Actually, the most compelling thing about this D40 replacement seems to be the new menu system. Switching to it from the standard menu gives the user three options: Shoot, view/delete and setup. If they go into shoot, it'll walk them through and explain different camera techniques in plain ol' English, like widening the aperture to create a "blurred background" effect.

This camera would be a much more powerful proposition with a lower street price than $600, since it'd undercut the similarly priced and spec'd Canon XS—you'll be able to find it for less, especially around the holidays, sure. But it's much more tempting to throw the extra $200-$250 at the more capable D5000, which, above all else, shoots video.

THE NEW NIKON D3000 PROVIDES AN EASY PATH TO FANTASTIC PHOTOS
Combines Proven Technology with Easy-to-Use Interface to Create Affordable, Approachable Entry-Level D-SLR Camera

MELVILLE, N.Y. (JULY 30, 2009) – Today, Nikon Inc. announced the D3000 digital SLR camera, an affordable answer for users looking to experience the superiority of digital SLR photography or enthusiasts seeking a capable, compact D-SLR. The 10.2-megapixel D3000 has features that make it easier than ever to take great pictures, including the new Guide Mode, which lends a smart helping hand to new D-SLR users, and an extensive Retouch Menu, enabling consumers to edit photos, even without a computer. The D3000, which offers an 11-point autofocus system, also leverages proven Nikon D-SLR technologies, including the exclusive EXPEED™ image processing, Active D-Lighting system and 3D Color Matrix Metering II, enabling entry-level D-SLR shooters to take stunning pictures.

"The D3000 combines the best of both worlds, providing picture takers with the ease-of-use currently offered in point-and-shoot cameras alongside the speed, precision and exceptional results that have made Nikon D-SLRs so popular," said Edward Fasano, general manager for Marketing, SLR Systems Products at Nikon Inc. "The D3000 offers everyone the ability to discover the superiority of D-SLR photography at an affordable price point. We look forward to enabling more consumers to explore the possibilities of D-SLR picture taking and, more importantly, capture life's memories faithfully."
Intuitive Assistance On-the-Fly

The D3000 includes the all-new Guide Mode with an easy-to-use interface to help new photographers build confidence in using a D-SLR with step-by-step instruction and inspiration. The Guide Mode, easily accessed by the Mode dial on the top of the camera, displays a variety of shooting situations via the LCD screen, indicating the most appropriate settings for a particular scenario. Users can also see sample photos on the LCD screen, which illustrate the effects of different photo-taking techniques. The Guide Mode also helps users easily review, organize and delete images.

Whether new to D-SLR photography or simply mastering new shooting techniques, the D3000's Guide Mode assists users in exploring effective picture taking solutions at their own pace to make capturing great pictures even easier.

Small in Size, Big on Features
With elegant ergonomics, softly rounded corners, and a comfortable grip, the D3000 packs powerful technology into a compact form factor. Though the D3000 is tiny when compared to professional D-SLR cameras, it boasts a large, bright three-inch 230,000-dot LCD screen, and now features an easier-to-read font size, 20 percent larger than in previous Nikon D-SLRs.

Quick performance and response are at the core of the D3000's design and its 11-point Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus system makes it easy to find and focus on a subject. Also, the D3000 offers split-second shutter response, eliminating the frustration of shutter lag, as well as the ability to capture images up to three frames per second, allowing users capture every moment. Users can enjoy the benefits of Nikon's advanced 3D Subject Tracking, which continuously focuses on a fast moving subject throughout the frame.

The D3000 provides multiple ways for users to engage with their pictures, post capture. It uses Nikon's extensive in-camera Retouch Menu, which allows users to easily apply a variety of fun and dramatic effects to their images even when away from a computer. The D3000 introduces a new Miniature effect, which changes the appearance of distant subjects to look like close-ups of miniature models. The D3000 also inherits the Soft Filter and Color Outline Retouch options from the D5000, allowing users to express their photography in a new and artistic way. As with all Nikon D-SLRs, the camera creates the new retouched image, while preserving the original.

