DPreview has done a quick hands on preview of the Nikon D40 and let's see what they have to say! They were impressed that Nikon did not succumb to the Pixels race and have stuck to a 6MP Resolution. While some features have been eliminated the Nikon D40 has new features including custom Auto ISO.

The D40 lacked an an internal focus drive motor which also means no mechanical focus drive pin which the site lists as its biggest drawback. Thus the D40 can use only Auto Focus with AF-S and AF-I lenses (those with built-in focus motors).

The review in the end concludes by comparing the D40 to the D50 and this what it says " On the plus side you get ISO 3200 equiv. (HI 1), the ever useful customizable Auto ISO, a larger viewfinder view, shorter shutter lag and viewfinder blackout, a larger LCD monitor, a considerably nicer user interface, SDHC support, a new image processing engine, unlimited JPEG continuous shooting, in-camera retouching (including D-Lighting) and of course a smaller and lighter body. It would not therefore be fair to describe the D40 as a 'dumbed down' D50, far from it, the range of improvements and new features out-weigh those which have been removed or reduce, which would most likely not be missed by the average D40 owner."