Sometimes I’m embarrassed by my Nikon D40. Designed specifically to market SLR cameras to the average consumer, it’s not an unusual camera and doesn’t command any sort of respect in the professional world. It’s like having read “Gone With the Wind” three times – people who know very little will be impressed, and people who know quite a lot will smile indulgently and inwardly snicker. Either way is awkward.

But the same thing that makes it too pedestrian to be really awesome is what makes it a technical marvel. I played around with all the settings at first and tried to treat it like a tiny D1H (the only other SLR I’ve handled), but it just doesn’t work the same. It’s missing crucial settings like white balance, and the auto settings are just too good to not use.

Other things that make it uncool in the photojournalism sense also make it great for me. It’s tiny to the point that it almost looks silly when the guys I know hold it, but it fits my hand perfectly. It’s small and light, so I carry it around with me pretty much all of the time. The price was right; at this point it’s cost me less than $1.50 a day (I got a D40 right after they introduced the D40x). It’s kind of like me, where it sometimes looks too small or unequipped to be taken seriously, but then you should see some of the nice photos it’s produced.

It has some quirks, like a tendency to edge toward yellow that can be disastrous under florescent lights. There are limitations, like only three focus fields that make it basically impossible to focus when shooting vertically. The flash is always too strong with auto settings.

But I love it. It’s probably taken 10,000 pictures, most of them crap. It’s been in a hail storm and a tattoo parlor and the U.S. Capitol. I’ve taken pictures of administrators and documents and President Bush’s dogs and ice cream soup and lots of Evergreeners. It’s empowering.

Fun fact: Nikon was almost named Nikkorette instead. It was definitely a smart final decision.