I’ve been subjecting unfortunate people and objects around me to the business end of my new camera, applying the same principle I’ve applied to my previous cameras: shoot first, shoot often, evaluate later. I end up taking uninteresting pictures, but the point is to determine what the camera will and won’t do, and how to worth with it to coax better pictures more often.
There are many reviews of the Nikon D40, but some of my favourite “features” in the first couple weeks are:
- The “click” of an SLR shutter. Something about it is so much fun!
- The external flash. Ceiling bounces are a great way to avoid red eyes and shiny foreheads.
- 16 GB SD card with USB adapter. Room for 2000 RAW pictures, very easy to move files around.
- Smart Auto-ISO. The camera will bump the ISO up to a configurable max. ISO in order to achieve a min. shutter speed… in 50 point ISO increments!
- Feeling cool with an SLR slung over my shoulder. Yes, I’m a poseur, and an “entry-level” one at that!
Most disliked? None really so far, but I’ll stretch for some:
- External flash “only” gets about 200 shots with two AA batteries.
- Challenging “user training” curve, e.g. learning how Auto Focus chooses and working with it.
- Using a DSLR demonstrates why one “needs” a telephoto lens and a fast low-light lens.
