(nytimes.com) - Like many recent digital single-lens-reflex cameras, the new Nikon D40 is considerably smaller than its corporate siblings. At $600 with a zoom lens, it is also substantially less expensive. In an attempt to distinguish itself from competitors, however, the 6.1-megapixel D40 takes a novel approach to giving photographers advice on how to use it, reports Trend.
Users of the D40, which Nikon is unveiling today and will start selling next month, can preview the effects of different settings by viewing sample photos on the camera's screen. For those who are unsure if a higher f-stop number means that more or less light is reaching the camera, an animation shows the size of the lens opening.
In order to shrink the camera, Nikon has eliminated the smaller black-and-white display that its other digital S.L.R.'s use to show camera settings. A small motor was also eliminated, so the camera does not autofocus when used with lenses that require the motor to turn their focusing rings.
The D40 does work with Nikon's AF-S lenses that have built-in focusing motors and with the electronic system in some lenses for preventing blurry photos caused by unsteady hands.