What are the Pros and Cons of a Nikon D40?

I'm looking at getting a beginners camera, I'm an amateur photographer and I would like to know the Pros and Cons of a Nikon D40.

The D40 is two years out of production.

I have the D40 and love it. There's not one thing I don't like about it, except that it does not have separate wheels for aperture and SS control, but thats easily overlooked.

for a beginner camera now-a-days it would be much better to get the D3000 or D3100 from nikon, or Rebel Xs, Rebel Xsi from Canon.

for photography, any of these cameras will fit the bill, because, it is the photographer that makes the biggest difference

PRos… It's small, light and not bad if you can keep it under iso 1000. Cons… It's ancient by todays standard, it doesn't have an in body motor and only 3 AF points.

The Nikon D40 has been discontinued. Its replacement is the Nikon D3000. If you want the most camera for your money then look at the Pentax K-x. The 'Technical Image Press Association' chose the Pentax K-x as the 2010 "Best DSLR Entry Level". However, with its features the K-x is more than entry level. Here is what it offers:

1) A CMOS sensor which gives superior performance at higher ISO settings and in low light.

2) Live View.

3) HD Video.

4) Double/multiple exposure capability of from 2 to 9 images on a single frame with Auto EV Compensation. This opens up a whole new world of creativity to you.

5) An in camera focusing motor so any Pentax AF lens made since 1988 will auto focus as it should.

6) Image Stabilization in the camera body so any lens used, even one from 1975, will be an IS lens.

The Nikon D3000 has exactly NONE of those features. NONE.

The newest Nikon, the D3100, has a CMOS sensor, Live View and HD Video but NONE of the other features of the Pentax K-x.

Here are the current prices, with an 18-55mm lens, from B&H ( http://www.bhphotovideo.com/...ovideo.com ):

Pentax K-x, $499.79

Nikon D3000, $499.95

Nikon D3100, $699.95

With the D3000 and D3100 you must use Nikon's AF-I or AF-S lenses if you want auto focus. So you pay over and over for that. If you want an Image Stabilized lens (VR in nikonspeak) you have to pay for that again and again - and not every Nikon lens has VR.

As you can easily see, the Pentax K-x offers you a lot that even the $200.00 more expensive D3100 doesn't have. Compared to the D3000 the K-x is a steal.

Here is a review of the Pentax K-x:
http://www.shutterbug.net/equipmentreviews/amateur_digital_slrs/0510pentax/index.html

For the most camera for the least money the K-x simply can't be beat.

Con - doesn't have a focus motor in the body, so won't autofocus non-AF-S lenses, they need to be manually focused.

Pro - has an electronic shutter that will sync at any speed with off camera flash!

Pros:
- Small body.
- Good noise performance at ISO 200 to 800.
- Fast sync speed when using flash

Cons:
- Exposure metering needs a lot of help. Often overexposes images. Easily corrected with exposure compensation control.
- No focus motor in body which means you need AF-S or AF-I lenses. However, this is true of Nikon's low-end DSLR cameras (D40, D60, D3000, D5000).
- Some of the common controls require going into the menu system.
- Doesn't have sensor cleaning system. You'll need a hand blower (Giottos Rocket blower) to blow dust bunnies off the sensor. Newer cameras have a sensor cleaning system.

If you can get this for a reasonable price, this is a good camera. If you learn about camera basics and photography, you will be able to create some very nice images.

Look at the price of the D3100 (avoid the D3000). If the price difference between the D40 and D3100 isn't that much, consider getting the D3100 instead.