For users who want to take their creativity to the next level, the D3000 also includes the ability to capture images in the NEF (RAW) format, in addition to traditional JPEG. Images captured with D3000 in the NEF (RAW) format include a greater amount of image data, which in turn, affords finer image control and higher uncompressed lossless image quality. With NEF (RAW) images, users can fine-tune the appearance of an image with simple adjustments to things like exposure, color saturation, brightness, and overall tone – especially in the post-production process. Users can use Capture NX 2, Nikon's powerful image editing software, to achieve these desired effects.

Nikon extends the creativity with Stop-Motion Movie Mode. With this mode, users can choose a collection of images within the D3000's Retouch Menu, and the camera then compiles and stitches them into a fun and creative video file.

Renowned Nikon Technology
The D3000 leverages proven Nikon technologies to create the most positive picture taking experience for consumers. The D3000 delivers highly detailed images with vibrant color reproduction and low noise across a broad ISO range, due to its 10.2-megapixel CCD image sensor coupled with Nikon's exclusive EXPEED image processing system. The D3000's normal ISO range extends from ISO 100 to 1600, allowing for low light versatility. Additionally, the D3000's ISO range can expand to a Hi-1 setting of ISO 3200, furthering the opportunities for shots that other cameras miss.

The D3000 also makes use of Nikon's Active D-Lighting system, which automatically compensates to reveal veiled details in shadows and highlights in high-contrast situations. For instance, when selected, Nikon's Active D-Lighting can improve the appearance of fine detail in a person's face that was previously hidden in dark shadows or bring out the highlights in a beautifully backlit landscape.

Nikon's exclusive 3D Color Matrix Metering II, in conjunction with the EXPEED image processing system, contributes to the D3000's ability to capture breathtaking images by instantly evaluating the exposure elements of each scene and comparing it to an onboard database of information from more than 30,000 images. These split-second calculations allow the D3000 to ensure beautiful exposures-even when conditions are extreme.

The D3000 also incorporates Nikon's Integrated Dust Reduction System, which offers a comprehensive solution that combats the accumulation of image-degrading dust from the camera's image sensor. The system not only utilizes an active sensor cleaning function that activates whenever the camera is turned on or off, but also the Airflow Control System to redirect dust particles, limiting their ability to reach the sensor.

System Expandability
Photographers and enthusiasts alike can also appreciate the D3000's system expandability, as the camera can work in conjunction with a variety of Nikon accessories, including a broad assortment of legendary NIKKOR AF-S interchangeable lenses. While the D3000 offers a versatile built-in flash, the camera is also compatible with Nikon's Creative Lighting System and capable of Advanced Wireless Lighting when using the SB-900 Speedlight or the SU-800 Wireless Commander.

The D3000's design also supports Eye-Fi memory card functionality, enabling the convenient wireless transfer of images from the D3000 to a computer, when using Eye-Fi memory cards.* Additionally, photos can be securely written to readily available SD cards, high-capacity SDHC cards and Eye-Fi memory cards, offering users a range of data storage options.

Price and Availability
The D3000 outfit, including the versatile AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR image stabilization lens, is scheduled to be available at Nikon Authorized dealers beginning in late August 2009 at an estimated selling price of $599.95.** For more information, please visit www.nikonusa.com.

Like I said, the differences are subtle, but you can spot them if you look carefully. The rubber hood around the viewfinder has been flared out for more protection, and the selector wheel is now flat and made from metal, not plastic.There are, of course, some nice hardware improvements here. For starters, not enough of a noise was made about the fact that the $750 kit comes with a vibration-reduction VR lens. The lens is otherwise the same specification as the D40x's 18mm-55mm lens, but it's a nice boost. Like Olympus and others, the D60 adds an Image Sensor Cleaning system, which alerts you to its activity with a little animation at start-up and shut-down. The third hardware upgrade is an internal incline sensor that tells the "visually intuitive" display which way to orient itself.The standard info display now has a bit more animation, too: when you turn the selector wheel on the top of the camera, you see the options roll on the screen.When it comes to handling, there's not much difference between the two cameras. Also, unlike most other major entry-level DSLRs, Nikon's update did not include a "live view" LCD video viewfinder feature. Still, there are some tricks that make it a fun—though by no means necessary—step up.

