Nikon D40

Looks like every camera manufacturer is going out of his way to make an entry level digital SLR camera that will seem less threatening to new users, just to initiate more people into the world of pro-level photography. Because one thing's for sure—once you've used an SLR, there's no going back.

The 6.1 megapixel Nikon D40 has the same processing engine as the higher end models (D80, D200), but there have been cuts in other departments. We will look into all that and its performance a little later, as first we're going to look at what's up with the build quality on this one.

Build
The first thing you'll notice about the D40 is how light it is. At 522 grams, it's practically weightless for anyone who's been using digital SLRs on a regular basis. Even with the 18-55mm lens, the D40 is the most compact D-SLR that Nikon has ever produced.

Besides the weight, the camera looks a bit minimalistic with just a few buttons provided for all the basic functionality. The small-sized body of the D40 makes it a bit uncomfortable to hold in fully grown hands, especially when compared to other budget SLRs. My little finger was constantly running out of grip space while holding the camera to take a picture.