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User Reviews for
Nikon D40x (Body Only) Digital Camera
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Fantastic Value Camera in Nikon Fashion
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Reviewed
July 12 2007 9:23:56 PM
62
out of
63
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Mix of D80 and D40 capabilities |
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Cons:
no major issues I shopped for some time over the past month reading anything I could get my hands on and e-mailing pro photographers about entry-level SLR or SLR cameras under $1200 (w/lens) and was consistently led to the Canon XT or the Nikon D40 and D80 at first. then a few tidbits of info surfaced on the XTi and the D40X. Since I am not a professional photographer I had to rely on other info for a decision and interpret it. Basically I came away with the D40X as a best in class choice for my needs - a prosumer moving into SLR. Here are some points that I uncovered in my research on the net about the D40x that may be useful. The D40x is a great choice if you do not have old auto focus lenses - the screw drive AF will not work; currently the camera does not have an AF lens below 2.8 aperture so very dim quck-action shot opportunities will not be optimized; the camera does not have a mirror lock setting for macro shot optimization (??don't know about this but it does take great macro shots!); The consumer grade Nikon lenses are far superior to Canon's - the shots of the Nikon D40X brochure were taken with their consumer grade 55-200 lens vs. the Canon Rebel brochure taken with an optional expensive pro lens; the overall image quality of the Nikon is better; the speed of shooting is better; the focus is quick; it is lighter and smaller; the noise level on high ISO settings is very low and that is about it. When I considered these things the pros wrote(one of them said they have started using this as their daily pack camera- its lighter and smaller) I was easily swayed to purchase one. To me, the most important factor is image quality. I am less interested in experimental shooting although I understand the D40x will do that too. I wanted to write this to tell others because this is one fine camera. I ordered the 55-200 VR AF (auto focus anti-shake lens) they used for the brochure for $223 and cannot believe the results. The final outcome of the compiled ratings I read indicated that the D80 at the top of the heap but the D40X was right there with it in image quality in nearly every aspect. I submit to you that this camera should be on your shopping list.
Updated a few weeks later:
â¨Another point I recently found is that the D40x has built in metering that the the competition apparently does not have. According to the info, it is a very important advantage Nikons have and very difficult to trick in difficult lighting situations (light behind subject, etc). I continue to read reviews and comparisons on the D40X and find that the few complaints are focused on no RAW software, no depth of field preview, no old AF lens use, and 3pt autofocus and I understand all of these have consideration for some but I would rather have a better lens included than software as Nikon chose to do, I don't have old lens, 3 ratings showed the focus speed was better with the 3 point and sharp focus is easily attained, and all those extra settings are great for play. As I become more familiar I am finding that I see a well thought out design where I go one place for most all changes outside of the 8 auto preset picture categories. It is obvious that the camera is designed for a lot of auto use with fantastic results and nearly all play toys (detailed settings- experimental) are in the LCD menu. I think it is a smart idea to simplify and separate the interface for users. If you are swinging between the D40 and the D40x, consider that you can get the x now for about $100 difference - its worth it for the D80-like benefits. Canon Rebel xti? Software included but the Canon consumer lens are not rated good (see many reviews), the rebel has more pic noise but there are more buttons for you to punch and play with (separated functions) Thanks to all those people who wrote about the cameras and I hope I too have helped someone out.
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Top performance for the price
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Reviewed
November 16 2007 6:09:01 PM
8
out of
8
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Lightweight; fantastic photos; great value |
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| Cons:
only 3 frames per second in burst mode I waited several months, reading every photo magazine evaluation of the new range of DSLRs. I have always been a Nikon fan (had an F2 film Nikon way back when and a coolpix 5000). This camera exceeds all of my expectations. I shoot only in RAW mode and use Adobe Photo Lightroom for organizing and "developing" my images, so not having Nikon s/w with the camera was just fine with me. Also, the JPEG renderings are great for those who don't want to use the advanced imaging capabilities of RAW image capture. Definately the camera to buy if you don't want to spend 2 to 4 times the amount for a professional camera. I have shot over 7100 pictures with this camera so far and have had no problems with dead pixels or any other aspect of use with my D40X.
