Well I'm very impressed with the camera and so far I've yet ran into a problem, other then the fact the lense is 18-55mm...I've been reading the manual little by little and to be honest I was surprised how much info the manual has to offer. I'm looking to get a bigger lense and I about crapped a brick when I saw the prices at a local Camera Supply Store, I know the lense on it now is an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6GII ED AF-S DX Zoom, How ever I'm looking for something with greater zoom but I'm not sure if I can use a lense from a different Company other then Nikon. I've been looking on Ebay for lenses but I'm not sure if I should buy a camera lense off ebay...I'm really looking for a Fish Eye Lense..18-55mm and a Zoom lense (80-200mm) and I've priced the fish eye lense for $500.00 (USD) and the 80-200mm lense for $170.00 (USD) If you can help me out with prices and where's the better deals and what lenses I should use I'd be more than happy....The picture taken is the sun rising over my street....and I think with a better Zoom lense the picture would've turned out alot better......I think I should invest in a new flash as well...I'll have to see the prices and the difference it'll make.....

Thanks-Mike

In that picture, did you set the ASA to 200 (the lowest that camera will do) or just leave it in automatic.
I've been thinking of picking up a D40X for a while now. Prices are getting better each month.

Just keep searching Google for better deals.

There's practically zero reason to go for D40X since D80 is right around those prices and it simply kills in its price range.

TypeRCivic, for quality night time fun:

1) Manual mode
2) Lowest ISO
3) Tripod or solid base to set camera on
4) 2-sec self-timer to avoid any external movement (pressing the shutter)
5) ???
6) Profit!

Quote from spankmeyer :

There's practically zero reason to go for D40X since D80 is right around those prices and it simply kills in its price range.

TypeRCivic, for quality night time fun:

1) Manual mode
2) Lowest ISO
3) Tripod or solid base to set camera on
4) 2-sec self-timer to avoid any external movement (pressing the shutter)
5) ???
6) Profit!

My camera settings were set at ISO HI 1 and Exposure comp. -2.0and flash Comp at 0.0. I'll try out the new settings but I cant get a self timer of 2-seconds....It's only 10-seconds....And I've been using manual mode as well. Any help to improve my skills I'll gladly accept

Thanks-Mike

High ISO value equal more noise, less detail, worse saturation, makes baby Jesus cry*, etc. so try to use lowest possible with a longer shutter time and camera mounted on a tripod/something solid.

(*Unless you're shooting on quality film which has a grain oh so pretty.)

Doesn't matter whether self-timer is 2 or 10 secs, as they work equally well at eliminating camera shake from pressing the shutter. (Not sure if the D40 allows locking up the mirror, further eliminating unwanted vibration.)

Does the D40 has a histogram view? That helps a lot at getting the right exposure.

Night shots should come out ok with a little practise!

Unless you have external flashes, I'd suggest leaving the pop-up flash unused as they tend to flatten and kill the scene. I recall Nikon having a lot of useful guides available, you might want to check them out for tips, tricks & theory.

Digital!!!!!!!

(run Away)

I currently have a D70s, the biggest pile of cr@ptastic junk i ever wasted my money on. I've even tried the canon 5D (5000$AU), and i would use it as a wheel chock if it was given too me.

But then again, i dont use 'film' as we know it. I'm a fan of alternate photographic processes, eheh, nothing quite like getting your hands dirty and stained with chemicals.

sorry, not being very constructive. good luck with the camera mate >evils<

Quote from TypeRCivic :

I'm not sure if I can use a lense from a different Company other then Nikon.

You can, but my recommendation is don't. Nikon lenses are excellent, especially the older ones. I doubt many if any of the older lenses will work on a D40, but it's worth looking into which of the older mounts are compatible and Ebaying for some of those. I recommend avoiding the E series lenses (if they're even an option), though even the E series are likely to be better than the alternative brands.

Quote from Mysteroius :

I currently have a D70s, the biggest pile of cr@ptastic junk i ever wasted my money on.

I'll have it! I'm desperate to move into digital. I can't afford to run a film camera any more. I have a Nikon F4s and it's the best 35mm camera/nutcracker ever made, IMO.. but to get 24 frames into print costs around £15, and I can't do that any more. I did all the pinhole stuff at art college, and it's great fun, but I don't have a darkroom or room to build one Digital is my only route forwards.

I finally took the plunge last week and bought a Pentax K100D + kit (18-55mm) lens. Then I bought a couple more, older manual lenses: 50mm f/1.7 & 135mm f/3.5 primes.

I'm heading out to New Mexico at the end of this week to do a lot of hiking and eating, so there will be pictures forthcoming from that. Then I'm going to the Petit Le Mans @ Road Atlanta on Oct. 6, so more pictures.

I love this thing to death already and I've only had it for 4 days.

And TypeR, the biggest problem with that shot is that it's way, way out of focus. Unless that was intentional?

Tamron and Sigma make quite good 3rd party lenses for most mounts, but each model is different in terms of quality so you need to do a lot of research before you lay down the $$$. Check Nikon forums, as they're full of nuts who spend their entire lives analyzing the resolution charts and whatnot that each lens produces.

Well I still got alot to learn about the camera and what it's capable of...This is like going from a Ford Fistevia to a Chevy Corvette..Atleast thats how I feel, I've been reading the manual but not as much as I should be so I should start reading more, but I just want to go out and take pics. I'm thinking about buying an 80-200mm zoom lense this friday, pending on the price that is. I'm going to check out the nikon forums and see what lenses are good and what are crap, but I'm happy with the camera