Nikon D40 what a little gem of a camera [Archive]

View Full Version : Nikon D40 what a little gem of a camera

Wilky76

21-04-2009, 17:01

I've been recently looking to get a lightweight backup to my D300,
& had my mind set on the Olympus E-420.

I saw Argos was selling the D40 for £246 with the 18-55mm kit lens, thought what the hell it's cheaper than the E-420 so i nipped down to buy it.

As this is the first time i seen or held a D40, and im suprised how good it feels in the hand, also the size of the thing it's tiny I thought it was going to be much bigger, it not that much bigger than the E-420.

Another positive is how easy it is to setup & get great images from the get go.

My D300 has rafts of options that took me a while to learn what everything does and to get the best out of it.

The D40 took me 2 minutes to set it up the way i like it.

One great thing is how clean images are upto ISO1600 this is proberly were it beat the Olympus E-420 or infact any other Olympus DSLR.

Also the Jpegs are punchy & sharp straight out of the camera.

One thing i did find is that it overexposes by about 1/3rd of a stop in Matrix Metering which really isn't a problem as i just dial in -0.3 which sorts it out.

All in all im very impressed with the output of the D40 it might only have 6mp but it uses them well & find it's more than enough for most prints.

Im glad now i choose the D40 over the Olympus E-420

Here a quick test shot, Jpeg straight out of the camera, using built in flash & the 18-55mm kit lens.

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/2914/rryry032.jpg

Astraeus

21-04-2009, 17:03

Agree with you wholeheartedly. This camera is a real peach to setup and get good shots from. I would (and do) recommend this camera to anyone starting out with dSLRs. :thumbs:

Chumpalot

21-04-2009, 17:06

The over-exposure is a known firmware fault. I have set mine to the same as yours to counter this.

Wilky76

21-04-2009, 17:06

Yip it certianly is, one thing the D40 is starting to become hard to find not many places have them in stock now.

Astraeus

21-04-2009, 17:09

The over-exposure is a known firmware fault. I have set mine to the same as yours to counter this.

How do I set the -0.3 exposure permanently as opposed to before each shot?

Chumpalot

21-04-2009, 17:10

In Program Auto mode, hold the +/- button and use the rear dial to turn it down one step.

jolsterj

21-04-2009, 17:16

Agree the your comments.

but

Wigan football club..............whats all that about?

Wilky76

21-04-2009, 17:24

Oh Wigan Athletic im a big big fan :)

got that signed way back when we were in League One

It's on the spare room wall I want it downstairs :-P

pmjg

21-04-2009, 17:38

cant put mine down,takes great pictures and so responsive,recently took some pictures at Oulton park,look for Druids crash,these came out ok,the camera is fantastic for the price,i also have the 50-200vr lens,cant see me needing to change for a while,enjoy the camera.

mikeyw

21-04-2009, 19:04

Punches well above it's weight !

DpM

21-04-2009, 19:55

Glad you like it wilky. I love mine and use it as much as possible.
Its nice to know that someone with a higher spec/level Nikon finds the humble D40 as good as the rest of us D40 only owners.

DpM

21-04-2009, 19:56

The over-exposure is a known firmware fault. I have set mine to the same as yours to counter this.

Did the new firmware not address this?
I have not loaded it as yet.

Chumpalot

21-04-2009, 20:04

Did the new firmware not address this?
I have not loaded it as yet.

Not that I know of. Then again I'm using a D40x so I'm not sure if the issue wasn't solved on this model.

I'm currently on firmware A: 1.00 B: 1.00

martynbez

21-04-2009, 20:07

just sold my d40 on ebay! having second thoughts now, wish i had kept it as a back-up!

Chumpalot

21-04-2009, 20:10

just sold my d40 on ebay! having second thoughts now, wish i had kept it as a back-up!

I'm sure you'll be just fine with your D90 :razz:

Flash In The Pan

21-04-2009, 20:15

Mine was the last one in the shop (new), so I made them an offer of £200 (D40 + 18-55) and they accepted it :D

martynbez

21-04-2009, 20:19

I'm sure you'll be just fine with your D90 :razz:

yeah i know! never happy!

tried to get my mate to buy it has he has a silver D40! lol

Mr.Orb

21-04-2009, 20:22

I have to agree its a brilliant camera, my mate loves his. He is a little disappointed his 50mm can't auto focus however.

danelectro

21-04-2009, 20:29

I LOVE MY D40!!!

DpM

21-04-2009, 20:34

Mine was the last one in the shop (new), so I made them an offer of £200 (D40 + 18-55) and they accepted it :D

Bargain :thumbs:
Im just glad I bought mine before the prices went up.

