Nikon D40

A surreal combination of elderly Nikon D40 and Tamron SP 35mm F1.8 Di VC lens. The lens is designed for use on full frame cameras whereas the D40 is a cropped sensor instrument. You'd think that using just the centre of the optics would produce a good result. Yet the processing of this was actually quite dramatic.

The dying Nikon D70s was returned to the dealer who agreed to a refund. Meanwhile, I researched the 6MP CCD Sony sensor which Nikon were using at that time (2004 - 08) and observed it was also fitted to the Nikon D40 of that period. And so I found a nearly-new D40 at a different dealer which is teamed up here with the Nikkor 18-70mm lens which was contemporaneous. I tried the D40 with a much more recent Tamron 35mm prime lens as well, but curiously it performed nowhere near as well as the venerable 18-70mm. ISO 200; focal length 25mm (37mm FF field of view); 1/100th; f/5.

More activity with the 'new' Nikon D40 with its 6MP CCD sensor. In this photograph it is accompanied by the Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm VR lens.

More activity with the 'new' Nikon D40 with its 6MP CCD sensor. In this photograph it is accompanied by the Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm VR lens.

More activity with the 'new' Nikon D40 with its 6MP CCD sensor. In this photograph it is accompanied by an old series E Nikon lens from the Nikon EM era, the 75-150mm f/3.5 zoom. Whilst it is possible to mount this lens on the D40, that is it: no metering, no AF (obviously), and only manual mode. There's a bit of guesswork involved, and some haphazard results. The viewfinder on a D40 isn't very bright and in bright sunlight the picture you get on the rear LCD is hard to interpret.

Nikon D40 + Nikkor 18-70mm lens at 70mm (equivalent to a field of view of 105mm in a full frame camera). 400 ISO; f/5; 1/400th.

Jephson Gardens, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. The hottest June day since 1976. I took only my 'new' Nikon D40 with an 18-70mm lens (which gives a field of view like a 28-105mm on a full frame set-up). Later, I ruminated on the difference in weight between this combination and a D700 with a 28-105mm AF-D lens. The D700 combination weighs more than half as much again. That's not something you really want when your shirt is sticking to your back.

Nikon D40 + Nikkor 18-200mm lens at 80mm (equivalent to a field of view of 120mm in a full frame camera). 800 ISO; f/5.3; 1/50th.

East Somerset Railway, Cranmore. Nikon D40 and AF-S Nikkor 28-200mm VR lens. Shot at a focal length of 200mm (multiply that by 1.5 for the equivalent field of view for a full-frame camera).

East Somerset Railway, Cranmore. Nikon D40 and AF-S Nikkor 28-200mm VR lens. Shot at a focal length of 32mm (multiply that by 1.5 for the equivalent field of view for a full-frame camera).

East Somerset Railway, Cranmore. Nikon D40 and AF-S Nikkor 28-200mm VR lens. Shot at a focal length of 200mm (multiply that by 1.5 for the equivalent field of view for a full-frame camera).

Weymouth, Dorset. Photographed with my Nikon D40, a newly-acquired camera, practically new in a carton missing only the kit lens. Not bad for £59. And light as a feather (nearly).

Among the many curtailments to usual life brought about by the Corona Virus is the simple pleasure of travelling on the railway. This photograph was taken through a dirty carriage window whilst my train was standing at Castle Cary station in Somerset.

I am getting many more photographs by using a cheap lightweight Nikon D40 with an AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G lens. I will readily concede, however, that contrast and fidelity would be improved by using a zoom lens with a smaller range of focal lengths, and that there is no comparison with a decent prime lens. This was shot at 105mm (a 157mm full-frame equivalent) using an aperture of f/5.6. It would probably have had greater clarity at f/8 or f/11. Back to school for TLC.

East Somerset Railway, Cranmore. Nikon D40 and AF-S Nikkor 28-200mm VR lens. Shot at a focal length of 200mm (multiply that by 1.5 for the equivalent field of view for a full-frame camera).

Nikon D40 and Tamron SP 35mm F1.8 Di VC lens. The D40 has a crop sensor and so pairing it with a 35mm lens makes using it like the old days of film when you bought a camera with a standard 50mm lens.