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Excellent Camera
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Reviewed
September 29 2007 9:16:03 PM
8
out of
9
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Very easy to create high quality shots, lightweight, long battery life with short charging time |
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Cons:
Dead (hot) pixels on sensor Got my D40x about five weeks ago. I've already created many shots that have come out just incredible looking. Very easy to use the controls and I started taking evening/night shots only a few days out of the box. Even managed a shot of Jupiter where you can see 4 of the moons using the 200mm VR zoom lens that comes standard in some bundles.
Colour balance is excellent and vivid, and the lag time from power boot-up or from shot to shot is not even noticeable by the time you've pointed the camera at the subject - unlike on my old non-SLR Olympus which took over 2 seconds to boot-up, resulting in my missing LOTS of shots as the kids played or something caught my eye. This lag time plus wanting the manual controls so I could take low-light shots were the two main reasons I decided to move in the SLR world.
On the con side there are dead or hot pixels on my camera. I returned my first D40x because I found a green hot pixel at ISO800 and up and after looking at online reviews was convinced it should be returned. The replacement camera I got actually has TWO dead pixels which show up at ISO400 and up. I've decided to ignore the issue and deal with the dead pixels in post-processing the photos. Searching the online reviews I saw several that stated Nikon is bad for dead pixels. I have my doubts about that. I'm not convinced they are any worse than other manufacturers. My not-so-old Olympus (bought 2005) had FIVE dead pixels on it. I've yet to hear from anyone with a Canon or other SLR what the dead pixel count is for them, though.
So in general I am _extremely_ pleased with the camera. It boots up quickly and consistently produces lovely photos which can be blown up to large sizes or cropped down and still print out with high quality. The dead pixels when compared to all the benefits from using the camera are more an annoyance than an issue, and dim one at that.
Re: software that comes with the camera, I only use the Nikon software to organize and convert the formats of the photos (it's the only thing that will convert from the Nikon RAW format NCF). Instead, I've downloaded the free The GIMP graphics program to process the photos. I highly recommend it. It's got the power of Adobe Photoshop without the $700 costs. Already have a shoot planned with the kids dressed up and wielding fully lit-up lightsabers thanks to the power of The GIMP... :-)
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Nikon D40x Digital Camera
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Reviewed
November 23 2007 6:59:14 PM
4
out of
4
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Great pic's, Perfect step-up from point n' click |
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| Cons:
None so far After much research, I bought the Nikon D40x Digital SLR Two-Lens Bonus Outfit (18-55/55-200)camera this morning - Black Friday. Already charged the battery, watched the video and took some initial pic's -- all of them had superb detail. Haven't used the 55-200 yet, but so far - I am extremely pleased. I "wanted" the D80, but decided to slow my horses until I become more experienced. Heck within 18 months, I bet the D80 will drop enough in price for me to step-up, again. This was my first DSLR buy, after "upgrading" several point & click cameras over a 4 year period. Ps. Bought at Ritz camera and came with multiple lessons.
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Excellent pictures!!!
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Reviewed
November 11 2007 8:17:20 PM
2
out of
2
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Great quality - Easy to use - Small size |
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Cons:
Lens are more expensive than for a bigger camera Pictures taken with this camera are amazing. The colors and the definition are great.
It's really easy to use and it's not big/heavy.
I love this camera, I really think it's a great value.
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Good camera for beginners
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Reviewed
June 26 2008 5:17:36 AM
0
out of
0
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Well priced with good features - 10M is cool |
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| Cons:
NA Overall I am having a great time using this camera. Its light weight. Fits my budget. Have not found any major issues for the the last couple of months.
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Just what I was looking for
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Reviewed
March 1 2008 10:51:49 PM
0
out of
0
users found this recommendation helpful.
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Ratings:
5
out of 5
Pros:
Great pix |
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Cons:
still looking I really love my Nikon. I had a Coolpix 4300. It took great pix for making 4x6 pix. It took better pix than my daughter's Cannon 6.1.
At first I was going to get the D40. I wanted more options when choosing lenses. I was going to settle for the 6.1 meg pictures but when I discovered the D40X with 10 meg I knew that is what I wanted.
The camera is easy to use and I really love the rapid picture sequence (2.5/sec). The camera does a wonderful job allowing me to take several rapid shots and storing them until the camera can load them onto the memory stick.
For great pix, great camera and relative ease, go with the D40X.
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