With all the rumors circulating about the possible release of Nikon D40, it really came as no surprise today when Nikon officially announced their latest digital SLR. The Nikon D40 is designed to be a digital SLR for the masses, striking a healthy balance between performance and price. Costing as little as $500, the D40 will combine some of the features found in the older D50 and the brand new D80.

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Official Press Release

NIKON UNVEILS NEW D40 – THE SMALLEST AND EASIEST-TO-USE NIKON DIGITAL SLR EVER [DETAILED PRESS RELEASE]

[DETAILED PRESS RELEASE]

* D40 Inherits Incredible Picture Quality from Nikon’s Photographic Expertise, Making it Easy for Everyone to Take Breathtaking Pictures
* Features an All-New, Visually Intuitive Interface, In-Camera Editing and Built-In Help Features for Just $599.95** With a 3X Zoom-Nikkor Lens

MELVILLE, NY, NOVEMBER 16, 2006 – Nikon, (www.nikondigital.com) the world leader in high quality digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology, today unveiled its new D40, the latest addition to its comprehensive line of digital SLR cameras. Designed to bring the picture performance, excitement and experience of Nikon’s digital SLR cameras to more customers than ever before, the D40 is an ultra-compact, lightweight 6.1-effective megapixel D-SLR that offers simplified new features, exceptional speed and a redesigned, visually-intuitive menu system that brings consumers a whole new level of simplicity in a digital SLR. The D40 also incorporates handling and performance advantages that eliminate the frustrations often associated with compact digital cameras, making it ideal for anyone who wants to capture spectacular digital pictures without complication.

“Digital SLR cameras have gained substantial interest among consumers looking for higher-quality pictures and faster handling response," said Edward Fasano, general manager for marketing, SLR System Products at Nikon Inc. "But perceived complexity and bulkiness of some models has discouraged some customers. With the D40, Nikon addresses these challenges with incredible ease of use, compactness and a remarkable range of features and technologies. Consumers can enjoy the satisfaction of Nikon digital SLR quality by simply pressing the shutter button and getting beautiful pictures with vibrant colors, stunning sharpness and outstanding detail. With the D40, even first-time digital SLR camera users will be thrilled with their results.”

Outstanding Image Quality
The D40 features a high-resolution 6.1-effective megapixel Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor and a highly advanced Nikon Image Processing Engine. Combined, these features produce exceptional image detail with vivid, true-to-life colors.

The D40 combines sophisticated exposure automation with options for complete user control to help make it the ideal camera for anyone ready to explore their creative potential with photography. Using Nikon’s exclusive 3D Color Matrix Metering II, the D40 assures accurate exposure control, even in difficult lighting conditions. Its frame-wide 420-pixel sensor instantly and automatically assesses and compares each scene’s brightness, contrast and color with a built-in database of information from over 30,000 real-world lighting scenarios, before setting the accurate exposure. For those who want more control over their shots, alternative metering options, such as spot metering, center-weighted metering and exposure compensation, are also available.

Precise, Quick Response
One of the hallmarks of Nikon’s digital SLR cameras is how fast they operate, not only when capturing images, but also when recording them to the camera's SD memory card. The D40 proudly carries this tradition forward; the camera powers up and is ready to shoot in only 0.18 seconds.

With minimal shutter lag time and the ability to shoot 2.5 frames per second, up to 100 consecutive shots (in JPEG Normal mode), the D40 is ready to capture priceless expressions or special moments perfectly. Images are instantly processed and rapidly recorded to the SD memory card. Bright, clear preview images are also displayed in an instant on the D40's 2.5-inch color LCD monitor.

The D40’s three-area auto-focus system also adds to the camera's overall speed, delivering fast and precise focus under varying shooting conditions. Incorporating Nikon's advanced Multi-CAM 530 AF Sensor Module, the three-area AF system, with central cross-type sensor operation, adds effective new focusing options and ensures greater ability to capture that perfect shot.

Designed for Life as it Happens
The D40 brings the fun, excitement and superior image quality of Nikon digital SLR photography to everyone. Its compact size and ideal ergonomics make it the digital SLR solution for pictures anytime, anywhere. Its bright and sharp viewfinder, with 0.8x magnification, ensures precise composition.

After shooting, share your new images with family and friends, or check sharpness, exposure and focus on the D40's large 2.5-inch, 230,000-dot high-resolution color LCD monitor, which provides the ability to enlarge your shot up to 19 times. The operating menus have been carefully designed with color schemes and large fonts for quick, easy navigation through the camera’s options. Also, the newly introduced assist images help you select the appropriate settings for many camera features by showing illustrative end-result images typical of that setting.

