The Nikon D40 is Nikon’s most affordable entry-level DSLR available and is available as a kit, bundled with an 18-55 mm lens. I think the kit can be bought for around $450. I think the D40 is a good choice for those stepping up from a point and shoot camera. It is extremely easy to use and very lightweight. There are external controls for adjusting shutter speed, aperture, but some other important controls can only be accessed through the menu, such as ISO and white balance. The LCD is also excellent; very bright and the resolution is great. At high ISO noise is not too bad, pictures are generally quite usable but most of the time, ISO1600 will produce very noisy images. The camera feels great in hand and the controls are very intuitive. I prefer Nikon’s ergonomics and menus over Canon’s but that is just my personal preference.

On the downsides, the D40 is starting to show its age as it lacks the newer technology that can be found in the latest cameras. It only has 3 auto focus points, and it does not have Bracketing functions.It does not have Live View, meaning you cannot use the LCD to shoot (nobody really uses Live View, it is not accurate, and its maximum usage time is limited, and in my D300, cannot sync my flash), the D40 does not have video recording, and the D40 does not have an internal auto-focus motor meaning that it can only auto-focus the newer AF-S type lenses and AF-I lenses. This means that it cannot auto-focus older AF lenses such as the 50mm 1.8 lens, a super sharp and fast lens that only cost around $100, but Nikon recently announced a 35mm 1.8 DX lens which would be an excellent substitute but it costs $200. The 18-55 mm kit lens is also excellent, produces very sharp images, and the range is sufficient for a daily, walk-about lens.