Nikon D40 - is it worth it?

[popsicletrees]

After several good years of service my point and shoot Olympic died. My fiance and I already discussed purchasing a nice camera with any wedding money we received. Now since my camera has died a good 8 months before the wedding and because we have a trip to WDW coming up in January, we need a new camera. I have heard good things about the Nikon D40. I actually saw it priced for $450 today. Is this a good price for the camera?

I don't plan on making any purchases until around Thanksgiving in hopes that stores will be marking items on sale for the holidays. Regardless, my fiance and I would like to keep the price around $300, but if the Nikon D40 is a good camera that will last for several years, the investment would be worth it.

So, if some of you camera savy people on here could tell me if this is a good purchase, I would appreciate it. Also, considering that we are on a budget, are there any others with similar settings and features that are cheaper than the D40? Thanks for your help!

 

[KeithVH]

Be vewy, vewy careful. $450, huh? Body alone or with the kit lens (AF-S DX NIKKOR ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G II)? If with the kit AND it's from a reputable dealer, then yes, that's a good price. Body alone is only ~$375 or so.

Be careful you are NOT buying a refurb unit. Or maybe I should say be aware if you are buying one. Nikon has a good track records on refurbs but make sure it's a Nikon refurb. Here is an example - http://www.adorama.com/INKD40XRA.html#kits. That's the newer D40X. Refurb yes, but right from the factory.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Search online for camera retaillers and look at what's being offered - that way you can compare packages and prices. Note that the D40 has been surpassed and updated by several models - but that doesn't make it a bad camera.

 

[popsicletrees]

I'm not sure if the price I saw included anything other than the body of the camera, but knowing that the camera costs around $375 is nice to know. I will definitely keep a look out as to whether it is a refurb or not.

As far as updated models, if we find a good deal with a newer model, we will consider it. For now though, as long as the D40 is a good camera, we want to try and stay around our budget.