving down the prices of the overall DSLR market.

If you ask me, the D40 looks like it's still a better camera than the Canon 300D.

[Gadget Extremist @ Nov 16th 2006 10:45AM]

I only buy cameras that have 35mm sensors; what size CMOS/CCD does this one use?

[Eric @ Nov 16th 2006 11:03AM]

Extremist, it's Nikon's DX format, which is 1.5X magnification over a 35mm/FF DSLR camera. BTW, there's going to be a full frame Nikon soon. You heard it here first (maybe).

As for Canon as competition, Nikon sells more DSLRs than Canon does. The D50 is the biggest selling DSLR in history. Canon has the edge in pro sales, but that's changing too. Heck, I'm a pro that just jumped ship from Canon to Nikon for my personal camera. (I shoot with a Canon 1Ds Mark II at work.)

[Ypoknons @ Nov 16th 2006 11:58AM]

I like the concept of the flash just announced with this camera. I wonder how it'll perform.

[stchatterbox @ Nov 17th 2006 9:03AM]

Get a Nikon D80 instead of D70s. I got a D70s it in mid-August this year that comes with the kit lens for about US$1000 (A discounted price, I think)

And I said, oh, I really got something nice but who knows the next day, when I go to the shop again, all D70s were gone and gave way to the new D80 and D200.
I regretted so much that I should have gotten the new D80!

Nevertheless, the D70s works great and I love it.

[David Chin @ Nov 22nd 2006 7:03PM]

Hmmmm ... initially, I thought that the Nikon D40 would make sense for someone who'd want to own the Nikkor 18-200mm lens AND a *** compact *** digital SLR body ... so, the D40 kit (comes with the Nikkor 18-55mm G II lens) @ $599 and the 18-200 @ $750 brings the total outlay to $1349. But, the Nikon D80 + Nikkor 18-200mm package costs only $1360, $11 more than a D40 + 18-55 + 18-200. Something to consider.

I can't deny, however, that the D40 looks and feels more "modern" than the rest of the Nikon's DSLR lineup, what with its fancy fonts and animated graphics displayed in the rear LCD, and will be the easiest to use.

It'll be interesting to watch future developments with this camera and whether it'll do well in the market.

I'm tracking Nikon D40 information at :> http://www.pbase.com/dlcmh/nikon_d40_links

[Paro @ Nov 28th 2006 2:13AM]

Well done for 2.5-inch display on DSLR I hope for Sony Alpha take 3.0 inch display soon as I am Sony stuffer!!!!

[D40 owner James @ Jul 8th 2008 12:13AM]

I am a first time slr owner that has been using the D40 for a while. The camera works great and has does everything that I have wanted it to so far
except
supporting lenses without a motor in them. Right now the D80/
D200/etc support these lenses but I am thinking about jumping ship to Cannon or Sony due to lack of support for older lenses that can be had for a better price. Companies like Sigma and now Tamaron are now producing lenses that will work with the D40/D40X/D60, but not the ones that I want. Also bargin lenses like the 50mm f1.8 are not supported except in manual focus.

I do not want to purchace things two times.