I use to enjoy my photography when I was a lad at school many years ago, and used a cannon AE-1 SLR which gave me many years of enjoyable film photography.
Then 4yrs ago I decided to get back into photography in my spare time, and started looking for DSLR.
I picked up a copy of Which Magazine and started researching DSLR Cameras for beginners, and the Nikon D40 came top.
So I went out and got one.
Well it was so easy to use, light to carry, and the first thing I remember was the grip, it felt so comfortable in my hand. The display was clear and easy to navigate around, the lenses were quick and easy to change, and it fitted into my coat pocket (with the standard lens attached).
Stock car racing runs from early afternoon in to the evening, daylight, dusk,floodlights, flashing lights and the cars shifting along what better mix for a first outing.
And with the D40 in my pocket I set off to give it a good testing out.
Well for the first time out I was really impressed when I plugged it into the computer and reviewed the pictures. Like a kid with a new toy I'd rattled off 564 photos of the night, and the D40 had handled all the different light situations, the moving pictures and the stumbling old fool using it very well.
I used this for 2 1/2yrs and have a lot of great photographs from the D40.
The D40 gave me the bug again, so now I have the D300 which I upgraded to last year and is an excellent bit of kit, but that's another story.
The D40 is now in a friends hands who wanted to upgrade from his old film camera. I let him have it for weeks trial, he only had it 2 days and he came round with the money. He still owns the camera and it hasn't given him any problems at all. He's 72, and found "it so easy to use" his words when he gave me the money.
A great camera for beginners, and for long term casual photographers.