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defaults. I don't use this reset often, since I set enough things away from defaults. I would use it if
I loaned my D40 to a friend and had it returned later.
AE-L AF-L / Key Button (Top Right Center)
This can lock the focus and/or exposure or turn on the autofocus.
You set what it locks in Custom Setting 12 (page 32). I set mine to lock exposure for as long as I
hold the button (AE lock only).
Rear Dial (top right)
Click this left and right to control most of the D40's functions.
Up/Down/Left/Right/OK Keys
This is the five-way thumb switch.
It works and feels much better than the mushy one on the D80 and earlier cameras. This excellent
feel and interaction is a strong reason why I like my D40 so much, and prefer it to my doubly
expensive D80.
While playing, this moves among your images (left/right) and the data for them (up/down). I find it
more convenient to spin the rear dial to go forward and back; try it.
When playing a zoomed image, it scrolls around the image.
While shooting, it selects among the AF areas if you're in a mode which allows you to select an AF
area. The selected AF area glows in red.
In the menus, it moves around your selections.
It feels good!
SECRET RGB HISTOGRAM TRICK: In playback, the OK button calls up the Retouch Menu
(page 41). Select Filter Effects, then Color Balance to see an RGB histogram (page 83),critical for
precise exposure. This trick and the huge RGB display are among the reasons I prefer my D40 to
my six-times-as-expensive Canon 5D with double the pixels. The 5D has a dim screen with an
illegible, tiny, RGB display.
If zoomed in (or zoomed out to the 2x2 or 3x3 modes), the OK button returns you to a normal
sized image.
© 2007 KenRockwell.com 16 converted by Sándor Nagy