Nikon D40x

Reviewed October 2007

Test Photos

STILL LIFE PHOTO

This subject is photographed in a room that has a mix of fluorescent and incandescent light, but which is not brightly lit. The camera's flash is used to add fill light. The backdrop is 1.95 m (6.5 ft) from the camera.

As always when testing a camera that is capable of recording a RAW image — an image that has not sustained a lossy compression to be recorded — most of the images shown here were captured using the RAW format, opened using the "as shot" settings, and then re-saved using the TIFF format.

The AF-S DX Nikkor 18-135 mm f3.5-5.6G IF-ED kit lens was used to capture this wide angle image as, unlike the more voluminous 18-200 mm also used in this review, it does not cast a lens shadow at the bottom of the image when the D40x's pop-up flash is used.

The i-TTL metering yields a very precise exposure, and the white balance correctly evaluates the different light sources and produces an image with accurate colours. The overall sharpness is very good, and could even be increased more using software such as Photoshop.

ZOOM PHOTO

Now we zoom in on a specific area. The intent is to test the sharpness of the image at the zoom's maximum setting. The camera remains at the same distance as with the preceding photo.

For the telephoto image, the 18-200 mm, equivalent at the telephoto end to a 300 mm, was used. The level of detail the camera captures is excellent, as is the sharpness. The depth of field is rather shallow, however, as the Program mode selects the widest aperture possible. The image shows no trace of noise and its colours are fully consistent with those captured with the wide angle end of the kit lens, underlining the accuracy of the D40x's white balance.

MACRO PHOTO

As with all digital SLR cameras, the quality of macro images depends entirely on the lens used. To capture this image, the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200 mm f3.5-5.6G IF-ED zoom was used. At the telephoto end, equivalent to a 300 mm on 35 mm camera, the zoom is able to focus on a subject that is 25 cm (10.4 in.) from the subject, making it possible to capture a field of view that measures approximately 10 cm (3.9 in.) horizontally.

BUILDING PHOTO

This image is our outdoor test. The architecture of the building, in particular the angled girders, immediately show the presence of jaggies. The shadowed entrance can also often reveal the quality of the exposure.

This image was captured using the 18 to 200 mm lens. The exposure the camera yields is excellent, and the highlights contain as much detail as the shadow areas although the scene presented some strong contrasts. Overall sharpness is good, but a slight decrease in sharpness can be detected in the corners of the frame.

ZOOM PHOTO

Zooming in on the entrance of the building, the shadowed entrance takes on a greater importance for the metering and can cause an overexposure of sections that are directly lit.

The 18 to 200 mm zoom includes an optical stabilization system (VR) which allows the use of shutter speeds that would on an unstabilized lens likely result in images blurred by camera shake. Thanks to the VR system, the camera yields a sharp exposure. And, once again, the exposure has the same colour accuracy as the wide angle shot, while revealing detail in both highlights and shadows.

NIGHT PHOTO

Since this camera is capable of long exposures, a photo taken at night is included here.

Able to capture images with timed exposures as long as 30 seconds — the B (Bulb) mode requires the use of the optional remote control — and allowing complete control over all photographic parameters when used in the Manual mode, the only limitation when using the D40x is the imagination of the photographer.

A 30 second exposure at f3.5 and 100 ISO yields an image that is much brighter and detailed than what can be seen with the naked eye.

The D40x provides control over the noise reduction system. In a case such as this that uses the lowest sensitivity of 100 ISO, whether or not the noise reduction is used, the image is noise-free. Indeed, whether the subject is captured with noise reduction or without, the resulting images are identical. And, knowing that noise reduction doubles the time required to capture a long exposure, noise reduction is often unnecessary for images captured between 100 and 400 ISO.