Mainly, I'm talking about the stop-motion feature. Shoot all you want, drop into the menus and select the Stop Motion option, and choose your start image and stop image. The camera processes the rest in seconds, and when you look at your memory card, there's a nice, universally accessible AVI, ready to go. This one below was a quickie—let's just call it a 30-second proof of concept. [D60 on Giz]

Another note: If you're looking to spend all the way up to $800, the XT and D40's bigger brothers, the XTi and D40x, are both available with a lens for under $700 from Amazon, and Newegg's throwing in a free 1GB CF card and 60GB external hard drive with the XTi. You can't go wrong either way. [Laptop Mag]

Rip Off Of Where to begin? The whole have-Joe-Q.-Public-try-it approach is classic infomercial, though the production values here are way higher. The spirit of the commercial is actually more akin to that of the recent Chevy spots featuring John Mellencamp's "Our Country." Both are centered around slice-of-life visuals of archetypal small-town Americans—no disaffected goths or skate punks, please. Heck, they even go so far as to have one of Georgetowns ponytailed shutterbugs blurt out, "Gotta have a picture of the American flag!" Yes, we get it—true patriots use digicams, and DSLRs at that.

The Spin The obvious message is that the D40 is perfect for entry-level photographers, even those who might be frightened by the sizeable lens. Nikon realizes that everyone and his brother now has a point-and-shoot digicam; it wants to get folks comfortable with splashing out some extra scratch on DSLRs like the D40, with the upside being higher quality pictures. Not that there's much discussion of specs in this ad, aside from a brief mention of shutter delay. The spot instead harps on how easy it is to use the D40, a point that's made head-thunkingly clear when the narrator's soothing voice intones, "There's really nothing to it." He's right, of course; the 6.1-megapixel, 17-ounce D40 is a winner, and a good value to boot: Sam's Club, for example, currently has the body plus an 18-55mm lens priced at $559.95.

Counterspin Curious how the phrase "DSLR" is never mentioned in this commercial. It makes me wonder how consumers will react upon learning that the D40 is priced hundreds more than perfectly serviceable 6-megapixel point-and-shoots such as the Canon PowerShot SD700. Granted, the Nikon D40 is a superior camera, but does this commercial make that case? Not really—the aim here is to demystify DSLRs, albeit (strangely) without actually making clear what a DSLR is. Nikon seems to be hoping that the ad will direct viewers to the Picturetown website to learn about the camera's technical aspects. Might've helped, though, if they actually mentioned the site's URL in the ad.

Takeaway The digicam revolution seems to have caught Nikon somewhat unawares. The longtime choice of professionals, Nikon hasn't made the smoothest transition from analog to digital; when I was camera shopping last winter, no fewer than three pro photojournalists warned me to stay away from high-end Nikon digicams, due to durability issues. Yet Nikon hasn't found particular success with its low-end Coolpix line, either. So the D40 (and its 10.2-megapixel successor, the D40x) represents a fresh strategy for the fabled camera maker: budget DSLRs geared toward everyday shooters, rather than the camera geek crowd. But does that demographic really need DSLRs, especially as fewer and fewer photos are printed out? And will the neophytes get freaked out upon learning that DSLRs feature removable lenses? Budget DSLRs might be a good long-term play, but Nikon could also be getting a little ahead of itself.

Hype-O-Meter 4.5 (out of 10). This is very much an eye-of-the-beholder ad, and thus a tough one to judge. But I'm not prone to sentimentality, so I didn't exactly tear up upon seeing all those happy cheerleaders and barbers enjoying their D40s. If anything, the commercial struck me as sorta condescending—Nikon seems to be saying, "Hey, if these numbskulls can use D40s, then a much smarter person such as yourself surely can." But above all, I thought the Americana angle rang false, not least of all because Madison Avenue seems to have handpicked an unbelievably photogenic crew. What, no one in Georgetown has neck tattoos or wears "I'm Going Nucking Futs" T-shirts? Hard to believe.

