Quality of Nikon D40 18-55mm lens, closeup and abstract shots?

So I'm in search of a good quality Nikon or Canon in the 500$ range, and in particular, this one. I take mostly closeups, abstract, and scenery shots, and lighting and color are the two biggest factors in my pictures. So is this type of camera good quality in the first place, and would it be the best for my type of pictures? If not which camera would?

Lighting has nothing to do with the camera you're using. The D40 is a 6-something year old model, but that doesn't mean its a bad camera.It'll be very easy to find a D40 w/ an 18-55 (in good condition) kit lens for about 275 bucks. $500 could buy you a brand new Rebel T3, w/ an 18-55 kit lens, which outperforms the older D40. Be sure to buy a few 8GB Class 10 SD cards and a spare battery.

The d40 is still a viable camera and depending upon your skills, you can shoot brilliant abstract photos with it.

Closeup photography requires you to use a macro lens, so plan on another $600 for one of them

The equivalent of the D40 today would be the Canon T3 ($499?) and the Nikon D3100 (~$535). If you buy the D3100, you would practically be getting the same 18-55mm lens the D40 had. They are all good (D40, T3, D3100) and would do for any kind of shooting you can think of. Lighting and color is all up to how you use the camera (and lens). Having a dSLR does not guarantee you get great picture right away and all the time. It will still depend on your skill as a photographer.

An 18-55mm is probably all you're going to be able to afford on a $500 budget. Regardless of brand, it's a decent general-purpose lens, though it suffers a bit of barrel distortion at wide angles. A simple close-focus filter (essentially a magnifying lens) is about all you will need to add on (and all you can afford without raising the bar).

Your budget just isn't high enough to seriously discuss color rendition and similar topics. Unless you're trying to earn a living off of photography, a decent image editor makes these points moot.