Don't Shy Away
If you've ever wondered why your vacation pictures don't look as good as those magnificent landscapes and flattering portraits seen in countless glossy magazines, chances are you just haven't found the right camera. Nikon's D40 digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera is designed to offer you the ability to get higher quality, impressive looking pictures with the press of a button. While digital SLR cameras are extremely popular among professional photographers, some consumers have shied away from them because they're larger than compact digital cameras and some models can be complicated to the uninitiated user. Nikon addressed these concerns and more by designing the D40 as an ultra-compact, lightweight, 6.1-effective megapixel digital SLR camera with simplified new features, exceptional handling speed, and a redesigned, visually intuitive menu system that brings this digital SLR to a whole new level of simplicity. The D40 packs in an incredible range of features and technologies, but even those using a digital SLR camera for the first time will be thrilled with beautiful pictures with vibrant colors, stunning sharpness and outstanding detail.
Expose Yourself
The D40 features a high resolution 6.1-effective megapixel Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor and a highly advanced Nikon Image Processing Engine. Combined, these features produce exceptional image detail with vivid, true-to-life colors. Sophisticated exposure automation with options for complete user control to help make this the ideal camera for anyone ready to explore their creative potential with photography. Using Nikon's exclusive 3D Color Matrix Metering II, the D40 assures accurate exposure control, even in difficult lighting conditions. Its frame-wide 420-pixel sensor instantly and automatically assesses and compares each scene's brightness, contrast, and color with a built-in database of information from over 30,000 real-world lighting scenarios, before setting the accurate exposure. For those who want more control over their shots, there are alternative metering options such as spot metering, center-weighted metering, and exposure compensation, so you can set the exposure yourself.
Get Focused--Fast
One of the hallmarks of Nikon's digital SLR cameras is how fast they operate, not only when capturing images, but also when recording them to the camera's SD memory card. The D40 is always ready to capture priceless expressions or special moments perfectly, eliminating the frustrations typically associated with compact digital cameras. The camera is ready to shoot virtually the instant it is turned on--after only 0.18 seconds--and with the ability to shoot 2.5 pictures per second, non-stop for up to 100 shots, you'll never need to wait for the camera to get ready for the next shot. The camera reacts instantly when the shutter button is pressed ensuring you never miss a great moment. The images are immediately processed and rapidly recorded to the camera's SD memory card. The D40's three-area auto-focus system also adds to the camera's overall speed, delivering fast and precise focus under varying shooting conditions. Incorporating Nikon's advanced Multi-CAM 530 AF Sensor Module, the three-area AF system, with central cross-type sensor operation, adds effective new focusing options and ensures greater ability to capture that perfect shot.
Move To The Back
The back of the D40 is dominated by a refreshingly large and bright 2.5-inch, 230,000-dot high resolution color LCD monitor that displays everything from menu options, pictures in playback mode, and Nikon's new visually intuitive information display system that presents camera and shooting information in a clear, graphically represented way. The display will also enlarge your shot up to 19x. The camera features built-in help that can be accessed at the touch of a button and new Assist Images help you select the appropriate settings for many camera features by showing illustrative end-result images typical of that setting. Operating menus have been carefully designed with color schemes and large fonts for quick, easy navigation through the camera's options. The D40's innovative information display can be shown in Classic format or with the new Graphic and Wallpaper formats for Digital Vari-Program modes and Program Auto, Shutter-priority Auto, Aperture-priority Auto and Manual (P/S/A/M) exposure modes.
Boost Your Creativity
For anyone just beginning to enjoy the added performance and versatility of digital SLR photography, creative shooting is as simple as rotating the D40's Digital Vari-Program mode dial. The camera has eight preconfigured program modes that optimize the camera's performance for specific shooting conditions, allowing photographers to take great pictures in challenging conditions that might otherwise be confusing or time-consuming. In Portrait mode, for example, the camera automatically optimizes the color, hue, and saturation levels to capture the most flattering skin tones, softens the focus of the background images to emphasize the face and applies a milder form of in-camera sharpening. The D40 includes a new Flash Off mode that shuts off the camera's flash and boosts its ISO, so users can easily take pictures in places where flash photography is not allowed, inappropriate, or when they prefer the look of natural light. You can also select from other Digital-Vari Program modes including Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-Up, Sports, Night Landscape or Night Portrait. As you gain experience with the camera, the D40 offers advanced controls that offer greater creative control over the look and feel of their pictures. D40 photographers will enjoy the camera's Image Optimize menu options that closely tailor results to the scene at hand, the intended use of an image or to the photographer's custom preference. Sharpness, tone (contrast), color, saturation and hue optimization are controlled by the user-selected choice of Normal, Softer, Vivid, More Vivid, Portrait, Custom, or Black-and-White.
Remain Engaged
The D40 features an image Retouch menu, with exclusive in-camera editing functions that promise to keep D40 shooters engaged when they're not busy shooting. Options within the Retouch menu include D-Lighting that automatically balances underexposed portions of an image to enhance detail in these areas, without affecting the highlights of the picture. In-Camera Red-Eye Correction automatically removes the annoying red-eye effect sometimes caused by flash. Images can be trimmed (Trim option) to produce smaller cropped versions of any file on the SD card for greater creative freedom and greater efficiency. Image Overlay merges a pair of selected RAW files to create a composite image within the camera as a RAW or JPEG file. This feature is especially useful when trying to create a soft-focus effect with two similar images. Monochrome settings convert any color image in the camera into a monochromatic picture, in black-and-white, sepia, or cyanotype. Filter Effects emulate and apply the effects of a skylight or a warming filter to any image stored on the SD card. A Color Balance menu within filter effects can also be used to make subtle shifts in color. And Small Picture creates a smaller version of any image in the camera for easy sharing and faster download.
Get It All
One of the key advantages Nikon digital SLR cameras offer is access to Nikon's extensive system of lenses, Speedlights, and accessories. The D40 is compatible with all Nikon AF-S and AF-I Nikkor lenses, and comes packaged with a new 3X zoom 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens that incorporates cutting-edge Nikon optical technologies, such as ED glass and aspherical lens elements. This lens offers users a popular 3x zoom range, which conveniently covers picture angles that meet the needs of everything from tight portraits to wide-angle landscapes. There's also a bright and sharp viewfinder, with 0.8x magnification, to ensure precise composition. The D40 boasts refined ergonomics and design, born from Nikon's extensive experience designing successful high performance SLR cameras for more than 50 years. The camera's size, layout, and operation of all controls are designed for maximum ease-of-use. The result is an incredibly compact, light SLR camera that is comfortable to handle and can go anywhere, anytime.
Remember The Viewfinder
If you don't have any experience with digital SLRs, keep in mind that the LCD monitor is used only for menus and viewing photos after they're taken. You must compose and shoot your photos using the optical viewfinder. On the D40, the optical viewfinder is directly above the LCD, and shows 95% of the frame. There's an information line at the bottom of the viewfinder frame showing exposure information and camera settings. Also shown are five focus points and a grid for composing your photos. A diopter correction slider, to the right of the viewfinder, will focus the viewfinder image for those with less than perfect vision.
Included With Purchase
Rechargeable Li-ion battery, Quick Charger, USB cable, rubber eyecup, camera strap, body/eyepiece/accessory shoe caps, PictureProject CD-ROM, instruction manual.
