Here's Where It Begins.

Today is the start of a new life for me. Ok, not so much. But I have been looking forward to doing this for years and today, my new hobby (or lifestyle?) begins.

I am now the proud owner (thanks to you-know-who-you-are) of a Nikon D40 DSLR photographic device.

After years and years of being a strictly "point and shoot" (PS) guy, this gnawing feeling of "there HAS to be a better way to do this" had been growing within me, and with the birth of my two girls the desire to learn this craft had become irresistible.

I've been researching cameras for months and the irony here is that the Nikon D40 was the FIRST camera that I cut from my list of possibilities due to the fact that it was "old tech" (3 years, holy s**t.) I wanted the latest and greatest and spent dozens of hours pouring over articles, specs, comparisons and reviews.

I had finally made up my mind, I was going for the D90. But then, at the last moment...

Long story short, I realized I know absolutely nothing about DSLR photography. Having the D90 would be nice to grow into, but it was loaded with amazing features that I'd have no idea what to do with (nor do I think I would lament their absence). The D40 just kept coming up in articles because evidently this thing was revolutionary when it was released and many subsequent iterations of this level of camera merely added unnecessary crap to the already battle-proven D40.

Bottom line: this camera is cheap, small, light, has the famous 1/500 flash sync speed, is loaded with features that will keep me busy for months to years, and for $300 LESS than buying 1 D90 with 1 lens I got the D40 and a whole shopping bag full of lenses and accessories. Good way to start. I'm pumped.









So on to the unboxing! The black and gold looks slick.

















Dramatic "box angle"...ohh!
















And we're in! I love the smell of fresh electronics and plastic.
















Contents removed!
















Bada bing, there it is. The Nikon D40 camera body. (look how shitty the low-light pictures are with the compact camera...)











It's a small-body camera, but it has a really nice feel to it. It's a plastic construction but it feels quite rugged and substantial, not "cheap" or "plasticky". (sp?)














Badges are always slick.














Control layout is very comfortable and intuitive for the right index finger. No awkward reaching or obstructive placement. Very comfortable.










Back end is nice and clean and the 2.5" LCD is just big enough without going overboard . Buttons are easily accessible with the thumbs and there's even a nice "thumb groove" on the right side.












I love this camera strap. The yellow logo looks badass and it's pretty comfortable too.








Kit lens, 18-55mm VR f3.5. So far so good. Actually I have no idea how to judge this thing. Yes, it's awesome if not for the simple fact that it's first one I've ever used and I have nothing to compare it to.











Pretty nice, and VERY light considering it has a motor in it.
















There she is, assembled and ready for action.
But wait! There's more!















There it is! The SB-400 flash mounted in the hot shoe. Now we're done.

So there it is, the unboxing and setup of my new Nikon D40. Battery's charging so I haven't had a chance to try it out yet. There's so much to learn about this and I can't wait to get started. So far I love it. The purchasing process was very smooth and Ritz Camera gave me a great deal on the kit and accessories. I was thinking about purchasing online but the idea of having a physical store to walk into and having real people to talk to about this kind of stuff won me over.

Well that's it. I'm hitting the sack.