Nikon D40x DSLR gets reviewed

Nikon's DSLRs (among others) aren't strangers to being critiqued and held to the highest standards, and while the D40 received its own laundry list of praises and annoyances, now its time for the D40x to hit the testing bench. While it's one thing to see a bevy of photographs, PopPhoto has turned the snapshot taking over to the D40x itself, and found the results to be surprisingly positive. Although the ten-megapixel sensor used in the camera at hand is supposedly of a slightly lower quality than that seen in the D80, the images shot by the little guy proved "about on par with the D80," and reviewers also hailed the impressive ISO 3200 results and color accuracy. Nevertheless, aside from the larger CCD, useful boost in framing rate and a drop in flash-sync speed, it's essentially the same camera as the D40, meaning that the same flaws found in the prior rendition are still apparent in the new edition. Specifically, the cam was dubbed "menu-dependent," which could definitely cause spontaneous shooters to miss a few precious shots fiddling through the (admittedly well organized) internal menus, and you should also make note of the AF-S lens requirement if you're not a DSLR newcomer. Still, if you're not interested in picking up the six-megapixel D40 at a bargain basement price, but would rather hit the ten-megapixel mark without breaking the bank, the D40x looks to be your best bet for now.

[Via LivingRoom]

[Chris @ Mar 13th 2007 6:31AM]

"Nevertheless, aside from the larger CCD"

it's not a larger CCD. Same 1.5X (DX Format) sensor size that Nikon has limited themselves to all along, just packed tighter with more pixels.

[Jamie @ Mar 13th 2007 8:32AM]

Still cannot handle the larger array of pro lens that the d50 or the d80 handles.

[craig @ Mar 13th 2007 12:44PM]

"Still", Jamie? You honestly expected this to change? That IS the difference between the D40x and the D80.

BTW, the D40 *can* handle all those lenses. It just can't autofocus with all of them. Surely a small issue like that won't be a problem with a pro like you.

[Elliot @ Mar 13th 2007 2:12PM]

@Craig:
"That IS the difference between the D40x and the D80."

What?

[David Chin @ Apr 9th 2007 8:04AM]

It turns out that the Nikon D40x has the best out-of-camera, high ISO performance of all 10 MP digital SLR cameras to-date (and yes, that includes the D200 and D80). I'm currently collecting a bunch of image samples (high ISO and others) at http://www.dpnotes.com/nikon-d40x-samples/ and there are some truly fantastic ISO1600 and ISO800 photos from this camera.

[David Chin @ Apr 9th 2007 8:59PM]

Correction: I meant to say "...truly fantastic ISO1600 and ISO3200 (aka HI-1) photos from this camera."