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Fun with "Obsolete" Nikons

dave.gt

Well-known member
The interesting thing here is how well the D40 performs. It’s diminutive size, simple operation and value for the money, then and now, makes it the “perfect” choice for so many things.

I really miss mine. 😇

I wonder if I can find one in mint condition somewhere!🤨
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
The interesting thing here is how well the D40 performs. It’s diminutive size, simple operation and value for the money, then and now, makes it the “perfect” choice for so many things.

I really miss mine. 😇

I wonder if I can find one in mint condition somewhere!🤨
Thanks. Good luck Dave with finding one! (y)

I still have mine and just tried it out. Still working like a charm.
The AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED lens is still attached to it.
Probably never came off the D40.

IIRC I got the D40 at Christmas 2006. It has 6 MP I believe.
It was the first DSLR that I got after a couple of P&S cameras.
I could have gotten a camera with more pixels but some guy was raving about it in the New York Times.
Well shortly thereafter I got the D200 (still have it), D300, D3, and D800E, the last 3 my oldest son has now.
Th D200 needed once a repair.

The challenge with older electronic gear is to be able to buy batteries for it.
In my experience batteries deteriorate with age and develop a bulge, hard to get in and out of cameras.
They can also pop and damage a camera, so need to be replaced ASAP at first sings of deterioration.
Luckily I still have 2 good batteries that work for the D40.

This is what fall can look like in the "Land of Enchantment" New Mexico.



NIKON D40 + AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED @ 36 mm (54 mm in 35mm) @ f/10, 1/400 s, ISO 200, DxO PL6.

I think my wife took this shot. (y)
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Beautiful, and unexpected for me to see such Fall colors in your area. The mountains and expansive vistas are wonderful.😃
Thank you Dave.
Well in the fall we have here blue skies, white clouds, and yellow Aspen trees.
The native trees here do not develop enough sugars to generate red colors.
 

Darin Marcus

Well-known member
IIRC I got the D40 at Christmas 2006. It has 6 MP I believe.
It was the first DSLR that I got after a couple of P&S cameras.
Same with me - my first DSLR after getting serious about photography with a Kodak superzoom :)

I still remember the day I got the D40 from my local Circuit City... it was "hidden" on the bottom shelf right on the first day of it being made available.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Scheduled Service: Bad Karlshafen -> Höxter on the Weser

Well, let's get started with a trip on the Weser from Bad Karlshafen to Höxter.





According to the posted schedule,



it takes2 and a quarter hours by sightseeing boat.

First impressions.

















NIKON D40 + AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED @ 82 mm (123 mm in 35mm) @ f/5.3, 1/400 s, ISO 200, DxO PL6.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Bad Karlshafen - Herstelle - Würgassen - KWW map




This map shows the Weser from Bad Karlshafento Herstelle (orange dot), Würgassen, and the KWW. KWW stands for the decommissioned Kernkraftwerk (nuclear power plant) Würgassen.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
The Weser at Herstelle









Herstelle is interesting as it still has, or at least in 2009 had, a ferry operating across the Weser. In the above image one can see the ferry boat attached to a rope, hanging off a high steel rope across the river. One of the supporting towers is also visible. This small ferry is only used to transport people, bicycles, and such across the Weser.

Lüchtringen, in addition to this set up, also had a large ferry that could get cars, trucks, and large wooden horse wagons across the river. It was always exciting to see when a pair of heavy Belgian draft horses pulled a heavy wagon up the fairly step river banks.:)









NIKON D40 + AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED @ 38 mm (57 mm in 35mm) @ f/6.3, 1/160 s, ISO 200, DxO PL6.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Kernkraftwerk Würgassen (KWW)




The nuclear power plant Würgassen (KWW) was built in 3 years and operated from 1971 until August 26, 1994 when cracks were found in the steel containment vessel of the reactor core. Subsequently for economic reasons it was decided to dismantle the facility over time. Details are described in German in the above reference.

This image of the plant was taken in 2009 with my D40 after the cooling towers had already been dismantled.



However these warning signs were still present.





The first one warns

Electrofischscheuchanlage
Abstand halten


or in English

Electro Fish Drive Away Facility
Keep your Distance
.

So they used electricity to prevent fish from entering the cooling system of the plant.

Achtung
Abstand von der Bojenkette halten
Kentergefahr für Sportboote


or in English

Attention
Keep your Distance from the Chain of Buoys
Danger of Capsizing for Sport Boats


From my childhood in Lüchtringen I remember times when ice floes were forming on the Weser, growing in size, sticking together, finally assembling on top of each other and forming a solid layer of ice. On that ice layer we would walk across the river or walk along in the middle of the river for long distances, ,making sure to stay away from open patches of water. I don't recall seeing ice on the Weser in Lüchtringen during the operation of the KWW. I don't know whether there is a connection or simply warmer Winter temperatures were the cause. Anyway, here are a few images taken on 2021-02-21.







So, Ice floes have returned.

A few more images near the KWW.





