adi arifin

D40x is actually an excellent camera. Very small and light makes it very comfortable to carry around. Screen size and resolution as well as the mega-pixels measure which are similar to its bigger brothers, the D80 and D200, are everything most casual photographers would ever want - and probably understand. I personally agree that it has something like 90% we would need (including professional photographers) from a DSLR camera. Many columns, blogs, and reviews tell that even real professional photographers have one specially for less demanding, more casual sessions, travel, and walk-around camera.

I personally believe that the best setup for travel and casual photography includes no more than D40x body, 18-200mm VR lens, and SB400 flash. If you want a bit more vibrant color, simply attach warming filter (i.e. Nikon L1Bc or Hoya 81a) to the lens.

As an entry-level equipment designated mostly for those upgrading from pocket or prosumer cameras, it has all automatic controls which users would use in point-and-shot photos. On the top of the body there is a preset-scene dials for you to choose from … just like a pocket camera. Something like a pocket camera with interchangeable lens. Then you can start to take over automatic controls once you gain more exposure in photography techniques, and start to become more creative, producing artistic compelling frames which fits your taste and style.

Last but not least, something which I and many other lovers of old manual focusing lens is that it works with very old Nikkor lens generally known as pre-AI lenses. Built at the age when auto focusing was not even invented, using them in most of the latest SLR, especially DSLR was prohibited by the AF motor mechanical link. As D40x does not have this mechanical system, all re-AI lenses neatly fit its mount. Obviously bot focusing and metering has to be controlled manually.

So why do I want to get rid of the such appealing excels? Obviously because I want to get even more, especially more freedom in creatively expressing my style and taste into frames I take. Sounds rather philosophic huh? These are a few more technical reasons then.

First, D40x does not have auto-focus motor in the body. This is where the lightness comes from. The consequence is that it requires lenses with built-in auto-focus motor, which means each and every lenses have to have its own motor. Otherwise automatic-focusing would not work. Means you still can use lenses without built-in motor, but have to focus manually.

Is it bad? Not really. If a camera has auto-focus motor on its body, it has to be powerful enough to drive even the heaviest lens. Even with a small 50mm lens attached, the camera drains the same amount of battery power as if it drives an 600mm super-telephoto lens. With motors built into the lens, each lens carries a motor which enough power only to drive its specific size. A small 18-55mm has smaller, lighter, and lower consuming motor than a large 500mm lens.

The problem with this is that there are limited options of lenses with built-in motors. Only Nikon with its AF-S series and Sigma with HSM series fully work on D40x. Other prominent 3rd party lenses like Tamron and Tokina do not support it at all. The situation get worse as AF-S lenses - especially the professional series - are priced at about double the price of its non AF-S equivalent. The next problem is that most of professional lenses, especially with specific dedication do not have its AF-S equivalent, even if you have enough money to buy. To mention a few examples are super-fast primes like 50mm f/1.4, portraiture lens with dedicated defocus control, and tilt-and-shift lenses.

So, D40x demands a lot more investment in lenses, and make severe limitation in available choice even if you are prepared to spend the money.

The next reason is CLS. D40x does not have a flash-commander facility allowing a camera to control one or more flashes wirelessly. Many other types, even the old D70 have this capability. Basically you can put one or more flash somewhere away from the camera to give amazing lighting patterns, fired by a command from the camera.

To allow us to have this capability when using D40x is either using a dedicated flash commander, which is quite expensive, or use an SB800 - Nikon’s most advanced flash model - attached to the camera. Here are the drawbacks: firstly SB800 is expensive, secondly in most CLS practices on-camera flash is avoided for various reasons, so you waste a state-of-the-art SB800. Obviously its also means more less flexibility and more money.

Next is high ISO performance. Noise in high ISO performance is rather unacceptable to my view. Whilst it allows us to go up to ISO 1600, I practically could not go further than ISO 400.

One last thing - as far as I remember - is metering with old lenses. Whilst it allows very old pre-AI lenses to mount seamlessly, it is not only focusing which has to be done manually, but also metering. So far I understand, most entry level DSLR has the same limitation their metering is controlled by the lens which transmits metering info to the body. Included in this category are D40, D40x, D50, D60, D70, D70s, and D80. In those cameras, CPU lenses are mandatory to have automatic metering works. More advance types has metering sensor in the body. Included in this category are D100, D200, D300, D1, D2, D3 and all of their derivate (i.e. D2Xs, D2H, etc.).

What else … I think the rest are small glitches which you would not really need. Like 3 points auto-focus sensors. In most cases, one is all we need. So why would you want to have more than 3.

So, all in all, if you have enough money to buy AF-S pro lens or do not even plan to have one, D40x is all you need. In fact there is a very popular companion which fits D40x perfectly, the Nikon AF-S 18-200mm VR. This lens with superb optical performance allows you to use only one lens for any types of frame you take, from wide, portraiture, to telephoto. Plus excellent image stabilization system. It is not a super-fast professional lens of course, but D40x is not for professional use either.

If you do not plan to play with multiple flashes controlled wirelessly to create sophisticated lighting, D40x with an attached lightweight SB400 are all you need.

Bookmark to: