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. The new Nikon D40 digital SLR camera was 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 are 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 digital SLR cameras to a whole new level of simplicity.
Always Ready
The Nikon 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 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.
Large 2.5" Color LCD
The back of the D40 is dominated by a refreshingly large and bright 2.5-inch color LCD screen 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 camera also features built-in help that can be accessed at the touch of a button and new Assist Images that help you select appropriate settings for many camera features by displaying a sample image typical of that setting.
Scene-Optimized Digital Vari-Program Modes
The D40's scene-optimized Digital Vari-Program modes allow users to capture nearly any type of scene without needing to fumble with camera settings. The D40 includes eight preset modes, including 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 naturally lit pictures. As users gain experience with the camera, the D40 offers advanced controls such as Aperture-priority and Shutter-priority modes that offer greater creative control over the look and feel of their pictures.
New In-Camera ReTouching
The D40's new Retouch menu offers exclusive in-camera image editing features that add to the D40's "fun factor" by providing greater creativity without the need for a computer. Included in the Retouch menu is Nikon's D-Lighting, which brightens dark pictures and Red-eye correction that automatically detects and corrects red eye - a common condition that occurs in flash photography. Image Trim allows for creative cropping of an image and creates smaller files for easy e-mailing. Other creative features include Image Overlay, Small Picture, Monochrome (Black-and-white, Sepia, Cyanotype) and Filter Effects (Skylight, Warm filter, Color balance).
Includes Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm Lens
The D40 comes packaged with the new 3X zoom 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens that assures superb picture sharpness and optimum contrast, along with the versatility to capture everything from tight portraits to wide-angle landscapes. The D40 is also compatible with all of Nikon's AF-S and AF-I Nikkor lenses*.
Full Description
Extraordinary Nikon Image Quality: The D40's high-resolution image quality is made possible by Nikon's high-performance 6.1 megapixel Nikon DX format CCD imaging sensor and exclusive Nikon image processing engine which assures stunning sharpness and color.
Easy Operation with Intuitive Controls: Intuitive controls make the D40 point-and-shoot simple, enabling even first-time SLR users to capture beautiful memories perfectly.
Nikon's Smallest Digital SLR Ever! At just over 16 ounces, the beautifully styled and compact D40 makes high-performance digital SLR photography easier and more convenient than ever.
Fast Startup with Instant Shutter Response: Fast startup combined with super-fast shutter response and rapid-action shooting at up to 2.5 frames per second makes it easy to freeze special moments instantly.
Includes 3x 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens: Designed exclusively for use with Nikon DX-format digital SLRs, this ultra-compact 3x zoom offers Nikkor sharpness and versatility in a wide variety of shooting situations.
Shoot at up to 2.5 frames per second: The D40 can fire continuously at a speed of up to 2.5 frames per second, capturing high-quality action sequences of children in sporting activities such as soccer, baseball and much more.
2.5-inch color LCD monitor with 3 colorful display options: Playback images are easy to see, and function menus are easier to use with a larger and brighter color LCD monitor. The large 2.5-inch LCD monitor enables image preview at up to 19 times magnification and has large type fonts and easy-to-view menus as well as three all-new display options: Classic, Graphic and Wallpaper.
High-performance 6.1megapixel Nikon DX format CCD imaging sensor: Nikon's DX format CCD image sensor delivers vivid color and sharp detail, great for making beautifully detailed enlargements of 16 x 20 inches and beyond. High resolution also provides room for creative cropping.
In-Camera Image Editing: Highly versatile in-camera editing features include Nikon D-Lighting, Red-Eye Correction, Image Trimming, Image Overlay, Monochrome (Black and White, Sepia and Cyanotype) along with Skylight, Warm Tone and Color Balance filter effects. These features provide greater creative freedom without the need for a computer, for those who prefer to send pictures directly to a printer.
New advanced HELP menu system with Assist Images: The D40's newly introduced "assist images" help you select the appropriate settings for many camera features by showing an example image typical of that setting as well as an advanced HELP Menu for the current item selected. The D40's Question Mark icon (?) indicates that help is available for the currently selected item; just press the help button beside the LCD monitor to see a context sensitive help page.
Fast, accurate 3-Area Autofocus: The D40's advanced 3-area AF system and the refined algorithms inherited from more advanced Nikon digital SLR cameras deliver fast, efficient and precise autofocus. AF refinements deliver greater precision with fast, more consistent subject acquisition and improved focus tracking for consistently sharper pictures.
Image Optimization Options: The D40's Image Optimize setting lets photographers adjust color, contrast and sharpening as well as other image settings according to the type of scene or output desired. Settings include: Normal, Softer, Vivid, More Vivid, Portrait, Custom and Black and White, each of which are automatically adjusted based on sophisticated Nikon algorithms or user-selected settings for optimum results.
Built-in Speedlight with i-TTL automatic flash control: Nikon's innovative i-TTL flash control evaluates flash exposure with incredible precision to achieve better automatic flash balance and deliver outstanding results. The built-in Speedlight is always at the ready and brings beautiful exposures in darkened conditions as well as adding sparkle for fill flash in outdoor situations for enhanced twilight shots or an added impact to daylight images.
Bright, accurate SLR viewfinder: A large viewfinder makes composition easier, and overall viewfinder brightness makes focusing in low-light photography possible. Its bright and sharp viewfinder, with 0.8x magnification, ensures precise composition.
Automatic exposure with 8 Digital-Vari Program Modes: Eight Digital Vari-Program Modes include: Auto Flash-OFF, Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close Up or Night Portrait, each of which adjusts automatically for optimal results under varied conditions.
Nikon 3D Color Matrix Metering II: The D40's 3D Color Matrix Metering II evaluates each scene for brightness, color, contrast, size and position of shadows and highlights, selected focus area and camera-to-subject distance, comparing that information against an onboard database of more than 30,000 actual photographic scenes.
