Nikon D40

Reviewed December 2006

Interface & Software

Interface

Very likely as a cost-saving measure the D40 is not equipped with an LCD display panel to indicate basic settings. Instead, a the D40 relies on a display screen that uses the monitor. However, Nikon has designed an original interface that not only shows current settings but can be used to change a number of parameters. Moreover, the interface can be configured by the user to show settings as a mix of text, numbers, icons or graphics, and with or without a background photo. The INFO button, positioned next to the shutter release, allows displaying the shooting info screen briefly to ascertain current settings.

The menu of the D40 is composed of 5 sections, and is very easy to understand as each option is spelled out clearly, the text contrasting well on the background. Navigation through the menu depends on the tabs on the left, and each section loops back to the beginning when the last option in it is reached. For those options that offer a help screen, a appears at the bottom of the screen, and the help can be displayed by pressing the button that is part of the column of buttons located to the left of the monitor.

The Setup section of the menu is located in fourth position, and offers the following settings:

• CSM/Setup Menu controls the number of options that are displayed when the Custom menu is accessed:
  • Simple: only shows basic options.
  • Full: displays all options.
  • Custom: allows selecting which options will be shown in the Playback, Shooting Custom, Setup and Retouch menus.
• Format Memory Card: serves to format the memory card, deleting all images including those that have been protected.
• Info Display Format: provides a choice presentation for the Info Display screen: Classic displays a screen that looks like a top mounted LCD display, Graphic blends text, numbers and icons with or without a background image or graphic. The Display screen can be set separately for P, S, A, M modes and for the Digital Vari-Programs.

• Auto Shooting Info: this option decides whether or not the Info Display Screen is automatically shown when the camera is turned on, and is only turned off while the shutter release is pressed. The way the display operates can be set independently for the advanced modes and the Digital Vari-Programs.
• World Time: serves to set the internal clock and calendar of the D40 and its format. In addition, the local time zone can be selected, as well as whether or not daylight savings time is in effect.

• LCD Brightness: allows adjusting the brightness of the monitor over ± 2 levels.
• Video Mode decides the signal output by the D40: NTSC or PAL.
• Language serves to select the interface language: German, English, Spanish, Finnish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese or Korean.
• Image Comment: allows adding a comment to an image using a keyboard that is displayed on the monitor. Image comments added this way can then be seen using the supplied software.
• USB serves to set the USB protocol:
  • PTP: to print directly to a PictBridge compliant printer.
  • Mass Storage: to transfer images to a computer.

The remaining options are only displayed when the first option, CSM/Setup Menu, is set to Full:

• Folders: serves to create, rename or delete folders into which photos are stored.

• File Number Sequence:
  • Off: files are numbered starting with 0001 when a new folder is created, or when the memory card is formatted, or when a new memory card is used.
  • On: images are numbered sequentially up to 9999, then the camera creates a new folder and restarts numbering images as of 0001.
  • Reset: uses the same method as the On setting, but starts a new folder every time the camera is powered on.

• Mirror Lock-up: serves to lock up the mirror so that the low-pass filter located in front of the CCD can be cleaned.
• Firmware Version: displays the version of the firmware loaded on the camera (Version 1.00 with the D40 tested for this review).
• Dust Off Reference Photo: serves to capture an image of a white surface so it can be used later by Capture NX to remove any dust on the sensor that may have been recorded on other images.
• Auto Image Rotation: decides whether images are shown in their correct orientation in playback.

An excellent printed manual is supplied with the D40. All the options and functions are clearly explained, and in a way that makes it accessible to all types of users, from novice to advanced. The camera buttons and controls are clearly detailed at the outset of the manual, and each button or control is referenced to a page number, making it simple to understand the function of all controls.

Software

(Note that the software supplied with the D40 may not be the same from country to country).

Two CDs are supplied with the D40: Nikon PictureProject 1.7 and the Reference Manual for PictureProject in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format and in a variety of languages.

Picture Project is the primary program supplied with the D40, serving to transfer images, organize files and do some basic editing. The program also serves to view RAW files and re-save them into more common file formats. Picture Project also provides tools to create slide shows, send copies of photos via e-mail, or burn compilations onto CD or DVD.

With an image selected, the Edit button at the top of the window, offers options to adjust the brightness of the image, process it using D-Lighting, which brightens up dark areas without affecting any others, adjust colours, control sharpness, straighten the image, or even create a copy in black and white or sepia.

In addition, a series of tools that are positioned at the top left of the window make it possible to change its orientation, trim it, or apply red-eye reduction.

Nikon includes on the same CD a 30-day Trial Version of its more advanced RAW editor Capture NX. In fact this is a program much more suited to the capabilities of the D40, and it is regrettable that it is not included with the camera.

Capture NX is the professional image processing program from Nikon. Its interface is relatively complex (at right), but it allows organizing the various tools as desired.

Capture NX is a powerful program that is specially designed to manipulate Nikon's RAW (.NEF) files. The program allows retouching images either globally, or using special tools in a very precise and localized way. Once processed, RAW images can be saved as (CMYK or RGB, using either 8 or 16 bits and with or without LZW compression), or as JPEG at any of 5 different compression levels or using a compression percentage.