$40 Camera Review: The Legendary Nikon D40 (Cheap DSLR Challenge!)

Find great deals for this camera: ebay.us/mjofrN
Great lens to start with: ebay.us/jxc37w
Many have fond memories of the Nikon D40/D40X -- I picked one up to see how it holds up in 2020. Spoiler alert: surprisingly well!
This camera is available for $40-60 on the used market. A perfect DSLR for beginners, photography students, or just those looking for a backup/"beater" camera for walk-around purposes.
DISCLAIMER:
Some of these links have an affiliate code. If you purchase gear with these links I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

[@dilus13]

Just been gifted a Nikon D40x with two kit lenses 18mm - 55mm and 55mm - 200mm and you are correct with the fantastic colour it produces. This is my first foray into DSLR photography as a complete beginner, my first photos with it were macro shots of flowers in the garden and the colours were superb and the “bokeh” effect amazing. I have even got some excellent images of the full moon using the telephoto lens. For someone who doesn’t want to get into post production and simply wants to improve their skills “in camera” it is a very affordable entry level camera that produces surprising results 👍

[@lensvana]

Awesome! That's an excellent combo for a beginner--you can try anything, macro, portrait, landscapes, etc. Enjoy :)

[@outfield1988]

Boy that’s awesome have both the 40 and 40x very simple and takes amazingly colorful pictures.

[@robiniapseudoacacia]

My first DSLR and I used it for 6 months around India. Some of my favourite ever pictures were taken with it. Thanks for sharing

[@leighbowden120]

I still use my D40x on about 15k shutter actuations and it's my favourite. Lack of the internal focus motor is my major gripe. I use mine with a third party battery grip with 2x1800mah batteries and took over 1000 pictures whilst in South Africa. The battery meter didn't even move off full.

[@outfield1988]

Beautiful little gem. Easy to use and colors are amazing.

[@KarySchump]

This was my first “real” camera, bought new in 2008. I’ll always keep it and use it because I’ve had it forever. I have others, but I still think it’s a decent all around camera for beginners. :)

[@lensvana]

Agreed Kary, it's a keeper! :)

[@thesufi]

Good review. The d40 really shines as an all-manual camera paired with Nikon film-era lenses - my favourites include the inexpensive series E range, particularly the 100E/2.8 which makes a super compact street/ portrait camera. The quality I get at ISO 200 with this combo regularly blows people's minds for a 6MP body.

[@lensvana]

That's a nice combo! I have fond memories of the E series of lenses, primarily the 50mm pancake. Amazing value.

[@lensvana]

Find great deals for this camera: ebay.us/mjofrN (AFFILIATE LINKS) Great lens to start with: ebay.us/jxc37w

[@mjak993]

Still have one in my parents' attic... awesome camera for its time, and still fun to use every now and then. Very good picture quality if you have the light and don't need to crop. (6MP can look perfectly acceptable even on 4K screens). Also awesome with the 50/1.8D - yes, you lose AF, but the plastic fantastic has a very generous focus ring throw which is a boon for manualing it, and it can be tucked away unter a light winter coat much easier than the 35/1.8G. Superb combo for candid street photos once you get the hang of focusing manually. Lack of AF points can be an issue for some, but I mainly use just the center one with back button focusing and recomposing anyways even on newer bodies, so it never really bothered me. The dial is a big downfall, though. Not because it's just a single one (I shoot in aperture priority almost exclusively, and with the mentioned ISO-to-Fn button setting it's a non-issue), but because it's not rubberized at all. It's a hard plastic one, and after extended shooting sessions, your thumb will not thank you for it. All in all - I can absolutely recommend it as a cheap beginner or a secondary "I just want to screw around a bit" camera. Its limitations can actually teach you things that a modern entry level DSLR or MILC just can't, without going super nerdy and into the whole "just develope your own film at home, man!" bullshittery.

[@kristersjoblom4025]

Thank you for a great review and beautiful photos. The D40 was my first DSLR and although I have more recent models in my camera bag I am not going to sell it. It is easy and fun to shoot with and the picture quality is good with nice colors.

[@lensvana]

Thank you, Krister! Lots of fun indeed. Given the price it's going for, I think keeping is the best option :)

[@bonjovi1612]

Great review

[@tikibar4me]

Enjoyed your video! Thanks for posting...

[@lensvana]

Thanks!

[@marcp.1752]

I paid 650 EUR for this Bad Boy into Winter 2006, it was my 2nd Nikon after the D100 (also 6 MP). Image Quality is still great, with the January 2009 released DX 35/1.8 AF-S Lens, it felt like a 10 MP DSLR, literally, after the 18-55 ED II Kitzoom. Very small, simple DSLR.

[@lensvana]

That's the truth - D40 + 35mm DX 1.8 = great combo

[@renepawlitzek7298]

Nice video about a wonderful camera. I bought mine in November 2023 with the 18-55 VR II for very little money ($30). The results speak for themselves. The camera was on my radar back in 2006 when it came on the market. At the time, I didn't buy it because of the lack of an autofocus motor and because I was looking for a digital SLR to use my Contax Carl Zeiss and X-Fujinon lenses. It took many years before I was able to reuse these lenses with the Sony A7II.

[@lensvana]

Thanks for sharing! That's a great deal for the camera and lens together.

[@neilpiper9889]

I use mine with a 18 70 F3 5 f4.5 afs DX lens. Perfect.

[@christophercarvell4949]

Great review of the D40, considering buying one, though I’m a Canon shooter! I’ve seen a D40 on eBay with the 18 to 55 zoom for less than £100 Sterling. Thanks to this review I’m heading over to eBay, many thanks.

[@lensvana]

Thanks, Christopher! It's a fun little camera, lots of deals available too. In case you get one without a lens, the Nikon 35mm F1.8 DX (note: DX!) lens is a very good affordable lens for general use

[@nakbtc]

CCD sensor i love it !!!

[@makingwonderland512]

For shooting somthing in the street, D40 is light weight and small and easy to use. This is also the reasons that people like to use phone camera every day. The simplest DSLR can make better feeling than a lot of phone cameras. D40+35mm/F1.8 is supper light and small， and would make comfortable photos.

[@marcp.1752]

And up to ISO 1600 full okay. I like my old Gear, with CCD Sensors, more true to life colors, vs CMOS anyday.

[@waynescheffe774]

I have one I use it all the time I enjoy it

[@TheBronzeBrick]

Is it still 40 and does it have a way to make it go to obs

[@michaelcarman4875]

D40X IS MY PRIMARY AND ONLY CAMERA!

[@averymcdaniel423]

I just scored a D40 with a kit lens, and a camera bag for $40. This is my 2nd.

[@CO8848_2]

I took my d40 to safari, and Angkor Wat, some of the best pictures I have ever taken. Now I know why this was such a great camera. After they stole it from me in Africa, I bought a d3100 and it was never the same, and I dropped photography as a hobby.

[@lensvana]

Sorry to hear about your D40! You could pick up a used D300, might rekindle your interest - it's a joy to use for pure photography

[@iRafaelkr]

I have just bought one with 18-55 lenses, and when I change the focus on the button of the lens to Auto, it doesn't focus, and I have to always spin the tip of the lens to focus manually. Is anything I'm missing or maybe that is broken? I tried "half pressing" the shooting button, but it doesn't focus on anything

[@lensvana]

Could it be that the camera is set to MF (Manual focus) mode? It's on page 35 of the manual: download.nikonimglib.com/archive2/4lyqy00hteoi016sWRu47JfeZR67/D40_EU(En)06.pdf

[@clipgamer427]

Can we buy camera from this site

[@teacup6100]

price bro

[@vavafornax8035]

I remember when I paid 600 Euros for this

[@Koji-888]

Do you mean the 50mm 1.8g Works beautifully as well as the 35mm DX 1.8.g The d lenses work well too if that’s what you got. Hard to use with that focus screen. Do you Zone focus. Or chimp. Or.. I believe this has the focus confirm light in the VF. 💁🏻‍♀️

[@lensvana]

With cameras like this I tend to use the green focus confirm dot in the VF but chimp anyway :) Yea the 1.8G lenses are a perfect pairing with bodies like this one

[@Martin_Edmondson]

I changed out the focus screen to help with focusing. Works pretty well. (I bought my D40 in Hamamatsu.. It's a small world!)

