For all its power , the D40x is a wonder of size and design . Like its lower - priced sibling , the D40x is compact and lightweight , but its building is solid . There are n’t a lot of extraneous buttons on the tv camera body , and the ones that are present are well - position and well approachable . The 2.5 - in LCD on the back is bright and clear , viewable in all but the brightest sunshine .
The D40x starts up immediately , and you’re able to take your first picture less than a second after powering it up . The camera offers fully automatic shot and a group of modality for different circumstance , like landscapes , portraiture , sports , night crack , close - ups , and more . touch all the bases , the D40x can also engage manually , or in aperture- and shutter - priority manner . A lamp on the front of the camera helps with autofocus in abject light , and the daddy - up flash has a red - centre modal value . The flash also works well in fill - twinkling situations , have you lighten up the foreground to recompense for backlighting , for object lesson .
you’re able to continuously sprout 3 image per second with the D40x , up more or less from the 2.5 images per second possible with the D40 . If you ’re shooting in sensitive format , you could shoot a maximum of 6 images continuously . I was capable to get 15 to 20 consecutive shot at the maximum rate when shooting in JPEG data formatting .
The D40x has a well - chosen set of feature of speech for novices , and their demonstration is n’t overpowering or daunting . To help keep you from getting lost in the details , the D40x has an excellent built - in assistance system : If you are n’t certain what a setting will do , simply push the “ ? ” button and a little help blind tonic up on the LCD .
The tv camera ’s image quality is superb , particularly from ISO 100 to 800 ; colour noise increases when you shoot at ISO 1600 or 3200 , but that is normal for most DSLRs in this price range . Noise was most unmistakable when zooming or printing images out at sizes larger than 11 inches by 17 inch .
you could also hold some image transition in the photographic camera . For exemplar , you could use Nikon ’s D - Lighting feature to light up backlit images , or you could do a rudimentary crop on an image , or overlay a dark and a light version of a photo to create one that uses the best tonic range of a function from each photo .
The only downsides I could find with the D40x will be minor issues for most newfangled DSLR possessor . While I could live without exposure bracketing — take away a chronological sequence of photos at slightly different exposure preferences — it would have been nice to see Nikon put a depth of field trailer into the D40x , since it ’s such an all important concept and one worth experience , even as a new drug user . Also , although dust was n’t a problem with the building block I had , I would like to have seen Nikon incorporate some kind of junk reduction scheme , specially since Canon , Olympus , and others are move in this direction .
performance
Scale is Superior , Very Good , Good , Fair , and Poor .
specifications
How we tested : The image - quality rating of the camera is based upon a panel of judges ’ ruling in five family : exposure , people of colour , keenness , distortion , and overall . Battery life testers follow a precise playscript , including shots with and without flash , until the stamp battery dies.—Tested in conjunction with the PC World Test Center
Macworld’s buying advice
If you ’re a novice photographer looking to move up to a DSLR , choose the D40x over the D40 will mostly add up down to whether you need more megapixels ( for bigger prints and more resolution for beneficial cropping ) , a quicker burst mode , and a slightly wide ISO reach . If you ’re just look for a weekend or holiday camera for snap , the D40 is probably all you need . The D40x is $ 100 less than the Digital Rebel XTi with a comparable lens , and the Nikon has a wondrous , wanton to use finger about it . Just make certain that the features you wo n’t get with the D40x — exposure bracketing , depth of field preview , and automatic sensing element junk cleaning — aren’t that important to you .
[ Rick LePage isMacworld ’s editor program at large and an editor in chief atcompletedigitalphotography.com . ]