The D40’s innovative information display can be shown in Classic format or with the new Graphic and Wallpaper formats for Digital Vari-Program modes and Program Auto, Shutter-priority Auto, Aperture-priority Auto and Manual (P/S/A/M) exposure modes.

The camera boasts refined ergonomics and design, born from Nikon’s extensive experience designing successful high performance SLR cameras for more than 50 years. The D40's size, layout and operation of all controls are designed for maximum ease-of-use. The result is an incredibly compact, light SLR camera that is comfortable to handle and can go anywhere, anytime.

Creativity at Your Finger Tips
For anyone just beginning to enjoy the added performance and versatility of digital SLR photography, creative shooting is as simple as rotating the D40's Digital Vari-Program mode dial. The camera has eight preconfigured program modes that optimize the camera’s performance for specific shooting conditions, allowing photographers to take great pictures in challenging conditions that might otherwise be confusing or time-consuming. In Portrait mode, for example, the camera automatically optimizes the color, hue, and saturation levels to capture the most flattering skin tones, softens the focus of the background images to emphasize the face and applies a milder form of in-camera sharpening. The D40 includes a new Flash Off mode that shuts off the camera’s flash and boosts its ISO, so users can easily take pictures in places where flash photography is not allowed, inappropriate, or when they prefer the look of natural light. Users can also select from other Digital-Vari Program modes including Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-Up, Sports, Night Landscape or Night Portrait. As users gain experience with the camera, the D40 offers advanced controls that offer greater creative control over the look and feel of their pictures.

D40 photographers will enjoy the camera’s Image Optimize menu options that closely tailor results to the scene at hand, the intended use of an image or to the photographer's custom preference. Sharpness, tone (contrast), color, saturation and hue optimization are controlled by the user-selected choice of Normal, Softer, Vivid, More Vivid, Portrait, Custom and Black-and-White.

The D40 also features an image Retouch menu, with exclusive in-camera editing functions that promise to keep D40 shooters engaged when they’re not busy shooting. Options within the Retouch menu include:

• D-Lighting: Automatically balances underexposed portions of an image to enhance detail in these areas, without affecting the highlights of the picture.
•In-camera Red-eye Correction: Automatically removes the annoying red-eye effect sometimes caused by flash.
• Trim: Images can be trimmed to produce smaller cropped versions of any file on the SD card for greater creative freedom and greater efficiency.
• Image Overlay: Merges a pair of selected RAW files to create a composite image within the camera as a RAW or JPEG file. This feature is especially useful when trying to create a soft-focus effect with two similar images.
• Monochrome settings: Convert any color image in the camera into a pleasing monochromatic picture, either in black-and-white, sepia or cyanotype.
• Filter Effects: Emulate and apply the effects of a skylight or a warming filter to any image stored on the SD card. A Color Balance menu within filter effects can also be used to make subtle shifts in color.
•Small Picture: Create a smaller version of any image in the camera for easy sharing and faster download.

Total Package: The Nikon Advantage
One of the key advantages Nikon digital SLR cameras offer is access to Nikon’s extensive system of lenses, Speedlights and accessories. The D40 is compatible with all Nikon AF-S and AF-I Nikkor lenses*, and comes packaged with a new 3X zoom 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens that incorporates cutting-edge Nikon optical technologies, such as ED glass and aspherical lens elements. This lens offers users a popular 3x zoom range, which conveniently covers picture angles that meet the needs of everything from tight portraits to wide-angle landscapes.

The D40 is also compatible with Nikon’s range of i-TTL technology enabled Speedlights including the SB-800, SB-600 and the recently introduced SB-400. A perfect companion for the D40, the SB-400 is an ultra-compact, lightweight Speedlight which is ideal for photographing subjects at extended distances or illuminating subjects with a softer, more natural appearing lighting effect with its bounce flash capability. With a guide number of over 98 feet the SB-400 provides all of the power and coverage that a D40 customer may demand for shooting group shots and reducing harsh shadows. All of the SB-400’s settings can be controlled automatically by the camera’s metering system or manually from the camera’s built-in menus. Keeping with the D40s remarkable ease-of-use, using the SB 400 Speedlight is as simple as sliding it on, turning it on and shooting.

The D40 comes with Nikon’s PictureProject software that makes transferring, organizing and sharing images fun and easy. The camera also includes a 30-day trial version for Capture NX software (optional), Nikon’s award-winning software that dramatically simplifies photo editing for JPEG, TIFF and Nikon RAW (NEF) format images. Designed specifically for photographers, Capture NX software provides a unique and easy-to-understand interface with tools that photographers need, but without the level of complexity and clutter of other image editing applications. Its patented new U Point™ technology simplifies picture editing by enabling photographers to enhance specific areas of a picture selectively, without the use of masks, selections, or layers. Capture NX also helps Nikon users realize the full potential of Nikon’s RAW (NEF) file, with robust processing capabilities for the highest quality results from NEF files.