Brendan I. Koerner is a contributing editor at Wired and a columnist for both The New York Times and Slate. His Hype Sheet column appears every Thursday on Gizmodo.

Read more Hype Sheet

One of the biggest promos is that it's compact for an SLR. On one hand, "compact SLR" has a similar ring to "tall midget." You know, too much of a qualification. The E-410 may be relatively small but it's still a big freakin' camera. Nevertheless, you'll see in the first shot below that the 13.6-ounce E-410 body is significantly smaller than Nikon's baby DSLR, the D40, which is the same size as the 10-megapixel upgrade D40x and weighs just over 16 ounces. In fact, the E-410 is almost as small as Olympus' 18X zoom point-and-shoot, the SP-550 UZ, compared in the second shot. The lithium-ion battery designed for this smaller body gets a reported 400 shots per charge, which should put it roughly in the middle of the pack.

When it comes to taking pictures, I shoot plenty, and I know a few things about shutter speeds and f-stops. Still, I'm no pro jock. Fortunately, neither is anyone who would seriously consider this camera. The E-410 is aimed squarely at people who plan to step up from a point-and-shoot, for more versatility and overall nicer-looking pictures.

If that's your aim, you could do far worse than buy an E-410. Live View certainly helps people who have gotten used to framing shots on the large LCD, rather than squinting into a viewfinder. In Live View, there's even a little targeting computer for the auto focus. When you activate it, you digitally zoom in 10X without affecting the frame of your shot, to hyper-focus on a particular item.

The 10-megapixel resolution is, itself, a helpful item for beginners, since it allows you to crop a shot closer without suffering from any digital pixelation. And the settings, Olympus' standard grid pattern of options such as flash, image quality and ISO setting, are easy to access once you get the button sequence down. It's intuitive, possibly more-so than the D40, whose interface relies more heavily on the large LCD than than Nikon's previous D models.

Outdoors, with plenty of light, proved to be the best environment for shooting in the E-410's automatic modes. Colors came out rich, with decent contrast most of the time. Though I typically prefer the viewfinder for shooting, the high-contrast display did well in the blazing sunlight for both Live View and post-shot review.

Shooting with a flash indoors was a mixed bag. If there was enough ambient light, the flash filled in only what was necessary, and shots came out bright without that artificial sheen. In instances with lower natural light, however, the camera took a while to make the focus, exposure and light adjustments before committing to the shot. By that point, my subjects (a pair of gray cats named Wade and Wynona) might have wandered off or stopped doing the cute thing I was hoping to immortalize. This is not a problem I've encountered with the Nikon D40. The good news is that when the camera finally did make the shot, whatever was in frame appeared properly lighted and not at all washed out—even at close range.

My biggest complaint about the E-410 is that, using the Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 lens that comes in the two-lens deluxe kit, I didn't have a very good time shooting in low light without a flash. Automatic shutter-speed adjustment meant a slow, blurry exposure, even in ambient light that many point-and-shoots can negotiate. The Nikon D40, by comparison, performs admirably well in low light with its 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 Nikkor lens.

You can see examples from the camera in the gallery below.

The camera body comes by itself or in two kits. Body only is $700, a kit with a single lens is $800, and a kit with two lenses, the 14-42mm plus a 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 will cost you $900.

Olympus' follow-up to the E-410 will be the E-510, out in a few weeks. They both have the above-mentioned features, plus the "supersonic wave filter" dust demolisher that Olympus prides itself on. (Can someone please tell me why it's not an "ultrasonic" wave filter?) In addition, the E-510 has a bigger hand grip and optical image stabilization, and will cost $100 more than E-410 in each of the three configurations.

