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Auto Mode (8.0)
The camera industry seems to be standardizing green as the universal indicator of ultimate simplicity. The Nikon D40's full auto mode has a green position on the mode dial, and it takes care of everything: aperture, shutter speed, flash, focus mode, white balance and “image optimization.” For users who trust the camera better than themselves, going green covers everything it should.
Custom Image Presets (8.0)
Custom image presets are programmed so that the camera does what an experienced photographer would do to get a given sort of picture. The D40's presets include: Auto flash off, which automates exposures but doesn't fire the flash even in dim light. Portrait sets the focus system to focus on the closest subject and opens the aperture to blur the background. Landscape switches optimization to vivid, shuts off the flash and the focus assist light, extends depth of field with small apertures, and sets auto focus to the nearest object. Nearest object may seem like an odd choice, but it will generally give good results because the AF sensors are all at the middle of the frame. A branch or a rock in a corner of the image won't throw it off. Child mode assumes active children so it tries to freeze action with high shutter speeds, while it boosts background colors and softens skin tones. Sports uses high shutter speeds to freeze action and tries to track focus on moving objects. Close up appears to use the center focusing point and boosts colors. Night portrait combines a flash exposure for the foreground with a time exposure for the background.
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Preset Modes
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Auto
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Set for fully automatic default settings of ISO sensitivity, white balance, shutter speed, and flash
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Auto [Flash Off]
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Set for suppressed flash during automatic mode that pre-selects ISO, white balance and shutter speed
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Portrait
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Set for in-focus foreground with higher f/stop for blurred background and pop-up flash
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Landscape
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Set for lower aperture for greater depth of field and suppressed flash
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Child
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Set for faster shutter speed and auto flash
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Sports
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Set for high shutter speed and suppressed flash
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Close Up
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Set for macro mode and pop up flash
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Night Portrait
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Set for slower shutter speed and default flash setting
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The modes work as advertised, though, more experienced users will probably depart from them as unusual situations come up. The Nikon D40 has more scene modes than most DSLRs, probably because it is an entry-level DSLR hoping to attract point-and-shoot graduates that are used to working with scene modes.
Drive / Burst Mode (7.0)
The Nikon D40 has a burst mode, shooting about 2.5 frames per second. 3 fps is more common. The D40's burst mode is not fast enough to catch sports sequences, but it should help with portraits and spontaneous snapshots at parties and with family. The D40 also offers a self-timer with a delay from 2 to 10 seconds.
Playback Mode (7.5)
Playback mode on the Nikon D40 is simple: Pressing the playback button brings up the last image shot. Pressing the thumbnail button, which is also the decrease magnification button, shows 4 or 9 images at a time. The magnification button goes up to 19x, which is enough to judge image sharpness. Like other Nikon DSLRs, the D40 can superimpose shooting information, histograms, and highlights over the playback image as the user operates the 4-way controller. This also accesses the histogram. The slide show function allows the user to choose which folder is played back, but it's not a complex or ambitious slide show.
The best playback feature the D40 inherits from it predecessors is the option of looking at the same zoomed-in section of a series of images. Here's how it works: Zoom in on one image and use the 4-way controller to navigate to a detailed area. Then, turn the control dial. The D40 shows the same detailed area on the next frame. It's great for comparing multiple shots of a single scene.
Movie Mode (0.0)
The Nikon D40 has no movie mode. It lacks a live preview function, and that is necessary to make movies. DSLRs generally don't offer movie modes.
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