The D40 camera and the new 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens will be packaged together and made available beginning December 2006 for an estimated selling price of $599.95**. For more information, please visit www.nikonusa.com.

About Nikon

Nikon, At the Heart of the Image™. Nikon Inc. is the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology and is globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance for its award-winning consumer and professional photographic equipment. Nikon Inc. distributes the Nikon Total Imaging System of consumer and professional digital SLR cameras, Nikkor optics, Speedlights and System Accessories; Nikon COOLPIX® compact digital cameras; COOLSCAN® digital film scanners; 35mm film SLR cameras; Nikon software products and Nikon sports and recreational optics. At the heart of every Nikon camera is Nikon’s Exclusive Feature System, making it easy for anyone to take amazing digital pictures. Through the Nikon Spirit Initiative™, the company, plays an active role in supporting aspiring and advanced photographers through a variety of philanthropic organizations, educational programs, events and workshops. For more information, dial (800) NIKON-US or visit www.nikonusa.com, which links all levels of photographers to the web's most comprehensive photo learning and sharing communities.

*Autofocus is supported only with AF-S and AF-I CPU lenses, which are equipped with built-in motors.

**Estimated selling prices listed are only an estimate. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time.


Original World-wide Press Release

The most compact and lightweight Nikon digital SLR ever, combining outstanding picture quality with a design that’s easy for everyone

 Tokyo – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the D40, a new interchangeable-lens digital SLR that combines the brilliant performance of world-famous Nikkor interchangeable lenses and the practicality of a remarkably small and light camera body. The D40 has been designed with handling and performance advantages that do away with the frustrations often associated with compact digital cameras, making it ideal for anyone who wants to capture spectacular digital pictures without complications.

Thanks to Nikon’s leading digital and optical technologies, the D40 makes it amazingly simple to capture beautiful pictures in almost any situation. The D40’s body* is light and compact, making it easy to carry anywhere, and its design incorporates fewer potentially confusing controls and other distractions, allowing anyone to take breathtaking pictures while eliminating the need to "learn" photography.

*The new AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II lens is included in the D40 Digital SLR Camera Outfit depending on country or area.

The D40 features a Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor with 6.1 effective megapixels and a highly advanced Nikon Image Processing Engine. These combine to produce exceptional image detail with true, vivid colors. Nikon’s exclusive 3D Color Matrix Metering II assures accurate exposure control even in difficult lighting conditions. Using its frame-wide 420-pixel sensor, the D40 instantly assesses and compares each scene’s brightness, contrast and color with its built-in database of information from over 30,000 real-world lighting scenarios, then instantaneously determines and sets the accurate exposure. For those who want more control, alternative exposure control tools such as Center-weighted metering, Spot metering and exposure compensation are also available.

The AUTO ISO feature makes the most of available light by automatically setting the camera’s light sensitivity from the available ISO range of 200 to 1600. The camera’s ISO can also be set manually between this range, plus HI 1 (one step over 1600), allowing you to capture beautiful pictures even in low-light situations without a flash.

The D40 has remarkably fast responses. It incorporates Nikon's Multi-CAM530 autofocus module and a 3-area autofocus system with a cross-type sensor located in the center. The refined algorithms that control autofocus of the lens are inherited from Nikon’s renowned D200 and D80 digital SLRs, delivering more precise focus, faster subject tracking and more accurate autofocus response and detection – even in low light.

The D40 is ready when you are. It takes only 0.18 seconds to power up, and the camera’s nearly imperceptible shutter release lag time does away with the frustrating picture-taking delay common with point-and-shoot digital cameras – assuring that special moments are captured beautifully. Continuous shooting makes it easy to capture the action by shooting at 2.5 frames* per second for up to 100 shots (JPEG FINE L-size or smaller). Images are rapidly processed and recorded to a compact SD memory card, and a USB 2.0 Hi-speed interface supports fast transfer of image data to a connected computer. Even previewing images on the bright and sharp 2.5-inch LCD color monitor is near instant.

*Photographs taken at an ISO sensitivity of HI 1 are automatically processed to reduce noise, increasing recording time by about 1 second per frame.

