[oldaccount]

From what I understand, the Nikon D40 is a great dSLR, that is dumbed down so as to be more more "point and shoot" than other SLRs.

Ive never touched an SLR in my life, but I plan on practicing a lot and becoming a pretty decent amateur photographer. Just as a hobby, Im not going to be taking pictures for National Geographic, obviously.

My question is, is the D40 too "point and shoot" and not enough SLR.....will a d40 leave me with not enough control over my pictures? I dont want to be stuck with a point and shoot camera that takes really good pictures.