D40 has got out of stock - Officially Discontinued

[akira]

<p>Nikon announced (at least on its Japanese website) that it has got D40 out of stock. The branches outside Japan and retailers should still have ones in stock, but it has become obvious that D40 has started to fade away.</p>

<p>D40 was Nikon's last DSLR with 6MP imager and hybrid shutter mechanism (mechanical first and electronic second curtains) that allowed flash synchronizaion of upto 1/500 sec. It was the only remaining Nikon DSLR that could be used to capture UV images without any modification. It allowed to mount (along with D40X and still current D60) pre-Ai Nikkor lenses without modification.</p>

<p>In short, it has a lot of its own virtues despite its entry-level specification.</p>

[andrew_gale]

<p>its the oldest camera nikon makes, im not surprised. Most people want the more recent D60 anyways.</p>

[andylynn]

<p>Maybe it's just too good a deal and Nikon figures they can get people to buy the more expensive D60. It probably doesn't cost them much more (if at all) to make a D60 than a D40 so the margin would be higher.</p>

<p>Of course, the information saying the D40 is discontinued is pretty thin - it's just one line on a Japanese web site saying it's not in stock, and there's no official announcement, so it doesn't necessarily mean it's been killed. Other cameras have gone out of stock before, with Nikon later doing another production run, and all they had been doing was making sure the cameras didn't get overstocked which would hurt the market (from their perspective) by devaluing the camera.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Nikon Japan has a web page listing their discontinued digital cameras and scanners: <a href="http://www.nikon-image.com/jpn/products/discontinue/digital/index.htm">http://www.nikon-image.com/jpn/products/discontinue/digital/index.htm</a><br>

I am not sure how frequently they update that page, but currently the D40 is not on it. Meanwhile, the D40 is in stock at all major camera stores and mail order shops in the US. Earlier we thought Nikon might replace the > 2-year-old by the PMA, but of course Nikon announced no new DSLRs at this PMA. (The D3X is still the most recently announced Nikon DSLR body, and that was on Decmeber 1, 2008.)</p>

[akira]

<p>When Nikon indicates that a product on its web catalogue is out of stock, it virtually means that Nikon had discontiued it, which is, I believe, the case with D40. Temporary shortage of stock would not be announced in that way.</p>

<p>Of course, it doesn't necessarily mean the immediate disappearance of D40 from the entire market, but it does indicate the beginning of its fade-out. As Galen pointed, it wouldn't be so surprising if a 2+ year old DSLR would be discontinued.</p>

[bobar57]

<p>I believe rather in Shun's point of view.Nikon Japan has not listed as discontinued, no reason to alarm.I believe that Nikon USA shortage of D40 simply reflex the recent huge rebate on that item,specially with the two kit lenses(non-VR).That's it,they ran out of stock at Nikon USA,but retailers still have them,albeit without the rebate now,but some with free shipping,but as high prices as 699.00 for some kits, I doubt they will run out of stock shortly,heck the D60 kit can be acquired for that price and even less.<br>

I don't believe that Nikon will get rid of this low entry camera with such a high flash sync speed.And as Shun pointed out, it is not listed yet as discontinued by Nikon Japan,the main source.</p>

<p>RA</p>

[waldemar_giers___kitchener]

<p>Akira,</p>

<p > I've got mine D40 just for UV that time when you discovered it is very UV useful without modification. (Akira has all the bragging rights) Sure thing is sad to see it go but after so long run of 6MP sensor we kind of expected it. Just matter of time. I still use it and hope it will last me for a long time.</p><div></div>

[akira]

<p>Shun,<br>

I bet your PC can display Chinese characters of Japanese web pages. Try to browse the product info of D40...</p>

<p>http://www.nikon-image.com/jpn/products/camera/slr/digital/d40/index.htm</p>

<p>...and read the line right above the image of D40 held in the hands. You will recognize two pairs of Chinese characters meaning "stock" and "end" respectively. They clearly means that the stock is cleared out and there will be no further restocking.</p>

<p>Waldemar,<br>

Nice shot! Glad to know you are enjoying UV photography. It is sad that D40 appears to be discontinued. Bad news is that the DSLRs using CCD seem to be fading out of the line-ups of all the manufacturers and CMOS sensors don't seem to be UV friendly. The good new is, however, that there's a high-tech sensor that is flexible and can record UV quite efficiently. The sensor is called silver halide B&W film!</p>

[waldemar_giers___kitchener]

<p >I hear you Akira. Yes we can always go back to old faithful film. On the bright side - Nikon sold truckloads of D40, D40X, D200, and D70. Anyone interested in UV spectrum of photography will have ample selection of CCD based machines to chose from. And we still don't know what we will get in the future?? Did you see Vivek's UV1? Neat. It may be another small breakthrough in approach to UV photography.<br>

Picture bellow – taken 2 hr ago. I just modified old Enna Lithagon 28mm to Nikon mount. This is first try in UV. It appears very promising. (about 1 stop bellow UV nikkor transmit ion), good contrast and sharpness.</p><div></div>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Akira, it really is a non issue. I would imagine that Nikon will never manufacture a number of products again, e.g. the F6 and certain lenses. What really matters is whether you can still buy it or not. At least in the US, the D40 is in stock all over the place, including B&H, Adorama, Amazon ....: <a href="http://www.nextag.com/Nikon-D40-6-1-528694924/prices-html">http://www.nextag.com/Nikon-D40-6-1-528694924/prices-html</a></p>

<p>For a DSLR that has already been out for over 2 years, if anything, people expect it to be discontinued and replaced. Demand cannot be all that high any more. If anybody wants a D40, it is easy to get one, and even though when new stock is eventually exhausted, it will still be widely available at very depressed prices in the used market for those who'd like to convert one for UV photography, etc.</p>

<P>

Think about this. For whatever reason, one can still buy new D200 bodies at a very depressed $600. That is after the D300 replaced it about a year and half ago. People are already talking about the D300 itself being replaced this year.

</P>

[akira]

<p>Waldemar,<br>

Yes, I'm well aware of Vivek's works. Enna had unconsciously made many different lenses that work fantastically for UV. Another good thing about film is that you can go wider and bigger quite easily.</p>

<p>Shun and, again, Waldemar,<br>

As I have stated above, D40 (or any models) won't disappear anytime soon even it is (they are) discontinued now, which I'm well aware of.</p>

<p>My intension of this thread is a farewell to this humble little camera that has brought a lot of joy and discovery to me and, for sure, others like Waldemar.</p>

[bobar57]

<p>On one note it is interesting that Cametaauctions at the auction place had till last week a lot of deals on D40 bodies, not anymore this week.<br>

In the other hand I spoke to a Nikon representative today and she assured me that the D40 it is not discontinued.</p>

<p>RA</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Again, whether a product is officially "discontinued" is merely a matter of terminology. The D40 was announced in December 2006; after almost 2.5 years, it has to be quite late in its product cycle. The bigger question for Nikon is whether they can sell all the remaining new D40 bodies in the pipeline without going into some crazy discounts; of course, most of us as consumers probably don't care that much, expect for the great deals that might become available. Nikon is not in the business to manufacture products they cannot sell. Therefore, I wouldn't be surprised a bit that actual manufacturing has already stopped.</p>

<p>One way or another, this is largely a moot point.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>The D40 is now on Nikon Japan's discontinued page: <a href="http://www.nikon-image.com/jpn/products/discontinue/digital/index.htm">http://www.nikon-image.com/jpn/products/discontinue/digital/index.htm</a><br>

Of course, it is still in stock all over the place.</p>