Nikon D40 vs Nikon D6
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| NikonD40 | NikonD6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | December 2006 | June 2020 |
| Image and sensor | ||
| Camera type | DSLR | DSLR |
| Sensor format | APS-C | Full frame |
| Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
| Sensor dimensions | 23.7 × 15.6 mm | 35.9 × 23.9 mm |
| Effective resolution | 6.1 MP | 20.8 MP |
| Largest image | 3008 × 2000 | 5568 × 3712 |
| RAW recording | Yes | Yes |
| Standard ISO range | 200–1600 | 100–102400 |
| Sensor detail | Nikon DX primary-colour CCD with 6.1 million effective and 6.24 million total pixels; approximately 1.5× lens focal-length equivalent | Japan specifies 20.82 million effective and 21.33 million total pixels, rounded to 20.8 million effective globally; sensor-cleaning system. FX, 1.2×, DX, 5:4, 1:1 and 16:9 image areas |
| Image formats | Compressed 12-bit NEF RAW, JPEG and simultaneous RAW plus Basic JPEG; maximum 3008 × 2000 pixels; Image Optimisation settings and in-camera retouching | Large NEF RAW at 12 or 14 bits with lossless compression, compression or no compression; medium and small RAW fixed to 12-bit lossless compression. JPEG and RAW plus JPEG; separate JPEG plus JPEG recording with different size/quality settings; Flat and Creative Picture Controls |
| ISO detail | ISO 200–1600 in whole stops; Hi 1 expands to ISO 3200 equivalent | Expanded equivalents ISO 50–3280000; Auto ISO |
| Image processor | – | EXPEED 6; Advanced Scene Recognition System |
| Lens and shooting | ||
| Lens mount | Nikon F mount | Nikon F mount |
| Stabilisation | Optical lens stabilisation | Optical lens stabilisation |
| Maximum continuous burst | 2.5 fps | 14 fps |
| Lens detail | Autofocus with AF-S and AF-I motor-equipped lenses; no body autofocus motor. Other compatible AF lenses require manual focusing; non-CPU lenses require manual exposure without metering; IX and F3AF lenses unsupported | Compatible G/E/D AF NIKKOR lenses, subject to PC lens restrictions; body autofocus motor for compatible screw-drive lenses. Non-CPU AI lenses support aperture-priority/manual; non-AI, IX and F3AF lenses unsupported; DX lenses use the DX image area |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 530 phase-detection module; three selectable autofocus areas; -1 to +19 EV at ISO 100 equivalent, 20°C; AF-S/AF-C/AF-A, single-area, dynamic-area and closest-subject-priority dynamic-area modes; AF-assist illuminator | Multi-CAM 37K; 105 selectable cross-type points, including 15 f/8-compatible points. Centre sensitivity -4.5 EV and other points -4 EV at ISO 100, 20°C. Single-point, dynamic 9/25/49/105, 3D tracking, Group-area and auto-area; 17 custom Group-area patterns; eye-priority focusing in auto-area and 3D tracking. Live view uses contrast detection with AF-S/AF-F |
| Shutter | Combined CCD electronic and mechanical shutter; 1/4000 to 30 seconds in one-third stops, Bulb and Time with optional ML-L3 remote; flash sync 1/500 second | 1/8000 to 30 seconds, Bulb and Time; manual exposures extend to 900 seconds; flash sync 1/250 second; electronic front-curtain and electronic shutter options |
| Burst detail | Approximately 2.5 fps; self-timer and optional ML-L3 delayed or immediate infrared remote release | Approximately 14 fps mechanical with full AF/AE tracking under Nikon's AF-C, S/M, 1/250-second-or-faster test conditions. Silent full-resolution live-view shooting up to 10.5 fps; separate reduced-resolution live-view modes approximately 30 fps at 8 megapixels or 60 fps at 2 megapixels |
| Stabilisation detail | Optical VR depends on the attached lens; no sensor-shift stabilisation. The pictured original 18–55mm ED II kit lens has no VR | Optical VR depends on the lens; no sensor-shift stabilisation; electronic movie vibration reduction available |
| Flash | Built-in pop-up flash; guide number approximately 17 m at ISO 200, 20°C, or 18 at manual full output; equivalent guide numbers 12 or 13 at ISO 100; accessory shoe | No built-in flash; hot shoe and threaded PC sync terminal; optical/radio Nikon CLS with compatible external Speedlights and required accessories |
| Exposure controls | P/S/A/M, Auto and scene modes; 420-pixel RGB matrix, centre-weighted and spot metering; ±5 EV compensation in one-third stops | P/S/A/M; 180000-pixel RGB viewfinder metering with Colour Matrix Metering III, centre-weighted, spot and highlight-weighted modes; ±5 EV stills or ±3 EV video compensation; Active D-Lighting |
| Screen and viewfinder | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical | Optical |
| Screen size | 2.5″ | 3.2″ |
| Screen dots | 230,000 | 2,359,000 |
| Touchscreen | No | Yes |
| Tilting screen | No | – |
