Nikon's D40 Digital SLR Camera

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Nikon is releasing its new D40 digital SLR camera that's designed to offer consumers the ability to get higher quality, impressive looking pictures with the press of a button. While digital SLR cameras are extremely popular among professional photographers, some consumers have shied away from them because they are larger than compact digital cameras and some models can be complicated to the uninitiated user. Nikon addressed these concerns and more by designing the D40 as an ultra-compact, lightweight, 6.1-effective megapixel digital SLR camera with simplified new features, exceptional handling speed, and a redesigned, visually-intuitive menu system that brings digital SLR cameras to a whole new level of simplicity.

The Nikon D40 is always ready to capture priceless expressions or special moments perfectly, eliminating the frustrations typically associated with compact digital cameras. The camera is ready to shoot virtually the instant it is turned on and with the ability to shoot 2.5 pictures per second, non-stop for up to 100 shots, you'll never need to wait for the camera to get ready for the next shot. The camera reacts instantly when the shutter button is pressed ensuring you never miss a great moment. The images are immediately processed and rapidly recorded to the camera's SD memory card.

The back of the D40 is dominated by a refreshingly large and bright 2.5-inch color LCD screen that displays everything from menu options, pictures in playback mode and Nikon's new visually-intuitive information display system that presents camera and shooting information in a clear, graphically represented way. The camera also features built-in help that can be accessed at the touch of a button and new Assist Images that help you select appropriate settings for many camera features by displaying a sample image typical of that setting.

The D40's scene-optimized Digital Vari-Program modes allow users to capture nearly any type of scene without needing to fumble with camera settings. The D40 includes eight preset modes, including a new Flash Off mode that shuts off the camera's flash and boosts its ISO so users can easily take pictures in places where flash photography is not allowed, inappropriate or when they prefer the look of naturally lit pictures. As users gain experience with the camera, the D40 offers advanced controls such as Aperture-priority and Shutter-priority modes that offer greater creative control over the look and feel of their pictures.

The D40's new Retouch menu offers exclusive in-camera image editing features that add to the D40's "fun factor" by providing greater creativity without the need for a computer. Included in the Retouch menu is Nikon's D-Lighting, which brightens dark pictures and Red-eye correction that automatically detects and corrects red eye – a common condition that occurs in flash photography. Image Trim allows for creative cropping of an image and creates smaller files for easy e-mailing. Other creative features include Image Overlay, Small Picture, Monochrome (Black-and-white, Sepia, Cyanotype) and Filter Effects (Skylight, Warm filter, Color balance).

The D40 comes packaged with the new 3X zoom 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens that assures superb picture sharpness and optimum contrast, along with the versatility to capture everything from tight portraits to wide-angle landscapes. The D40 is also compatible with all of Nikon's AF-S and AF-I Nikkor lenses.

For flash photography of subjects at greater distances, the newly announced, light and ultra-compact SB-400 Speedlight proves to be a perfect companion to the D40, providing a simple solution for adding more power and bounce flash capability. Keeping with the D40's remarkable ease of use the SB-400 Speedlight is as simple as sliding it on, turning it on and shooting. The D40 will be available throughout the United States beginning December 2006.

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