 

dave.gt

Well-known member
Good morning from here, I am a bit behind on forum visits but the recent presentations of D40 images coincide with my thoughts lately.😇

Thanks, K-H!!!👍👍👍

In looking back, digital cameras have been a lot of fun. By far, two cameras stand out for me as the “most fun”, “with me all the time”, and “I wonder what that would look like in a photograph” cameras!

Those two cameras are the D40 and my ever-present Leica X1.😎😎😎

I will keep my eye open for a D40 to replace the one I sold many years ago. It was my street shooter. It was my landscape and portrait default camera. And it never disappointed me.

These days, things are different as one would expect. Time goes on, things and circumstances change. I shoot more film now than I ever did in the past.

I think the coolest thingsI ever did with the D40 was using the 45mm/2.8P (from my FM3a) and then shooting early morning sunrises with the amazing 70-200mm lens.

Lots of fun!

I posted this before, but it underscores the fun of photography, and being able to capture very fast moving moments that I will cherish forever.

BB4D3B51-B496-4075-9317-4A109988B09E.jpeg

That little guy no longer exists except in photos and my memory. He is not a small child anymore. Split-second timing with a lot of luck, using an inexpensive camera and my old 28-105mm lens, and I had a magical moment for the rest of my life.

Obsolete camera and lens? Absolutely not!😃
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Kernkraftwerk Würgassen (KWW)




The nuclear power plant Würgassen (KWW) was built in 3 years and operated from 1971 until August 26, 1994 when cracks were found in the steel containment vessel of the reactor core. Subsequently for economic reasons it was decided to dismantle the facility over time. Details are described in German in the above reference.

This image of the plant was taken in 2009 with my D40 after the cooling towers had already been dismantled.



However these warning signs were still present.





The first one warns

Electrofischscheuchanlage
Abstand halten


or in English

Electro Fish Drive Away Facility
Keep your Distance
.

So they used electricity to prevent fish from entering the cooling system of the plant.

Achtung
Abstand von der Bojenkette halten
Kentergefahr für Sportboote


or in English

Attention
Keep your Distance from the Chain of Buoys
Danger of Capsizing for Sport Boats


From my childhood in Lüchtringen I remember times when ice floes were forming on the Weser, growing in size, sticking together, finally assembling on top of each other and forming a solid layer of ice. On that ice layer we would walk across the river or walk along in the middle of the river for long distances, ,making sure to stay away from open patches of water. I don't recall seeing ice on the Weser in Lüchtringen during the operation of the KWW. I don't know whether there is a connection or simply warmer Winter temperatures were the cause. Anyway, here are a few images taken on 2021-02-21.







So, Ice floes have returned.

A few more images near the KWW.





I ought to finish with some of the remaining images from my Weserbergland series taken with my Nikon D40 on a river boat trip from Bad Karlshafen to Höxter. The following images show the Weser country side from Beverungen/Lauenförde - Fürstenberg - Boffzen - near Höxter.







 

dave.gt

Well-known member
Perhaps I should start a new thread..”Fun with Throwaway Cameras!”😂

Seriously, years ago I was given a lot of a half dozen cameras that were found in a garbage dumpster… they were rescued and I still have two that’s fun to use…I shoot fun things with them now and then:

IMG_4347.jpeg

IMG_4338.jpeg

I love the black and white mode and the macro capabilities:
New Grill by Nikon 995 2023.jpeg
 
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dave.gt

Well-known member
Perhaps I should start a new thread..”Fun with Throwaway Cameras!”😂

Seriously, years ago I was given a lot of a half dozen cameras that were found in a garbage dumpster… they were rescued and I still have two that’s fun to use…I shoot fun things with them now and then:

View attachment 205278

View attachment 205279

I love the black and white mode and the macro capabilities:
View attachment 205280
These will be great for my artistic pursuits… bohemian lifestyle and all. 🙂 Some already know where that is going…

It’s cool using a camera no one else is using and many people have never seen these let alone used one!!! LOL😂

In our architectural office we used these professionally for a few years in the early 2000s. Now I just play with them… great fun! I love taking them on a fishing trip and getting great snaps without the stress of being sucked into that electronic habit when I am supposed to be enjoying fishing, or, losing my phone or damaging/losing one of my nice SLR /DSLR cameras.
They used to ride in my handlebar bag when I was cycling a lot. 😊

Now if I can only find a good used battery door for the 950… I wouldn’t have to use that old sticky yucky black duct tape!😣
 
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dave.gt

Well-known member
Not convinced? 😉

Leica M2, 50/1.4, Acros 100, DD-X:
Rolltop Desk by Leica M2 Acros II 100 DD-X March 2023.jpeg

Nikon 995 (3mp jpeg camera):
Desk Lamp by Nikon 995 BW 2023.jpeg

Close enough for fun snaps!

I have many other film and digital images of the same motif. Thus, I can say that the insanely fun 995 snaps will do fine for me on my next fly-fishing trip!😂😂😂
 

dave.gt

Well-known member
Looking for a mint D40 right now… checking dumpsters, etc.🤣

it will be a great pairing with my terrific D2x!!!!
 
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