DpM

21-04-2009, 20:37

Hey Wilky, you need to add the D40 to you cam list under your avatar :thumbs::woot:

Chumpalot

21-04-2009, 20:47

yeah i know! never happy!

tried to get my mate to buy it has he has a silver D40! lol

No don't do that! Learn to love your D90!

theMusicMan

21-04-2009, 20:54

One great thing is how clean images are upto ISO1600 this is proberly were it beat the Olympus E-420 or infact any other Olympus DSLR.

Glad you like your new D40, and I hope you get to learn about its functions and features, and can take great shots with it. :thumbs:

However... to make a comment such as the text I have highlighted above, shows to me that you're talking completely and utterly through your backside. End of.

pmjg

21-04-2009, 21:02

^ hes :sulk: because its better:wave: only joking,the camera does get good reviews for high iso images,i have took some at iso 1600 in the rain at Donington park and they came out without any visible graining.

theMusicMan

21-04-2009, 21:03

^ hes :sulk: because its better:wave:You're in the same league then eh... cool...:thumbs:

Flash In The Pan

21-04-2009, 21:08

theMusicMan

21-04-2009, 21:14

I wish my watch was as easy to wind up as you are :lol::naughty:
Hey FitP... not wound up matey... totally relaxed here with a nice glass of Vino in hand... :)

Just want to advise the noobies with 8 and 14 posts respectively - of their erroneous ways. Gotta put these Oly bashers to right eh:lol::D

redhed17

21-04-2009, 21:16

I know someone who picked a D40 up in Argos today for about £245.

So they may still have some stock for anyone who has a yearning for one. ;)

Flash In The Pan

21-04-2009, 21:17

Hey FitP... not wound up matey... totally relaxed here with a nice glass of Vino in hand... :)

Just want to advise the noobies with 8 and 14 posts respectively - of their erroneous ways. Gotta put these Oly bashers to right eh:lol::D

:thumbs:

Must remember to be kind to minorities like Oly owners :lol:

grahamc

21-04-2009, 21:20

I do like the D40X :)

foodpoison

21-04-2009, 21:25

:thumbs:

Must remember to be kind to minorities like Oly owners :lol:

It's nothing but a trend.

Like those emo kids trying to be non-conformist.

Don't worry fitp, he'll grow out of it and us PROPER camera owners will be there to nurture when he comes out of the phase in a cold sweat.

;) :nuts:

pmjg

21-04-2009, 21:38

You're in the same league then eh... cool...:thumbs:the premiership,not the sunday league:thumbs::Denjoy your vino :1st: to nikon d40.:thumbs::thumbs:

theMusicMan

21-04-2009, 21:40

the premiership,not the sunday league:thumbs::Denjoy your vino :1st: to nikon d40.:thumbs::thumbs:Cheers, I will old plastico camera owner... :)

pmjg

21-04-2009, 21:51

not too much of the cheap stuff though it will:cuckoo: your head.:thumbs:

Wilky76

22-04-2009, 07:33

Glad you like your new D40, and I hope you get to learn about its functions and features, and can take great shots with it. :thumbs:

However... to make a comment such as the text I have highlighted above, shows to me that you're talking completely and utterly through your backside. End of.

lol really i also own an Olympus E-520 with let see i knows ' let the pics do the talking.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/7960/lenses.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/5615/ttytr007tx8.jpg

So im very much aware of the noise and the banding that present in both the E-420 & the E-520 oh and the E-3 to.

Now im not knocking Olympus they make great camera's but for any High ISO shooting above ISO 800 there is some graining to be had & banding if the exposure isn't spot on at ISO 1600.

Now i know they finally sorted the banding out in the E-450 E-620 & the E-30

I had a choice to make either the E-420 and use my Zukio glass & the Nikon D40 and use my Nikon glass now considering the D40 was cheaper than the E-420 & i must stress better ISO than the E-420 I decided on the latter.

benwall

22-04-2009, 11:15

D40 is wicked imo.

1600 ISO doesnt look too bad either...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/3432672944_6ce09ec025.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3613/3449992463_f94d4ea93d.jpg

DpM

22-04-2009, 12:23

That second shot is great, what lens did you use?

benwall

22-04-2009, 12:26

50-150mm 2.8 siggy @ 2.8.

thanks :)

theMusicMan

22-04-2009, 21:13

benwall

22-04-2009, 21:35

wow that are amazing for such a high ISO... better than a D90 even!

Wilky76

23-04-2009, 07:47

Glad you're enjoying your D40, and that you are getting decent results with it. However, I will stick to my guns and say you're talking through your butt when you state the D40 is better at higher ISO's than any Olympus.

This image... no flash, indoors, taken handheld at 1/30th and f5.5 (try that on your D40...), with the 50-150mm kit lens, and... guess what... at ISO3200 (try that on your D40)

http://www.reflectingme.com/img/v3/p356363909.jpg

Or this one... taken handheld at 1/20th at f5.6 (try that on your D40), with the 50-150mm kit lens, and... guess what... also at ISO3200 (try that on your D40)...

http://www.reflectingme.com/img/v3/p393738416.jpg

Ok maybe i was wrong, the E-3 iso 3200 images do look good, but you can tell you used somekind of noise reduction software on these shots & i wouldn't mind seeing the exif.