I know, you want me to tell you whether you should spend your hard-earned $800 on this for your mom's Mother's Day gift. If relative size and the Live View feature are important to Mommy dearest, then yes. Otherwise, spend a tad more on the slightly larger, better performing Nikon D40x. – Wilson Rothman

[Olympus]

Besides that speed bump and megapixel change, the rest of the D40x is almost exactly the same as its predecessor. It's notable that the megapixel count and viewscreen size of 2.5 inches on the D40x are identical to that of its big brother, the Nikon D80. The D40x will be available next month for $729.95 for the body only or $799.95 for the package including its 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S lens.

Nikon also introduced another longer zoom lens to go with this new camera. Check out the info about that, plus a gallery of pics of this latest Nikon DSLR:

At the same time as this announcement Nikon rolled out the $249.95 AF-S DX VR 55-200 mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED lens, giving users the 35mm equivalent of an 82.5 - 300mm lens. It's a 3.66x zoom with vibration reduction (VR) which Nikon says lets you take photos with a shutter speed that's three stops slower than you would need without that stabilization.

We'll have our hands-on impressions of the camera from the show floor at PMA, coming up later this week. – Charlie White

Nikon D40x DSLR Preview [LetsGoDigital]

It's as small as it is cheap. Yes it is...you're a liddle-widdle DSLR, aren't you! That's because this Nikon's lost the LCD up top that shows settings for exposure. And it loses its built in lens motor, so it can't autofocus except with those lenses using built-in motors. Still, this camera is way less expensive than Canon's budget DSLR, the XTi, even with a lens. (That's $599 vs $799 for the Xti Body only.) Sure, it has 6MP instead of 10, but I'd take the extra stop of light sensitivity (3200 vs 1600 on the XTi) over the extra useless megapixels, anyday. In theory, anyhow.

Of course, I have a few issues with this cam. Read on for sample shots, or click through the gallery to see the shiny new cam in all its cuteness.

I'm not a pro photographer, but I almost was. So, I cannot live without the LCD that shows me shutter speed, aperture settings, etc, though. Having said that, the amateur will appreciate the fact that this camera gives advice when a photo is set to be under or overexposed. See:

If you're going to use this thing in a semi-automatic or fully automatic mode, though, fire away. It was clear that every shot was vibrant and rich. Exposure was terrific. Maybe post processed with some sort of "LIFE IS AWESOME" filter. This chair top, which I snapped accidentally, is NOT supposed to be that red:

Low light performance was not on par with the Canon 30D I use that has an equivalent 3200 ISO rating. Basically, the grain goes out of control at 1600 and beyond, and I couldn't use it in good conscience at this level. Colors remained good, but maybe that was the bright LCD on the back of the camera talking. (Take my critique of color accuracy with a grain of salt then.) See these photos. The grainier one is the Nikon, while the Canon is the more expensive 30D. But this is what you're not getting:

The LCD is a lot brighter on the Nikon than on my 30D. And the Camera's lens feels entry level, and is a bit on the slow side. And it takes SD cards instead of CF, which is cool for amateurs.

In the end, let the fact that I'm comparing this $600 dollar camera to a full featured DSLR say something. It's a steal. At this price, you could get one instead of a point and shoot. You might miss the video functions most pocket cams rock these days. But if you're in it for photography's sake, your pictures will be nicer for it.

Just my two-cents. If you're a photography wonk, you'll likely want a deeper review. For that, head on over to a site like DPreview.com or DCresource.com. They'll do you right once their reviews are up. –Brian Lam

Nikon D40 [Gizmodo]

You do lose the ability to run autofocus on lenses without built in motors, though. So you're limited to AF with Nikon's AF-S and AF-I lenses, which may limit your upgrade path. The price? Astoundingly low at $599 with a 3x lens. (The fairly ok, "18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens". Who the hell names these things?)

A pretty sweet camera, but clearly in a different price range than the Canon Rebel XTi. We'll see how it does when the full reviews start rolling in.

Jump for more shots from all angles, plus a great screen grab of the menus.

–Brian Lam

Nikon D40 DSLR [DP Review]

Jump to see another sexy picture (hint: it is of the ass).

– Travis Hudson

Nikon D40 [Livingroom]