why all the hate on the d40?

[wckeep]

a lot of these online forums show a lot of hate towards the d40. i love the damn little thing. but why do so many show hate?

[crazzy88ss]

As a D50 user (the D40 replaced the D50), I feel that the D40 is a step down. Here's the reasons why.

1.) There's no top LCD. I use that top LCD for everything. The D40 put all the info on the main LCD. They got rid of the top LCD to make it smaller.

2.) There's only 3 focus points. The D50 has 5. I was playing w/ my friend's D40 last month, and for the life of me, could not figure out how to select the focus points, which makes me believe that you can't at all. The D50 lets you choose which focus point you want to use.

3.) The biggest problem is that there's no internal focus motor, which means that you can't use 95% of the lenses that have been made for nikon. As time goes on, that'll get a little bit better. TECHNICALLY, you can still use them, but there's no autofocus when using these lenses. Again, this handicap was put in place just to make the camera a little bit smaller.

Typically when you replace a model with a newer one, it's supposed to be better. But because of those 3 reasons listed above, I feel the D40 is even worse than the D50.

That's some of the reasons the D40 is hated on so much

[wckeep]

what is displayed on the top lcd that is not displayed in the viewfinder or on the lcd screen?

to choose your focus point you just press the directional button in the desired direction.

if you use the old lenses in manual focus mode, the green dot on the bottom of the viewfinder will still light up when your shot is in focus.

[Griggs]

D40 wasn't really made for people with years of old lenses, its an entry level camera and almost all of the Nikon lenses today have the AF motor, so its not needed on the camera.

You CAN choose your auto focus points, although I agree that 3 its not as good as 5 on the D50 (which I've also owned)

I believe the D40 is a bit dated now and would go for the D60 or a D40x if you can get your hands on one if your an entry level user. I think Canon has a better lower end line, the XS, XTi and XSi are good cameras with lots of functions and the prices are good. But I think if your going to stay with a brand, Nikon is the place to be, I think the D90 will be a class of its own and the D300 trumps the 40D and the new 50D, and Nikon wins all the way up the line from there, in my opinon.

In conclusion, I have no ill will to the D40. It can produce some great images!

[crazzy88ss]

Originally Posted by wckeep

to choose your focus point you just press the directional button in the desired direction.
.

Duh? Maybe my friend had set it to some kind of "easy" mode that didn't let you pick AF points? I dunno.

[dannyrich]

I upgraded from a d40 to a d80, i still go back to teh D40 a lot of the time.

Especially with the 50mm prime lens, i use it manually on there its great fun.

Im getting rid of my 80 i think for a 90 just for the video capability but will still no doubt use teh d40 for lots of my snaps.

[wulf]

You can easily select focus points with the D40 (read the fine manual!). It is also compatible with a wide range of lenses in manual mode. Yes, you don't necessarily get metering with many of them and only get autofocus with lenses that contain a motor but that's cool with me.

I have found the D40 to be a perfect way to get the control and quality of a DSLR at a relatively low price (and weight!) compared to the big boys.

Wulf

[wckeep]

Originally Posted by wulf

You can easily select focus points with the D40 (read the fine manual!). It is also compatible with a wide range of lenses in manual mode. Yes, you don't necessarily get metering with many of them and only get autofocus with lenses that contain a motor but that's cool with me.

I have found the D40 to be a perfect way to get the control and quality of a DSLR at a relatively low price (and weight!) compared to the big boys.

Wulf

seriously! that seems to be one thing they all knock on them is the weight and size? i mean it's a camera not, well you know. you are going to want something small especially if your using a larger heavier lens so that your arm doesn't fall off.

[Lakitu]

As one of those beginners, I love my d40 and find it really easy to use and compact enough. I also like that we can use tons of old lenses that I've heard might even damage some newer cameras.

I'm a new guy to photography too. When i noticed that my P&S was no longer giving me what i wanted out of my photos i stepped up the entry level D40. I read review after review after review from all sorts of places.

For one, i didn't know if this was going to be a long time hobby for me so price was a concern.

#2. I'm new to the game - the D40 is very forgiving.

#3. I manually focus almost %50 of the time, a lot of my stuff is still objects.

#4. The focus motor is not really an issue since many of the new nikon lenses have it built in already.

#5. Did i mention price? Local camera store had a good sale, $399 for the body and lens kit.

Overall, i'm happy with my choice. I didn't break the bank, and it takes really excellent shots. I'm still learning how to use it properly and get things exposed correctly, but even then, it still takes very nice pictures.