But while you came with a "somebody is wrong on the internet" attitude & sounding like Zeus has given you the holy task of defending the honour of Olympus.

Im very tempted to challenge you to a ISO fight.

OLYMPUS E-3 v Nikon D300

see how ya handle it's big brother:wave::bat:

theMusicMan

23-04-2009, 08:45

The EXIF is embedded in the image, I'm hiding nothing here, I have an addon - right click option in Firefox - that allows me to view the EXIF of any image I right click on, it seems to work for me when I right click on the image above. Whatever app/method you are using I'm not sure, but the EXIF is there.

However, as I am not sure what app you're using to attempt to view EXIF data, here's the original image as it appears in my gallery. Simply hover over the top right of the image and you should see something as in the screenshot below.

http://www.reflectingme.com/img/v3/p393738416.jpg

http://img.skitch.com/20090423-jycmytya72etc29cc4gd29tf8i.jpg

As for noise reduction; I used the in-camera noise filtering, plus LR noise reduction as far as I can remember.

I'm not getting into any fights I'm afraid, I don't start threads that bash any other camera, that's not what the site is about - there's far too many Canikon fanboys on here on times already. You made reference to, and compared the ISO performance on the D40 to be better than any Olympus, that's what I felt needed to be corrected. I don't know the D300, and wouldn't buy one (I'd buy a D700 though if I had the money!) so to make such challenges is a tad naive. Making challenges like that are a waste of time, because there are facets of each system that are better than others... each to their own.

Yes, though TP is managed wonderfully well, and is an awesome resource for photographers (and I've been a member here a long time), at times it is often very cliquey and full of Canikonites who bash anything but Canikons. The site is about photography, not bashing anything but your own camera make/model. People come here seeking information and guidance, very often they are new to photography. Seeing posts such as yours would mislead them into thinking any Olympus kit was not worth looking at, when - just as it would be for every other make/model... it is. Your 1st post above was inaccurate and misleading... so I chose to defend Olympus and correct what you stated (with evidence).

So, your comment in the first post in this thread;

One great thing is how clean images are upto ISO1600 this is proberly were it beat the Olympus E-420 or infact any other Olympus DSLR.

... was misleading, not factual, and 100% wrong, hence my responses in this thread.

Thus your comment;

But while you came with a "somebody is wrong on the internet" attitude & sounding like Zeus has given you the holy task of defending the honour of Olympus.

... did indeed require defending, hence my post here.

As a minority camera system owner, I don't mind being on the end of mickey takes... that's part of the fun of being on here and I will always join in the fun and banter (ask FitP for example :) ). However, regarding Olympus kit and in the interests of accuracy, I will always correct those who by their actions and posts, show they know less about what they are posting about, than they actually do know.

Now... get out there and take some shots yeah...:lol:

Chillimonster

23-04-2009, 09:07

This image... no flash, indoors, taken handheld at 1/30th and f5.5 (try that on your D40...), with the 50-150mm kit lens, and... guess what... at ISO3200 (try that on your D40)

Or this one... taken handheld at 1/20th at f5.6 (try that on your D40), with the 50-150mm kit lens, and... guess what... also at ISO3200 (try that on your D40)...

John

Gota remember that on the Crop sensor of the D40 which is slightly larger, you would need to close down the aperture 1 stop to get the same DOF you have which would mean halving the shutter speeds on the two shots to 1/15th or 1/10th or doubling the ISO to keep the same shutter speed to ISO 6400.

Not gonna happen on the D40 ;)

I've got some good examples of the E-3 at ISO3200 full strech on the 50-200 (400mm equiv) somewhere. I'll have a look for them later (gotta stick up for Oly - in fact if i had the money i'd jump back tomorrow, just for the ZD glass which is unmatched on any system)

jammy_c

23-04-2009, 16:22

The over-exposure is a known firmware fault. I have set mine to the same as yours to counter this.
One thing i did find is that it overexposes by about 1/3rd of a stop in Matrix Metering which really isn't a problem as i just dial in -0.3 which sorts it out.

Ah Ha! I always thought it was just me, or maybe the kit lens and found myself setting the Exp Comp to 0, then readjusting just about every RAW after uploading. :lol: i'll remember to set it to -3 and see where i go from there. :thumbs:

Astraeus

23-04-2009, 16:26

In Program Auto mode, hold the +/- button and use the rear dial to turn it down one step.

Thanks very much for that. :thumbs:

merv

23-04-2009, 22:46

I also have a d300 and bought a refurbished d40 from cameraworld for £199 - absolutely perfect with all the gear and checked by nikon. It is a great wee camera and I love it