Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens

From the Manufacturer The Nikon D40 is an interchangeable-lens digital SLR that unites the brilliant performance of world-famous Nikkor lenses and the practicality of a remarkably small and light camera body. It boasts handling and performance advantages that do away with the frustrations often associated with compact digital cameras, making it ideal for anyone who wants to capture spectacular digital pictures without fuss or complication. Thanks to Nikon's world beating digital and optical technologies, the D40 makes it amazingly simple to capture beautiful pictures in almost any situation. The D40 is equipped with a specially designed 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens; it's light and compact, making it easy to carry anywhere. The camera's design incorporates fewer potentially confusing controls and other distractions, allowing anyone to take breathtaking pictures while eliminating the need to "learn" photography. The D40 features a high-resolution 6.1-effective-megapixel Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor and a highly advanced Nikon Image Processing Engine. These combine to produce exceptional image detail with true, vivid colors. Nikon's exclusive 3D Color Matrix Metering II assures accurate exposure control even in difficult lighting conditions and an AUTO ISO feature makes the most of available light by automatically setting the camera's light sensitivity from the available ISO range of 200 to 1600. The D40 has remarkably fast responses, with autofocus control algorithms that are inherited from Nikon's renowned D200 and D80 digital SLRs, delivering more precise focus, faster subject tracking, and more accurate autofocus response and detection--even in low light. The D40 takes just 0.18 seconds to power up, and its almost imperceptible shutter release lag time does away with the frustrating picture taking delay common with point-and-shoot digital cameras--assuring that special moments are captured beautifully. Nikon's scene-optimized Digital Vari-Program modes allow the photographer to concentrate on capturing nearly any type of scene without being distracted by camera settings. All eight modes--Auto, Auto (Flash Off), Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sport, Close Up, and Night Portrait--are designed to produce remarkable results by automatically calculating the best settings and ISO-equivalent sensitivity for each scene. The new mode, Auto (Flash Off), prevents the built-in flash from popping up while boosting the ISO, thereby allowing the photographer to take pictures in museums, concerts, school plays, weddings, and other low-light situations where flash photography is prohibited. The D40's new Retouch menu offers exclusive in-camera image editing features that add to the D40's "fun factor" by providing greater creative freedom without the need for a computer. Included in the Retouch menu is Nikon's D-Lighting, Red-eye Correction, Image Trim, and other creative features such as Image Overlay, Small Picture, Monochrome (Black-and-white, Sepia, Cyanotype), and Filter Effects (Skylight, Warm filter, Color balance). The kit lens for the D40 is the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens, assuring superb picture sharpness and optimum contrast. Included with the camera is Nikon's PictureProject software to transfer, organize, and share images, while Nikon's Capture NX photo editing software is available separately. The D40 opens up the fun, excitement, and superior image quality of digital SLR photography to everyone. Its compact size and ideal ergonomics make it the digital SLR solution for pictures anytime, anywhere. Its bright and sharp viewfinder with 0.8x magnification ensures precise composition. After shooting, the camera's large 2.5-inch high-resolution color LCD monitor provides a clear view for checking sharpness, exposure, and focus by enlarging the picture up to 19 times. Building on Nikon's reputation for making the finest digital SLR cameras, the compact D40 offers mobility, easy operation and beautiful pictures to even first-time digital SLR users, making it ideal for anyone ready to experience the difference of Nikon digital SLR photography. Review from dpreview.com Learn more about this camera at DPReview.com