I have owned this camera for a year now. It is an excellent camera. I read through several of the reviews here and wanted to add some comment to some things brought out. Although I am not a professional photographer I do work with digital cameras and have for several years. The D40x is a great choice for people who want the advantages of an SLR camera without some of the pitfalls of such - cumbersome, covered with buttons and requiring multiple settings, etc. just to take a picture. The camera is an advanced technology with its quiet shutter, noiseless focus and great menu system that toggles you through basic settings quickly - ISO, picture quality, white balance (if needed) You do not need to search around for separate dedicated buttons to set these settings. Users know where to go - the toggle. IF YOU leave it on the first menu set known as shooting menu, switching any of these settings is about 3 button presses to your choice of action.

Those who noted the lens issues and no sports pic shooting, eh, the camera shoots quickly and it is instantly active upon switching power. If you have a lot of Nikon lenses then perhaps the D80 is best and obviously you are more than an average camera user. Do not be concerned about lens availability though. Something else not mentioned is that many of the DX lenses also have VR or vibration reduction. Finally the lack of a depth of field PREVIEW is interesting. I did a search on the internet to actually find out what the importance of such a thing was and found two very detailed descriptions. Basically, according to the first website, "few professionals consider the DOF tool in their arsenal...it is rarely used and often criticized for seemingly making the picture appear darker. It can however allow for a preview of creative shots that make your subject pop and all else seem unimportant" Hmm. Professionals rarely use it? Why then is it so critical on a camera? Further reading and I realized that this feature's purpose is to set the aperture to what you see in the view finder prior to taking the picture. This seems odd though considering the advantage of seeing shots in a viewfinder and also having aperture priority mode AND automatic modes to compensate for such tedious work. Professionals may scoff at my description but the point is that unless you are a professional wanting a highly specific tweak on your depth, this camera will do it. The other website I found had a movie showing the advantage of a depth of field preview. The DOF description was the same except the example was a woman standing in the woods. The woman was focused and the background blurred. All while showing how to press the DOF button while looking through the viewfinder, focusing and shooting. With the D40x you can accomplish the same effect faster by turning the knob to portrait and snapping the picture! You can still work at it if you want with the aperture priority setting. Everything is visible from the viewfinder. I just wanted to bring these important points out because this really is a good camera and when things are mentioned that most people do not know what it is other than "this camera is really missing something" then they check it off their list. The automatic settings on the camera produce fantastic results and are what most people would use anyway. Just don't think the camera can't do it- it can!

Myself, my father, and my grandfather are all die-hard Nikon fans. Between us, we've bought about every product Nikon has put out in the last 50 or so years. When I bought this camera last year, I expected no different.

It came down to either this camera or the slightly less expensive Canon Rebel. Since I chose this camera, I have had the chance to mess around with the rebel a great deal (one of my friends bought one a few months ago), and have to say that the d40x is a far superior camera. In terms of simple ergonomics, the Nikon's grip is incredible, compared to the somewhat awkward grip on the Canon. Quality is identical. The thing that really separates the two, though, is the UI. The Nikon's menu structure is very intuitive- I never picked up the user manual once. Compared to the d40, the Rebel's menus are clumsy and poorly-thought-out.

Incredible piece of equipment- really lives up to the high standards of Nikon and Nikon users.

for a digital SLR, it's both user and cost friendly. at least, for those of us who are just new to digital SLR photography and willing to spend a little more over a "point and shoot" camera. i have had my D40x for about a month now. and i must say i have had a lot of fun with this camera. it's not as sophisticated as the Nikon D80 or D300. but if your like me, who just likes to take pictures of everyday people, events, and travel. then you may come to love this camera as i do. my friends, relatives, and even co-workers are impressed with the results. i dont regret my purchase. i think its a good deal. and i think you may eventually see things the same way too. just try not to get too carried away by all the rants and raves of this or any other camera. your basic needs or purpose should determine your choice.

After extensive research, I finally purchased Nikon D40x instead of Canon Rebel XTi. Nikon D40x is light and easy to use. The picture is excellent.

I have finally found a camera to replace my Nikon AF 35mm film camera. Over the last 10 years I have owned many digital cameras, mostly point a shoots, and this camera blows them all away. Other than the dynamic range of film (latitude, or contrast range), it may actually take better pictures than my SLR film camera. At 100iso I could see no digital noise, and details are razor sharp, so maybe no noise reduction/line enhancement is being used either. I just shot 100 pictures, and the battery isn't even showing any discharge. The camera is lighting fast! No waiting for the camera to boot up (turn on). You pick it up turn it on take a picture. It has just about every feature you could want in a digital camera except movies, but no SLR can take movies yet. Also would be nice if it had HDMI for digital TVs as Nikons higher end cam does. The camera is light weight, yet feels high quality. Controls are easy to use, and the viewfinder shows status of everything. The camera focuses very fast, faster than any other camera I have owned, and it's quiet. The only noise this cam makes is the mirror flipping up, and even that is quiet. The camera can haul off 3 10.2MP pictures per second! This is nothing short of amazing.

