Happy Mother’s Day to me! OK, actually it’s happy early birthday to me. With a milestone birthday coming up next week (and a handy little rebate check from the IRS burning a hole in my pocket), Chris and I decided now was as good a time as ever to finally join the ranks of the digital SLR owners. I’ve been checking out and lusting over many a nifty Nikon lately, and after a trip online to figure out which one suited me best, I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D40X!

After reviewing all the cameras that Nikon offered in my price range and with the features I needed, I narrowed my choice to either the D40X or their D80 model. With both of these being great cameras, my decision to opt for the D40X came down mostly to price. The D40X is a great entry level DSLR, and it looked to be the perfect next step up from my wonderful side-kick for the last couple years, my point-and-shoot Canon PowerShot SD110.

Another big difference between the D40X and the D80 is that the D40X has a smaller body size. This is great for me because I definitely need a camera that is lightweight and portable. Besides its size, this camera is touted as easy to use with a fast response time so that I can capture my toddler in action instead the back of her head as she’s on to the next thing.

And most amazing thing about it all is that I got the camera new off Ebay for a steal! It also came with a bunch of cool extras, including two tripods, a 4 gig memory card, a 75-300mm f4-5.6 macro zoom lens, a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G medium zoom lens and a wide angle lens, among other goodies.

Now I just have to patiently wait for this great package to arrive and then learn how to use it!