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| Click photo for more views of the Nikon D40. |
The obvious shortcomings of compact cameras and the shrinking prices of entry-level digital SLRs have spurred a huge growth in the DSLR market. Nikon hopes to continue that trend with its new 6.1MP D40 ($560, street, with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens).
As we described in our Hands On report (January 2007), the D40's features and overall performance clearly raise the bar on the "entry-level" DSLR class. But will first-time DSLR owners be satisfied with the D40's overall performance compared with its competitors or similarly priced advanced compacts such as the 10MP Canon PowerShot G7 ($500, street, with built-in 6X optical zoom)? And does it have what it takes to attract 35mm holdouts or current DSLR owners looking for a better camera?
Yes and no. First-time DSLR shoppers can't argue with the price of this camera -- priced even lower than the Nikon D50 it replaces, and highly competitive with the 6.1MP Pentax K100D ($590, street, with 18-55mm lens), the older 8.0MP Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT ($600, street, with 18-55mm EF-S lens), and the 8MP Olympus Evolt E-500 ($580, street, with 14-55mm Zuiko lens).
But current digital SLR owners who would like to upgrade their equipment will certainly be happier with a newer 10-megapixel DSLR (for some examples, see "10MP Shootout," February 2007), even though they cost a few hundred dollars more. And Nikon 35mm SLR owners who have a bag full of Nikkor lenses and are ready to cross over to digital might ignore the D40, due to its lack of autofocus support for their older lenses. (Only relatively new Nikkor AF-S or lenses, and compatible third-party lenses whose AF motor is located in the lens, work with the D40's autofocus system.)
The Results Are In
Compared with the first Nikon DSLRs that used a similar 6.1MP CCD sensor (manufactured by Sony for Nikon and several other camera companies), the D40's image quality showed remarkable improvement in our tests in the Pop Photo Lab -- especially in shadow and highlight detail and in noise control at higher ISOs. Much of the credit for these advances in performance can be attributed to refinements in the design of the D40's CCD, improved image-processing hard-ware and algorithms, and the use of new camera components that produce less noise than the earlier versions did.
With these enhancements, the D40 achieves an Excellent color accuracy rating, with an average 7.94 Delta E. Its resolution is typical for a 6.1MP DSLR, earning it an Extremely High rating based on an average 1540 lines per picture height. (It's worth noting that when the Nikon D70 produced similar resolution in our 2005 Certified Lab Test, we gave it an Excellent resolution rating. But our rating criteria have been toughened since then to reflect the higher-megapixel sensors found in most midrange and professional DSLRs, and it now takes an average of 1700 lines per picture height or higher to earn an Excellent rating.)
At ISO 200 through 800, images from the D40 have Extremely Low noise levels, slightly lower than those from the Pentax K100D, which is equipped with a similar CCD sensor. At ISO 1600 those levels remain impressively low, with a concurrent drop of nearly 10% in resolution due to very slight blurring from noise reduction. As a result, the D40 earns an Extremely High image quality rating from ISO 200 through 800, and a Very High rating at ISO 1600. That compares favorably with the Pentax K100D, and both cameras show measurably less noise at ISO 800 and above than either the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT or Olympus Evolt E-500.
The D40 also achieves Excellent color accuracy (better than the Olympus) and also features Nikon's D-Lighting for toning down scene contrast, built-in color filter effects and in-camera redeye removal, plus advanced color-balancing controls that are borrowed from the Nikon D80 that give it a slight edge over its competitors.
However, the Pentax K100D's built-in Shake Reduction system is a significant advantage in low-light situations or at slower shutter speeds, and both the Digital Rebel XT and Evolt E-500 produce sharper images with Extremely High or Excellent resolution depending on the ISO setting.
The D40's 3-zone autofocus system is noticeably faster than the AF systems on the Olympus E-500 and Pentax K100D, especially in low light below EV 4, and it's just slightly faster than the Pentax in bright light levels above EV 6. But, the Digital Rebel XT's 7-zone AF system and the Pentax's 11-zone AF system have superior motion tracking compared with that of the D40.
Nikon claims the D40's AF system is sensitive down to EV -1, and that matched our Certified Test Results. However, the 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens that we routinely use in the Pop Photo Lab to test the autofocus on Nikon DSLRs doesn't work with the D40's AF system. (This fast prime lens can be focused manually, using a focus-confirmation light assist in the viewfinder.) Therefore, we tested the camera's AF using the fastest AF-S lens available for the D40 at the time of our testing: the 17-55mm f/2.8 ED-IF Zoom-Nikkor ($599, street).
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