Nikon Gold
I will avoid a technical angle in this review as it has been admirably covered by previous buyers.
I took the plunge and bought this camera late Sunday night and received it early Tuesday morning, which is excellent.
The camera itself so far has been superb and gave me a superb days first shoot of 750 pictures.
I had been using a Coolpix for two years and have been amazed at what it could do, but the D40 is superb. A previous reviewer stated that I would be delighted at how well the wide angle lens works, and they were right.
I take a lot of action shots in Sports mode of myself and mates clay pigeon shooting, and on day 1 came home with action shots of shooters breaking clays. (these clays are on an Olympic Skeet layout, the birds are moving at 90mph, yet the camera caught the action perfectly).
I know I am going to love this camera more and more.
One tiny criticism though is the operators manual. It's crap. Obviously written by Nikon nerds who don't own a camera but who are software geeks. Thank God Amazon offer a digital guide to Nikons for well under a tenner/that's the next purchase.
I boughta 4GB card for the camera which give me 2,100 shots per day. Beat that. this is a great camera making a suoperb companion piece to my Coolpix and Nikon binoculars.

Great entry level DSLR for the novice.
Back in the early 80's a friend of mine got me into (sort of) serious photography and I purchased a Pentax MV SLR. The MV was great as it wasn't too compilcated as it had aperture priority and also AUTO mode.Suited me down to the ground.

Years went by and my MV was locked away and forgotten about.After I got married my wife had a Canon 35mm point and shoot which became the 'family' camera that was used for holidays, weddings etc. Just before the birth of our son in 2005 I wanted to get something special so I could take all the baby shots and as my experience with Pentax was great, I went with the Optio 5sn.

I was now entering the world of digital photography, and my love for photography albeit a novice one was rekindled.In time my wife's Canon had packed in and I know she had always had one eye on the Pentax Optio 5sn so I gave in to her and she now owns the Optio which is easy for her to carry.

So what now I thought. What about me? What camera shall I get?

Well the first thing I did (as always when I need help on deciding) was to go on Amazon to see what are the best sellers and to see all the reviews by you guys. The camera that stood out for me was the Fuji FiniPix S5700.It was a digital P+S had a traditional look and had great reviews.

Something told me though that if I went with that choice albeit a good one it's unlikely I would get another one for another few years at least. I had secretly been 'coveting' the Nikon D40, one because it was a SLR and secondly because it was a Nikon, a camera I had always wanted to own. I thought what the heck, bite the bullet.

I can't really say anymore than the positive reviews have already said, except it's phenomenal. I'm so pleased that I made this purchase and encourage anyone else venturing into photography to do the same.

As a side issue, it has not only satisfied my craving for SLR photography but I've also brought my old MV out as well, had it checked out, bought new batteries and a roll of 35mm and I'm using two cameras now.

Why I even feel like a pro with my Billingham bag, 2 SLR's, one digital, one non-digital.

Yes I'm falling in love with the art of photography all over again.

Poor Reliabilty
Becareful of this item. The battery charger failed after just one use leaving me stranded on the trip of a lifetime in Iran with just one charge. The support process is inflexible and they expected me to send the recharger to Europe for repairs. This is not feasible while on holiday. In short if you have a failure as I did, even if after a single use, then it is your problem.

Picture quality is ok and I found it performs poorly indoors with no flash.

At least buy a spare battery so you are covered if the recharger fails as it did for me.

A review from a total novice!
I am completely new to photography (well apart from the normal holiday/bithday snaps!) and bought this camera after a recommendation from a friend and reading the reviews on here. It is a lovely camera and pefect for someone starting out. I've been using the auto mode mostly but the photos are brilliant! I am really in impressed this the quality of my photos and have has lots of compliments too. I am more than happy and have found it really easy to use and the digital display doesn't take long to master either. I am enjoying teaching myself photography and practicing lots!

Perfect Starter Camera
Just received this camera from Amazon, great for a first time DSLR owner like myself. Simple to use, great shots (and i'm no David Bailey!) and a real quality feel as you would expect from Nikon.

I have also just sent off for the £30 cashback offer on this camera, currently being offered through Nikons website - Bonus!! :)

Simple. Durable. Fast. Quality.
The Flip is simple. It is the fact that it is so simple to use and operate that makes it so charming. Point and shoot Web quality videos within 4 seconds of pulling it out of your pocket. It is light weight and can be carried with you in a pocket wherever you go. The 'flip' usb mechanism is sturdy and means that there are no wires to carry around when connecting to your own, or someones elses laptop or desktop PC or Mac. Sound quality is excellent and the camera auto balances light as you shoot dependent on light quality. Great for vlogging with (Video Blogging).

Great little Camcorder
My Flip arrived in the post this morning and it's incredibly simple to use. You don't even need instructions as it's so easy - I was recording in just a couple of minutes.
The software supplied is also very straight forward - I had recorded and edited a mini movie just 40 minutes after the postman dropped my Flip off. Uploading to the web was also simple to do.
I expect I will probably invest in some new software soon, as I would like to be able to do a little bit more in the way of editing than the supplied software allows. However it is more than enough to get you started and for people who want to keep things simple it's ideal.
The Flip records well indoors, even in low light with the curtains closed, but I expect it will struggle at night as there is no built in light.
It's small enough to slip into a pocket or handbag and very light weight. Also better image quality recording than my mobile phone - none of that blurring that you often see on phone cameras. This is perfect for recording videos for YouTube, email etc.
My only criticism so far is that the 'beep' when you turn the camera on or off sounds a bit tinny, but I can live with that!
If you're looking for something very straight forward to use then this camera is perfect. A 2 year old could work a Flip!

Downloading when away from PC
Question: is there anyway of clearing/downloading from the internal memory if you don't have access to a pc - for example if you are on holiday? I know I could find an internet cafe, but not sure of location and also my email only holds so much data! I apprecitate this may need a bit more 'kit' but note that the camera only holds approx 1 hour of footage. Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks

Brilliant piece of kit
It's tiny, sturdy, ultra-portable - you can stick it in your handbag or pocket - and absolutely idiot-proof to use. I love that you don't need any other bits of stuff - no wires, no cables, no chargers, no nothing. Takes great movies, or at least great enough movies for most home users' needs. I love mine and use it every day, as opposed to bringing out its complicated, fiddly predecessor once in a blue moon. NB if you use a Mac and want to edit your films in iMovie08, you'll need QuickTime Pro. If you're happy to edit using the Flip's inbuilt software, you're ready to go straight out of the box.

Flipping Great
Bought one of these for most of the kids, THEY LOVE THEM!! All their friends love them. Easy to use plug and play, straight into the facebook, youtube etc. even the non techies amongst us have no problems. Top pick for birthdays christmas etc.