I was in urgent need of a camera to replace the Lumix LX5 that I had accidentally dunked in seawater. The owner of the place I was staying at in Olimpos suggested I take the bus out to Kumluca (to the west) or Kemer (to the east). Kemer sounded more interesting (with more catering to the Russian tourists who flock there), so I took my chances and headed over one afternoon.
Getting to Kemer involved a bit of pain, but that’s a different story. I eventually found a shop selling cameras (among other things) near the beach. The cameras were all point-and-shoot models. I wanted more control over my photography, but I was willing to settle for a simpler model if that was all I could get. After walking around town, I eventually came across a number of electronics shops that sold cameras. They too were point-and-shoot models, though a few had more sophisticated compact models for sale, second-hand. Only a couple were interesting.
I was also presented with the opportunity to “upgrade” from compact cameras. The owner of the first store offered to sell me his own Nikon D40 DSLR. With an external flash attachment and an excellent 18mm-200mm lens, his initial offer was 1500TL, about $850. That was much more than I was willing to spend. Without the external flash (I generally prefer to shoot without flash) and the stock 18-55mm lens, he quoted $400. I hemmed and hawed when he asked for my counter-offer.
A DSLR was definitely outside my purchase scope. Securing it from rain and thieves, cleaning it, learning how to optimally use it, it was all more than I really wanted to deal with. But still, a little voice nagged at me. Would there be a better time to learn to use a DSLR? The little voice reminded me that I would be back home in two months, when I could more easily replace the D40 if I wanted.
I was operating from too much ignorance, though, to begin to negotiate for the D40. I retreated to a nearby internet cafe to do some research. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive. But, there were issues.
One was that the Nikon D40 was first released in December 2006, and most of the reviews from within two years of release. As a first-generation DSLR, its technology is sorely outdated by today’s standards. I wasn’t bothered by the 6 mega-pixel resolution. I was a little wary of the lack of live view, having gotten used to it on my previous digital cameras. Its viewfinder didn’t have a grid or more than three markers for helping to line up the shot. Its slowest ISO was 200. It didn’t have vibration compensation.
Another was that the provenance of this particular D40 was unknown. The body looked to be in good shape, and the owner said he just used it to take passport photos in the back room of customers, but who knows? And why would he have such an expensive lens on it for such a mundane task? Why was the timezone set to Russia on the camera? What was the shutter count? Just how old was the battery (how many shots would I get, on average, out of it)?
Also, what was a fair price for a used D40 of unknown provenance and shutter count? Amazon had used units listed starting at $323, but those typically included all of the original materials and packaging, almost none of which the owner had. I would only receive the camera body, the stock lens, one battery, the battery charger with cable, and the shoulder strap.
After going back and forth between the different stores (on a hot, sunny day) and ducking into internet cafes to do more research, I decided to be adventurous and buy the D40. Sure, it’s relatively ancient by digital camera standards, but I think it will be a fun experiment. Unfortunately, the seller sensed my decision on me, since he declined any counter offers when I returned to his shop, so I paid the originally quoted $400 in the equivalent 700TL.
One bonus was that the stock lens already had a UV filter mounted, and nobody noticed. I didn’t notice its presence until much later. Another bonus is that my 52mm circular polarizer (in danger of becoming an obsolete piece of gear) also fits onto the stock lens.
I’m still working out logistics, like where/how to stow it securely if I need to leave it alone or want it out of sight. I eventually need to learn how to clean it, though I doubt it will develop dust blobs in the two months before I visit home. Back at the hostel, I downloaded and read the user manual, and I’ve been experimenting with it, learning its capabilities and limits. (The photos in this post are from before I read the manual.)
Also, what am I going to do with the LX5 and its assorted gear (three batteries, battery charger, USB adapter cable, and ring adapter)? I guess I can ship it home (except for the batteries, which cannot be shipped internationally), but I’ll be home in two months anyway – about the time it would take for the shipment to arrive (by sea mail).
Oh well, those are all problems for another day. For now, let’s continue to play with the new toy! 
Post script: I checked the shutter count later. It’s around 11,500, which isn’t actually that bad for a camera that was almost five years old. (Note that while my Flickr account has over 150,000 items, taken over three cameras over almost three years, I have discarded at least as many without ever uploading them.) On average, cameras like the Nikon D40 are expected to reach a shutter count of around 100,000 before the likelihood of the shutter failing is significant.