Before I purchased this Nikon D40x, I did weeks of research, looked at canon, sony, and panasonic, and really this is the camera to have. I even had the budget to buy the Nikon d3000 for $2000.00, but really this camera does what I need. Sure it's limited to only new lens, but if you don't have a bunch of old lens that need a motor drive, buy this camera.

Nikon, you did a great job!

My wife and I were tired of the point and shoot "shutter lag" and "processor focus delay". We don't want to be great photographers but we would like good pictures. The D40X delivers!!! Turn it on, set it on auto, and shoot. Yes, at some point we might be bold and venture into advance settings. But for now we get great pictures and the shutter works when you press the picture button. I knew when I went looking at a camera that my wife who takes most of the pictures would be turned off by all the dials and buttons. She has other hobby's and although taking pictures of the grandchildren is important, she's not going to want to spend the time to become a photo nymph. I gave her the camera she set it up and good pictures happen. Guess what? I can even take good pictures with this camera. IMHO.

For thirty years we've always had a good SLR camera. By comparison, the D40X is absolutely too good and easy to be true. The automatic mode is virtually flawless. The in-camera editing is easier to use than computer photo programs. The 18-135 telephoto lens is just right for most shots. Professional photos are now possible for any user!

PRO: all you could want in a digital camerra, easy to use exelent

CON: cannot fault

First let me say, this is not a 'professional' camera. This is a prosumer camera, or a camera a professional might use as a backup. At 10.2 MP, the image quality is very good and you can blow pictures up and crop them, and still end up with a good image.

I researched DSLRs for 2 weeks, reading about them and playing with them at Circuit City. I chose the Nikon D40x for the following reasons...

1) Heavier construction, more durable than the Canon Digital Rebel XTi

1a) Also feels better in my hand, which was a personal perference.

2) .1 MP higher than the Canon

3) 4.1 MP higher than the Nikon D40

4) $350 less than the D80 (I would have preferred the D80, but I wasn't trying to spend $1500+ after getting more lenses and accessories).

5) $632 for the D40x with the 18-55mm kit lens, which is much better than Canon's 28-55mm kit lens (which has horrible reviews).

6) Nikkor Lenses-- cannot say enough about how important it is to have a good lens. Nikon seems to have the best lenses on the market.

7) Takes an SD card-- the Canon takes a CF card. SD cards are cheaper for the same GBs

8) Nikon has a better warranty situation and I heard they are very customer oriented.

9) Nikon name is legendary in photography, and has the best and most easily available equipment.

10) For $975 (several purchases on Amazon), I got the following: D40x with 18-55mm lens, 55-200mm VR (vibration reduction lens), Nikon ballistic bag, extra battery (2 total), Nikon guide to photography, 2GB Sandisk Extreme III SD card, Sandisk USB card reader, (2) different Nikon Lens protective padded pouches, Nikon Microfiber lens/screen rag, Nikon Pen style brush lens cleaner, Digital Recovery Software, and Digital Photo Editing Software. Also included was a free trial of Photoshop.

All in all, this is a perfect camera for someone who is interested in DSLR photography but doesn't know squat about Aperture, ISO, Shutter Speed, F-stops, Manual Focusing, Bokeh, etc. This camera makes it easy to get introduced to DSLR photography without feeling overwhelmed. It additionally is great for someone who is on a budget-- such as a college or high school student who wants to pursue photography as a career. The quality of pictures is absolutely amazing for a $632 camera (and that includes a GOOD lens).

This is a high-quality digital camera.

Pros:

- 10.2 megapixel resolution

- Nikon quality

- reasonably priced

- LCD screen is large and bright

- Lithium battery charges quickly and lasts

Cons:

- Full functionality is limited to AF-S lenses (still, they are very nice lenses and come in a reasonable variety)

- Manual control is shared on a single dial, unlike fancier (if pricier) Nikon camera bodies which have separate dials for shutter speed and aperture.

Marketing material carries on about "on camera" editing, which is kinda neat (the color balance, in particular seems useful), but for my part, I prefer editing digital images on the computer.