[pimpom]

The Nikon D40X and its Canon counterpart are very good entry-level SLR cameras. But the 18-55 mm kit lenses are nothing special. If you want a better lens, that will incur another major expense.

If a wide zoom range is important to you - for taking pictures of near and far objects without changing lenses - the Nikon Nikkor 18-200mm lens is very good - almost as good as a Panasonic-Leica lens. But it costs more than the camera itself. An 18-200 mm lens by Tamron or Sigma is cheaper (less than 20k), but they are not as good as the Nikkor.