Nikon D40. yay or nay

I'm thinking about buying one of these as my first DSLR.

How do you guys who know rate them?

Waste of money or a good starter??

http://www.buyacamera.co.uk/xsearch.asp?RecId=NIKCA722&pt=g&gclid=CNWvg8es55ECFQEVEAodEmMyYA

I just had a DSLR training for my job, and let me tell you the D40 is an awesome camera especially for a starter. There are many lenses you can buy later to accompany the camera, and the pictures that i took came out very clear. Just make sure you get an Extreme 3 card if you plan on using the camera in sports mode and want to take rapid shots. I give the camera a two thumbs up!

The D40 is a great camera - I've used one fairly extensively before but never owned one. I do own a Canon 400D though and prefer that over the D40 - it's basically personal preference between those two though. Also, the new Canon 450D is out - haven't had a chance to look at it just yet though, but it might be worth doing a little research on if you haven't already.

I just checked out the canon d400 & d450 but they're just way out of my price range.

I have found some refurb D40's on ebay though. See what they make.

Thanks for the input guys..

The D40 is a great camera...I started out with one and the menu is very easy to use and changing settings Nikon made it very user friendly....the problems that I have with it...to me the body is too small even the older D50 has a bigger body than this.....the other problem for me is the fact that you can only use AF-s lenses.....which is not too bad because nikon has come out with more since the D40 came out.....but at the same time you are not able to use some of the older lenses.....the camera will take them you just have to manually focus them.....so as a starter it is a good camera it actually has a better in cam histogram than the D70 and the D50....if you are wanting to possibly take your photography to the next level and maybe do some professional type shooots in my opinion it will not be long before you want to upgrade......but all in all the D40 is a great starter camera in my opinion...

I'll echo everyone elses sentiments..
I have a D40 and am very pleased with it.
The only thing I really miss is the LCD panel on the top, but it's small potatoes.
You should check out Ken Rockwell's D40 user guide.
Some good tips for settings to get the most out of it (many, if not all, I've taken upon myself to implement)

J_K said:

I just checked out the canon d400 & d450 but they're just way out of my price range.

I have found some refurb D40's on ebay though. See what they make.

Thanks for the input guys..

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That's odd... the 400D is considerably cheaper here. For the body alone it's about $700, but the D40 is about $1100...

The D40 is a good camera for new dSLR-adopters. Otherwise, you should definitely go for something better. I have a Pentax K10D, which I absolutely love. Also, I'd recommedn the Pentax K100D Super as a better full-featured starter. Pentax wins on lens compatibility, since you can use ancient lenses on their cameras. With the D40, D40X, and D80 cameras, they lack certain components, which limits backwards lens selection. Just something to think about, but the D40 is nice, and there are other options too.

The D40 is a fine camera. My nephew has one and he has done some awesome work with it. Remember that in the end, the technical capabilities of the camera help, but they don't make you a better photographer. That comes from within. In the meantime, the D40 won't hinder your photography, and given that it is an SLR, it will provide you with many more creative options than a Point n Shoot.

Do consider however that Nikon has an entire family of D series SLRs. The D40 is the first of the bunch, but they go all the way up to D100 I think. Have you looked at the others as well?

Canon's Digital Rebel series is also excellent. They are down market versions of the EOS-20/30/40D cameras. I have an EOS-30D and it too is a wonderful camera. The Digital Rebel series use the same image sensor and much of the same in camera firmware, so it is kind of like deciding to buy a high end Toyota or a low end Lexus - same basic vehicle, but the Lexus (i.e. the Canon EOS in this analogy) has more perks.

Look for a D50 and get one of those if you can. Check ebay or even local camera stores. The biggest drawback to the D40* line is the lack of a drive motor in the body. Even though there is a nice range of lenses for this camera there is a lot of used stuff that will be off-limits to you, unless you want to go full manual mode, including focus.