This is my plunge to the world of professional photography. I'd like to introduce to you Minny, my Nikon D40. Before I get started, what does Minny mean? It means loving memory.

Let me explain why I bought this lovely camera for my 27th birthday. I already own a Canon Powershot A550. Why would I bother getting a heavier camera and it has a lower megapixel count of 6.1 megapixels as compared to the A550's count of 7.1? It takes better pictures much more quickly. Let me give you my reasons in detail:

• Focus control: People ask me how I shoot sharp objects and have the rest of the picture blurred. You need focus control. I simply have control what subject to focus on. For example, I have a person who is holding a pen. I can choose which subject to focus, either the pen or the person. Normally, a point and shoot camera like a A550 would shoot the closest subject. For our example, it would be the pen.
• Faster Shutter Speed: It is really important to capture the right emotion of the moment. The more candid the facial expression, the better. The rapid-fire mode, where you can take shots in a quick succession, ensures you capture the action.
• Bounce/Indirect Flash: Flash will light your subject properly. Digital SLRs normally allow you to add an external flash. I bought the Nikon SB-400 speedlight for more flash power and extended camera battery life. The SB-400 allows you to point the flash upward, like a ceiling, which results to a softer and more natural light. Built-in flashes point directly to the subject which results to a hard light that lights the color of the subject and/or a dark background.

These are just three good reasons why the Nikon D40 is worth the P23,000 (around US$460) price tag. The price is a bargain knowing that there are more expensive point and shoot cameras shoot shots at a lower quality. This is a serious upgrade to my old camera. The Canon Powershot is a camera that I bring everyday, but if I know there is a place or event, I bring the Nikon D40. Big thanks to Dan Cercado for recommeding the camera and Ken Rockwell for his detailed recommendation of the Nikon D40. It is a light SLR and it contains adequate controls that professional photographers use to take great shots.

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