| Display detail | Fixed 2.5-inch low-temperature-polysilicon TFT with approximately 230000 dots; Classic, Graphic and Wallpaper shooting-information displays, contextual help and playback magnification; dots count subpixels | Fixed touch TFT with 170° viewing angle, approximately 100% coverage, 11-level manual brightness and colour adjustment; touch priority image transfer with Ethernet or optional WT-6 connection. Global specifies 2359000 dots, Japan rounds to 2360000; dots count subpixels |
| Viewfinder detail | Pentamirror; approximately 95% coverage, 0.80× magnification with 50mm f/1.4 at infinity and 18 mm eyepoint | Pentaprism; approximately 100% FX coverage; 0.72× magnification with 50mm f/1.4 at infinity; 17 mm eyepoint; grid overlay |
| Connections and design | ||
| Wi-Fi | – | Yes |
| Bluetooth | – | Yes |
| Battery life (maker's claim) | 470 photographs | 3580 photographs |
| Body weight | 475 g (better) | 1270 g |
| Release detail | Nikon Japan records first sale on 1 December 2006; Nikon USA announced it on 16 November 2006 with US availability beginning December | Nikon Japan records sale on 5 June 2020 after postponements from March to May and then June; the original US announcement's April plan is not an actual retail date. Nikon's Japanese announcement explicitly identifies D5 as the previous model |
| Recording media | One SD/SDHC card slot; MMC unsupported | Two slots each accepting CFexpress Type B or XQD; overflow, backup, separate RAW/JPEG, separate JPEG/JPEG and card copying |
| Ports | Hi-Speed USB and NTSC/PAL video output; optional ML-L3 infrared remote | USB Type-C with SuperSpeed USB, mini-HDMI Type C, 3.5 mm microphone/headphone sockets, RJ-45 Ethernet with 10/100/1000BASE-T support, ten-pin accessory terminal, PC sync and WT-6 expansion connector; Kensington security lock compatibility |
| Wireless connections | – | Integrated 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 and SnapBridge; 5 GHz availability depends on region and station mode. Integrated GPS/GLONASS/QZSS positioning, unavailable in some regions; optional WT-6 transmitter for network transfer |
| Battery life detail | EN-EL9 rechargeable lithium-ion battery; Nikon USA lists approximately 470 CIPA photographs per charge | EN-EL18c; approximately 3580 CIPA single-frame photographs, 8670 continuous photographs under Nikon's separate test and 105 minutes of CIPA movie battery life. EN-EL18b/18a/18 also supported, with lower endurance using original EN-EL18 |
| Charging | External MH-23 quick charger; optional EH-5 mains adapter with EP-5 power connector | External MH-26a charger; optional EH-6c adapter with EP-6 power connector |
| Dimensions | Approximately 126 × 94 × 64 mm | Approximately 160 × 163 × 92 mm |
| Weight detail | Approximately 475 g excluding battery, SD card and body cap | Approximately 1270 g body only; 1450 g with battery and two CFexpress cards, excluding body cap and shoe cover |
| Materials | – | Magnesium-alloy body; dust/drip-resistant construction; illuminated controls |
| Colours | Black or silver; regional kit availability varies | – |
| In the box | EN-EL9 battery, MH-23 charger, UC-E4 USB cable, AN-DC1 strap for black or AN-DC2 for silver, body cap, DK-5 eyepiece cap, DK-16 eyecup and PictureProject CD-ROM | EN-EL18c battery, MH-26a charger, UC-E24 USB cable, AN-DC22 strap, DK-27 eyepiece adapter, DK-17F eyepiece, BF-1B body cap, BS-3 shoe cover, BL-6 battery cover and HDMI/USB cable clip |
| Video | ||
| Highest video resolution | – | 3840 × 2160 at 30 fps |
| Video detail | No movie recording or live-view composition; NTSC/PAL output is for playback | H.264 MOV/MP4 at 4K 30p/25p/24p, Full HD 60p/50p/30p/25p/24p and 720p 60p/50p; actual NTSC rates 59.94/29.97/23.976. Nikon identifies 4K as 1.5× crop and native 1920 × 1080 crop as 3.0×; the latter supports 60p/50p/30p/25p/24p. Maximum recording 29 minutes 59 seconds; 4K up to 144 Mbps; timecode and in-camera time-lapse movies. Cards over 32 GB formatted in-camera allow files over 4 GB without splitting |
| Audio | – | Built-in stereo microphone; 3.5 mm stereo microphone input and headphone output; adjustable sensitivity and attenuator; linear PCM for MOV or AAC for MP4; photograph voice memos |
More comparisons
- Nikon D40 vs Nikon Z50II
- Nikon D6 vs Nikon Z 8
- Nikon D6 vs Nikon Z 9
- Nikon D5 vs Nikon D6
- Canon EOS-1D X Mark III vs Nikon D6
- Nikon D6 vs Nikon D780
- Nikon D6 vs PENTAX K-1 Mark II
- Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D6
- Nikon D6 vs Nikon D850
- Nikon D6 vs Nikon D7500
- Nikon D5600 vs Nikon D6
- Nikon D3400 vs Nikon D6
- Nikon D500 vs Nikon D6
- Nikon D6 vs Nikon D810A
- Nikon D6 vs Nikon D7200
- Nikon D5500 vs Nikon D6