Nikon’s scene-optimized Digital Vari-Program modes allow the photographer to concentrate on capturing nearly any type of scene without being distracted by camera settings. All eight modes – Auto, Auto (Flash Off), Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close Up and Night Portrait – are designed to produce remarkable results by automatically calculating the best settings and ISO-equivalent sensitivity for each scene. The new mode, Auto (Flash Off), prevents the Built-in Flash from popping up while boosting the ISO, thereby allowing the photographer to take pictures in museums, concerts, school plays, weddings and other low-light situations where flash photography is prohibited. For more advanced creative control, the D40 offers Programmed Auto, Shutter-Priority Auto, Aperture-Priority Auto and Manual modes.

The D40’s new Retouch menu offers exclusive in-camera image editing features that add to the D40's “fun factor” by providing greater creative freedom without the need for a computer. Included in the Retouch menu is Nikon’s D-Lighting, which automatically brings out detail from the dark areas of a scene, producing a more pleasing exposure balance. Red-Eye Correction locates the red-eye effect sometimes caused by a flash and corrects it automatically. Trim allows for creative cropping of an image and creates smaller files for easy e-mailing. Other creative features include Image Overlay, Small Picture, Monochrome (Black-and-white, Sepia, Cyanotype) and Filter Effects (Skylight, Warm filter, Color balance).

While wonderfully easy to use, the D40's transparent technical capabilities include sophisticated white balance control that not only matches white balance to its light source, but also measures the entire scene to produce consistent and color-true images. Advanced Auto White Balance handles most lighting situations, but the D40 also offers six specific manual settings, as well as a preset option when using gray or white objects to calibrate under mixed lighting conditions. Features like this further prove how an easy-to-use digital SLR can also provide features and technologies that help users grow in photography if they decide to.

One of the most important advantages of using Nikon digital SLR cameras is the wide variety of interchangeable lenses available. The D40 is fully compatible with all AF-S/AF-I Nikkor lenses*, each providing the exceptional sharpness, image clarity, color reproduction, and fast, accurate autofocus performance that Nikkor is famous for.

*Autofocus is supported only with AF-S and AF-I CPU lenses, which are equipped with an autofocus motor.

The kit lens for the D40 is the new AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II lens*, assuring superb picture sharpness and optimum contrast, along with the versatility of a wide-angle to medium telephoto lens.

*The lens is included in the D40 Digital SLR Camera Outfit depending on country or area.

The D40 brings the fun, excitement and superior image quality of digital SLR photography to everyone. Its compact size and ideal ergonomics make it the digital SLR solution for pictures anytime, anywhere. Its bright and sharp viewfinder with 0.8x magnification ensures precise composition. After shooting, the camera’s large 2.5-inch high-resolution color LCD monitor provides a clear view for checking sharpness, exposure and focus by enlarging the picture up to 19 times. The monitor is also ideal for simply sharing new images with family and friends, while the operating menus have been carefully designed with color schemes and large fonts for quick, easy navigation through the camera’s setting options. Also, the newly introduced “assist images” help you select the appropriate settings for many camera features by showing an example image typical of that setting. D40’s innovative information displays can be shown in Classic format or with the new Graphic and Wallpaper formats for Digital Vari-Program modes and Program Auto, Shutter-priority Auto, Aperture-priority Auto and Manual (P/S/A/M) modes. All of this is powered by a new compact, high-capacity Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL9 that shoots up to 470 shots* on a single charge.

*In single-frame shooting mode at CIPA standard with Built-in Flash used for 50% of the shots. In situations where fewer flash pictures are taken, the number of shots per battery charge can be expected to increase dramatically.

The powerful Built-in Flash of the D40 employs Nikon’s market-leading i-TTL flash control. This means greater precision in flash exposure evaluation and better automatic flash balance, even for scenes with backlit subjects or reflective objects in the background. For flash photography of subjects at longer distances, the new, light and ultra-compact SB-400 Speedlight provides a simple solution for adding more power and bounce flash capability. If you want even more system versatility, Nikon Speedlights such as the SB-800, SB-600 and SB-R200 enable the use of simple and consistent wireless flash photography through Nikon’s Creative Lighting System.

Included with the camera, Nikon’s PictureProject software makes transferring, organizing and sharing images fun and easy. Just follow the design templates to correct Red-eye, produce prints, create slideshows with your favorite music or adjust images for use in e-mail or creative album layouts.

For more creative control, there’s Capture NX (available separately), Nikon’s incredible new photo editing software. This is post-processing power for everyone, its simple format allowing photographers of every level to make the most of NEF (RAW) images. The key is the exclusive U PointTM Technology, by Nik Software, Inc. – Capture NX does all the calculations for you, making it the first editing imaging software that even novices can navigate with ease.

Inheriting Nikon’s cutting-edge digital and optical technologies, the compact D40 offers mobility, easy operation and beautiful pictures to even first-time digital SLR users, making it ideal for anyone ready to experience the difference of Nikon digital SLR photography.