J got me this Nikon D40 SLR camera. I am so excited! I have been wanting a new digital camera for about 3 years. The one I have been using thus far has served me well and is about 6 years old. It's a
Mintola DiMAGE s414 and has suffered a big fall at ancient ruins in Thailand, a million road trips and family vacations and was basically on it's last legs.
I was ton between getting another digital point and shoot, with a much slimmer profile, or jumping into the digital SLR world. I took photography in high school and learned all about F-stops and composition, lighting and aperture on a 35 mm manual Panasonic. But since then I've pretty much just used point and shoots (first 35 mm and then digital).
So I am excited. This is an entry level DSLR and according to it's product description, I should be able to use it pretty much straight out of the box:
The D40 is a compact and lightweight high-performance camera that makes it possible for anyone to create stunning images with an SLR. Designed specifically for ease of use, the D40 lets you use the kind of digital and optical technologies that professionals use without the need to deal with complex functions. Whatever you shoot there is an automated Digital Vari Program that lets you achieve fantastic results in any situation. Help menus are easy to navigate and the in-camera retouch menu makes it simple to edit and enhance your images on the large, bright 2.5-inch LCD monitor. Perfect for people who want an affordable camera to explore what it is that makes SLR photography stand out, the D40 is so user-friendly that all you have to do is concentrate on the scene you want to photograph and the camera's advanced Nikon technologies will take care of the rest.
So here's to becoming obsessed with lenses, accessories and all things Photoshop. I plan to get a good grip on how to use this thing before our little one arrives, since we all know she'll be ready for her close-up!
