http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/ Engadget Comments for Hands-on with the D40 http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 4:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 3:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 3:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 3:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 3:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/
$749.95 D40 Kit with AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 G ED II Lens
$999.95 D40 Kit with AF-S DX Nikkor 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 G IF-ED Lens

wtf? Are they seriously trying to come up with a new internet joke or something? The D50 kit with 18-55 is only a couple dollars more, and even the D70 is just a tad over 1k with 18-70. Hell, the D70 should be even cheaper than that now. There's no way a newcomer to DSLRs will spend that money when they could get the D70 - hell, even an XTi, in and around the same price.]]>Nov 21st 2006 3:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 3:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 6:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/
The PS3 & Wii Coverages are pretty much over with now, and next is the BF Coverage... After that, we have a couple of weeks before (hopefully) Engadget begins an annual Christmas Giveaway Contest!

Day 21 and counting...

"Mother," - Daffy Duck]]>Nov 21st 2006 3:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 3:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 3:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 24th 2006 1:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Look like a decent beginner DSLR though.]]>Nov 21st 2006 3:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/
Most DSLR do not have VR (vibration reduction). For DSLRs VR is done with optics in the actual lens.]]>Nov 21st 2006 4:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/
The packaging sucks! That thing could get damaged if it's box were abused.]]>Nov 21st 2006 4:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 4:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 7:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/
cool DSLR tho]]>Nov 21st 2006 4:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/
Nikon D40 6mp...$599

for $140 bucks more, you can get the Rebel that HAS auto focus(d40 has no motor)!!]]>Nov 21st 2006 4:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Check out all the specs here http://www.dpreview.com/articles/nikond40/]]>Nov 21st 2006 4:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 4:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/
The D40 looks nice but a few things make me happy to have a D50 instead.

1. The D40 only has 3 AF points. I already find myself wishing the D50 had more than 5.

2. The status LCD keeps battery life really good because you don't hav to turn on the main LCD as often.

3. According to dpreview you have to dig into the menus to change ISO. Big bummer.

OTOH, the displays on the D40 look sweet! I dig the graphical indication of aperture.]]>Nov 21st 2006 4:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/

True, but the D50 does not have the awesome Auto-ISO feature the D40/D80 have. You are less likely to fiddle around with manual ISO selection with the Auto-ISO feature.

3 AF points is enough for most people (I usually just use the center point/recompose technique anyway). Add in the lower noise at high-ISO, and it sounds like a winner. If only Nikon would make more AF-S primes.
]]>Nov 22nd 2006 1:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Please do not compare street price with MSRP.
I belive it would be about $899 for the Rebel XTi, if you want to do a comparison.]]>Nov 21st 2006 5:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 10:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 5:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 5:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 6:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Gee, lets compare the D200 to the Digital Rebel. *sigh*

For entry into SLR's this is a great camera. Low enough priced for the "prosumer" and decent lens selection for a pro who wants a point and shoot to take around and not lug the pro-body on say... a vacation.

Image quality from what I have seen thus far is outstanding.

I think this is a smart move from Nikon. Get the enthusiastatic prosumer at a budget, and lock them in with glass. Their next camera will more then likely be another nikon that their glass will work on.

The other thing.. Hooray for SD... I'm one of the few pro's that welcome SD memory.
Cheaper, lower power and smaller package. Better all around. ]]>Nov 21st 2006 5:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 5:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 23rd 2006 10:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 5:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/First of all, photography is a hobby/profession but not an academic subject. Geometric optics certainly is a subject; photography isn't. If you need professors (of course, there is no PhD in photography so there is no such thing) to help you learn how to take photos for FOUR YEARS, you must be an idiot. And to prove it, you state that 6 megapixels aren't enough- newsflash: megapixels do not make a photographer. You would need 4 times the megapixel to have twice the resolution. (That means 6 times 4 = 24. 24 megapixels to have twice the resolution of 6) 6 and 8 - the two megapixel difference isn't much at all. I'm sure you would know that if you weren't a photography "major," because you would've learned things like math anbd physics which actually explain what is going on in your cameras.]]>Nov 21st 2006 6:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Man,

If you're looking at the Nikon D40, you also need to look at the Canon XTi (10MP), Olympus E-500 (8MP + 2 lens), Pentax K10D (10MP). They're a few dollars more, but I think anyone of them is better than the D40.]]>Nov 21st 2006 6:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 6:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 21st 2006 8:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/
Why do you say that photography is not an academic subject? Are all persons born with the innate ability to understand F-stops, focal lengths, white balance, etc? I don't think so. One has to learn the mechanics of a given subject, no matter what it may be, somewhere. Did you pop out of the womb an immediately understand how to read, write, and compute? No, you had to learn them in school. Just like Max is learning now. In school.

So just becuase his advice (which I agree with, by the way) doesn't agree with yours does not make him an idiot. If you're going to spend that kind of money on a DSLR, the D40 is not much of a value. Neverthless, the extra megapixels WILL make a difference with good glass, especially if you're shooting in RAW.

PS: The prerequisite for being a professor is not necessarily having a PhD. Many universities assign the title to their teaching staff based on their own criteria. So there.]]>Nov 21st 2006 8:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.lifehacker.com/software/shopping/why-your-new-cameras-megapixels-dont-matter-216422.php

Why megapixels don't matter, and why a 6 megapixel Nikon D70s will print out photos every bit as good a 10 megapixel Canon Rebel.

Oh yeah, and I'm a photo student. Whatever.]]>Nov 21st 2006 9:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/
On the subject of the D40 - I think most people are forgetting the market for this camera. If you already us an SLR, you're not going to be happy with this camera. If you are looking for an advanced point and shoot then you could be very happy with this camera for the same price. This camera will take better pictures than any point and shoot on the market regardless of megapixels.]]>Nov 21st 2006 11:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 22nd 2006 11:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/
Photography courses are geared more towards themes, composition, variety of subject matter, architecture, etc.

Even in my HS photo class, we spent 1 hour going over the basics of f-stops, DOF, etc. I'm sorry it took you and Max 4 years to figure that out.

Sorry, some college 'photo student' who claims 1 camera is superior to another because 10mp > 6mp needs to pay more attention in class and lay off the substances. FWIW, I'm a Canon user (because I shoot mostly with long teles) but would say that if forced to choose between a XTI and a D50/D40, I'd go with the Nikon. I think most people already know the strengths/weaknesses of both Nikon/Canon so no need to hash that out.]]>Nov 22nd 2006 1:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/11/21/21pogues-posts-2/

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http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/11/21/21pogues-posts-2/

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Linked at: http://www.pbase.com/dlcmh/nikon_d40_links#banter]]>Nov 23rd 2006 4:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 23rd 2006 7:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 23rd 2006 11:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Dec 1st 2006 10:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 23rd 2006 4:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/21/hands-on-with-the-d40/Nov 24th 2006 11:28AM