[@kevc.2958]

used nikon for over a decade d40 d5000 d5200 with 35dx lens, and finally got fed up with back focusing and moved to canon m50

[@lensvana]

Ahhh the m50, I really have to try one out. Has been the best-selling camera in Japan, probably for a good reason. Very popular for video too

[@marcp.1752]

Used and own the D100, D40, D60, D80, D90 & D7000, the M50 does have a) 1 SD Card Slot only 2) mediocre Battery Life 3) one Dial also only, EVF vs OVF, i would not exchange my D7000 vs an M50. Canon M-Lenses are view only, plus a few from Sigma, and into this Year, Canon might introduce a APS-C based Canon RF Series Body, the Canon M-Mount is proned to phase out at the End of 2021. See what the Canon Rumors Sites are talking about for Months.

[@lensvana]

@@marcp.1752 I'll be impressed if Canon actuals cans the M-Mount considering the strong sales volume in Japan. But it would probably be the right move going forward with RF APS-C. I'm all for simplifying choices, it's confusing enough for regular consumers to navigate as is

[@marcp.1752]

@@lensvana The M50(II) are beginners DSLM Gear, one Dial only, but small and handy. Relative little Lenses to choose from, compared to other Systems. It does come in handy, but i do prefer Fujifilm, which do have the best APS-C Lenses LineUp from all Brands, and mostly (XF Series, or Red Label Series) metal-made Lenses. Yes, into Japan, the M50 sells well.

[@bellabrazeal3859]

What SD card do you use for the camera

[@lensvana]

I've always used SanDisk SD cards, never had a problem

[@avatar2616]

$ ????

[@richardtacos990]

For contrail spotting (long distance plane spotting ) would you recommend this camera and like a lens or a kodak az 421 ?

[@lensvana]

I would get a nice pair of binoculars for that. For photos, used Nikon D3300 + AF-P 70-300mm DX is the lowest I'd go

[@richardtacos990]

@@lensvana i have a monocular but it isn’t good enough which is better out the teo

[@richardtacos990]

Teo

[@richardtacos990]

Two*

[@lensvana]

@@richardtacos990 Better out of which two?

[@markjohnloidnervar1539]

sir where I can buy this camera I'm from phillipines

[@lensvana]

Try eBay! ebay.us/4iZ2lU

[@saabiqunchowdhury79]

How is this camera with wedding photos?

[@lensvana]

Wouldn't be my first choice for weddings. I don't shoot weddings, but I wouldn't go cheaper than a used D610 if someone asked me to

[@broderperdurabo]

i used it wit a Fixed 50 lens.

[@lensvana]

Great combo, especially for street and portrait

[@badassdahn654]

Does this shoot video?

[@lensvana]

Nope, check out the D5100 for Nikon video on a budget

[@spidey_1950]

what is the picture quality of d40

[@lensvana]

Pretty good for $40!

[@spidey_1950]

@@lensvana is it good for normal instagram photography yes or no

[@YouTube_Satan]

@@spidey_1950 it's too good for Instagram!

[@spidey_1950]

@@KZbin_Satan thanks bro 🤗🤗

[@kevc.2958]

great if use raw

[@rayg3354]

2.5 frames per second

[@christianjforbes]

Apparently all Nikon dslr bodies are “legendary”?

[@lensvana]

Canon and Pentax too

[@mr__rout__355]

Plz give me one 📷 camera

[@clipgamer427]

Is this trusted

[@computerkid1416]

I'll never understand the blind nostalgia for these things. The picture quality is terrible today!

[@JamesFitzpatrick-mn7iy]

Hi i have the D40 i brought it from new i find it a good solid camera to use as i dont need bells and whistles to just take what i find and friends etc good pictures i have had mine from new still as good as new james w sussex