I personally never used a Nikon before, so I don’t know how well they work. The only downside I find in it is that Nikon does not have Image Stabalizer. The Canon Rebels do, and cheap than Nikons.
But I would recommend checking out the Olympus E-420. It’s a DSLR with 10.0 MP and about the same price as a Nikon D40. I used an Olympus SP 550-UZ DSLR camera and find Olympus a pretty good brand.
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I’m camera searching too.

Megapixels only come handy if you need to blow up your PICS to a larger size. 6-8 MP camera is good enough if you’ll only have the regular size pics (Ithink it’s 6×8 or 8×10). D-40 is a great prosumer camera, but make sure you like the feel of it and size also is a consideration.
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I shoot with a D50, which preceded the D40, but I believe uses the same sensor. While sensor sizes and technologies will continue to improve, there is not a significant difference between the 6 and an 8 or even 10, especially given that "it will rarely be used professionally". What you’re seeing isn’t an illusion, it is "really, really great" quality. What matters more is the air space behind the viewfinder. The good news is, you’ll grow and learn and acquire some cool lenses and then one day you’ll want to upgrade to the new D-sixbillionandfive or something and your lenses will still work because Nikon will continue to support them.
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http://www.modelmayhem.com/maximumphotos is my site. I don’t know if you like glamour/boudoir type shots, but these were all done with a D50.

The D40 is a terrific camera. I use one, and strongly recommend it. Don’t worry about megapixels and technologies in a few years. These products are always changing. With the D40, you are getting a camera that is adequate for most non-professional use.

Here are some pros & cons from my perspective based on my use:

Pros:
- Takes great pictures
- The menu system is extremely easy to use
- Few unnecessary frills that you will not end up using, if you are reasonably interested in photography
- Comes with a kit lens that is very sharp. It feels a little cheesy, but takes great pictures

Cons:
- If you need to do a lot of cropping, then you will miss the extra megapixels. I use cropping from time to time, but I suspect for pros this would take the camera out of consideration
- You cannot tap into Nikon’s non-DX lenses and still be able to autofocus. It would have been really nice to be able to get autofocus with Nikon’s 50mm prime lens
- High ISO images are of questionable quality. But nothing to complain about at ISO 200 or 400. The high end Nikons are definitely better at the high ISO game (those are also way more expensive).
- If you absolutely need image stabilization for the standard range, then you would need to buy the 18-55mm VR lens. I have not felt any need for it so far.

If those drawbacks do not bother you, get the camera, get familiar with Adobe Photoshop or Raw Therapee — something to process raw images to your taste, and enjoy!

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