Nikon D40x Digital SLR camera announced

Nikon go up against the Canon 400D

6 March 2007 4:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Nikon UK has announced a new digital camera, which hopes to bridge the gap between the D40 and the D80.

The new D40x Digital SLR camera will come as a kit with a AF-S18-55mm DX lens and cost £599.99.

The new model boasts a 10.2 megapixel CCD image sensor competing directly against Canon’s 400D offering and 4 more megapixels than the company’s current D40.

“We want to make sure people understand that this new camera is an addition to the D40 not a replacement”, a Nikon spokesperson told us. “It’s going to be a hard job, but we are ready for the challenge.”

The new model will have many of the features of both cameras as it tries to bridge the gap between professional and consumer offerings.

Major features include a large 2.5-inch LCD monitor, a viewfinder with 0.8x magnification for precise composition, long-life rechargeable lithium-ion battery that allows up to 520 images* on a single charge (*CIPA standards), Nikon 3D Colour Matrix Metering II for ideal exposures in almost any lighting condition, Variable Centre-weighted metering and Spot metering centered on the active focus area, and Auto White Balance for natural colours, plus six different manual white balance settings and user-defined preset white balance.