I’ve entered the world of digital photography with a DSLR.  A good friend of mine said I have “entered the money pit”.  This has become true.  Suddenly, things like aperture, exposure, shutter speeds, etc – have entered my vocabulary.  I’ve spent way too much time on Ken Rockwell’s website.  Researching lenses, flashes, shot composition, and have opened the firehose of information.

I bought a Nikon D40.  I found that after researching, reading, debating, and re-reading, it is the best option for me right now, as opposed to overspending on a body.  By purchasing an older body, with a kit lens, I can really test the waters of how far I want to go with this hobby.  If it turns out I take crummy pictures, I’m not out as much money.  If I fully dive in, its still a great body to learn on, and by realizing its faults, I’ll be better prepared to upgrade.  On the D40 itself, it’s a 6.1MP camera.  Now many people, including myself up until about 2 weeks ago, think that higher megapixel count automatically translates into better pictures.  Not necessarily true.  You can take a blurry 15MP shot just as well as a blurry 6.1MP shot.  Granted, getting that awesome shot with 15 megapixels allows you the flexibility to crop more, but I’d like to hope that I can grow to a point where the shot I take doesn’t require much editing.  Plus, staying with the Nikon line, I know any lens I buy will be compatible with the next body I decide (if ever) to buy.

I’m still learning about the camera, but I think the next items on my list are the following:

Nikon SB-400 Flash

Nikon 35mm f1.8 AF-S

– or –

Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6

Some sample shots that I’ve taken with the D40 and the 18-55mm kit lens.

Nikon D40 - Nikon 18-55mm f5.6

Nikon D40 - Nikon 18-55mm f5.6

(before white-balance lesson, and just a bit of blur) - Nikon D40 - Nikon 18-55mm f5

One Response to “Nikon D40 – A Brave New World”

  1. Jason Yu Says:

    Good camera, I also use Nikon camera.

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