Broski
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I bought this camera 5 years ago this month based on the recommendation of KenRockwell.com. When I bought it there were newer models available with larger screens and higher megapixels, and Ive worked with a number of these since, but I still love my D40. Heres a few reasons why: 1. Its lightweight. I can hold it one hand and take a self-portrait without feeling like Ill drop it. This means I can carry this camera all day long. That makes photography fun. 2. Its small. I use the awesome ThinkTank SpeedDemon V2.0 camera case and thanks to the D40s small size I can fit in the pack everything I need for an entire days shoot. My pack contains my D40; the SB-400 speedlight; 3 Nikon lenses: 35mm f/1.4, 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, 55-200mm f/4-4.5; pocket-sized WhiBal white balance card; and misc accessories such as spare batteries, SD cards, filters, Nikon remote, etc. A bigger camera body would require either a bigger pack or one less lens. I previously owned a (small!) backpack-style pack, but after missing an incredible shot of a bear cub due to the time it took to swing the pack around in order to get to the lens I needed, I made the switch to the smaller/faster SpeedDemon pack. 3. Its got enough megapixels for almost every enlargement an amateur photographer would ever need. Yes, its a 6.1 MP camera. Yes, there are point-and-shoot cameras with 20 megapixels that cost less than $150. Megapixels are important, but theyre *NOT* the most important consideration. Things like lens sharpness and speed (both aperture and shutter) have a lot more to do with a quality shot. With a crystal-clear lens like the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX, I get beautiful shots with my D40 that I confidently crop AND then print 8x10s or 11x14s. Now, Im not shooting magazine covers...but then you probably arent either. :) 4. Its got two crazy pro features that are worth using. First, the D40 supports flash sync up to 1/500th of a second. This means you can use the flash in shots that require a shutter speed of up to 1/500th, such as broad daylight. Who cares? You do when your subjects back is to the sun and you need some fill flash to prevent their faces from being dark. Second, the D40 has an easily accessible RGB histogram: When viewing a picture simply press the OK button 3 times and youre looking at separate histograms for the Red, Green, and Blue channels. Admittedly this is a feature only more serious photographers know how to use, but if you want to ensure youre not overexposing the reds in a beautiful sunset scene, this feature is really handy. Any cons? Yes, even though the 6.1 MP is enough for most of my shots, this is the one thing I could use more of for low-light shots. I find myself shooting low-light shots where the D40 at ISO 1600 (its highest, non-overdriven ISO) can only give me a shutter speed of 1/30 with my aforementioned 35mm f/1.4 lens. More megapixels and thus a more sensitive CCD sensor would give me more room to get these shots without blur. Still, these shots are the exception for me and Id much rather have a camera I can carry all day that does 95% of what I need.