Nikon D40x

Nikon's brand new 10 megapixel digital SLR offers high resolution in a beginner-friendly package.

The Nikon D40x is neither an upgrade for the 6-megapixel D40 model, nor a replacement for the D80.Instead, it sits slightly uncomfortably between the two models, further expanding Nikon's range of budget and enthusiast SLRs. Essentially it's a D80 sensor in a D40 body. A curious road for Nikon to have gone down and confusing choice for the first-time buyer of a DLSR.

Examine the D40x and the only obvious difference between it and the D40 is the increased sensor resolution. The camera's design , controls and functions appear to be identical to Nikon's entry-level model in ever other respect. There's a substantial price difference of Rm500 for that extra resolution so the D40x has a lot to prove. And we mustn't forget that one of the Nikon 40x's chief rivals, the Canon EOS 400D , is now selling for around RM 100 less than the D40x.


Picture Quality

So let's start with the picture quality, since the sensor's resolution will probably be one of the main reasons for anyone choosing the D40X improvement. Well, the definition of the JPEGs from the D40X is definitely as good as anything we've seen from any 10 megapixel DLSR on the market, though the chromatic aberration that's sometimes shown by the 18-85mm kit lens, towards the edges of the frame , is a reminder that this is a camera that definitely been built down to a price. So, yes the pictures do have mode definition , but it's unlikely to be very obvious in prints of A4 size or smaller.

The Nikon D40X manages to see off the Canon 400D on the definition front, but that's mainly because the Canon's JPEGs on the oddly "soft"