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Thanks for all the info Logan. I've been going to post a question about using Nikon cameras for astrophotography and why most people on here seem to use Canons. That link you posted is excellent and answered several questions that I had.
I know this is not about the D40 but I recently bought a Nikon D3s and the low noise at high ISO is absolutely fantastic. Although the pixel size is large compared to some other mid to top range DSLRs (both Canon and Nikon) the sensor size is large (& keeps the file size manageable with 12Mp res). I've heard by talking to other people that it sets a new benchmark for high ISO quality (I can shoot up to 102,000 ISO, which is probably equivalent to old 1600ASA film in grain), and I'm beginning to find out that indeed it is that good.
I haven't tried it out too much yet on my new 12in scope but the few photos I've taken through it plus the ones I've taken wide field with DSLR lenses has excellent and images are very usable for shooting at 1600-12800 ISO. Live view is great focussing and image centering too.
I had a D80 until recently and it had the usual Nikon purple glow around the edge of long exposures (more than a minute or so), which the Canons apparently had very little of. The D3s seems to be free of this problem. I took a 10 minute exposure with lens cap on and there was no glow at all. Even though nowadays it's easy to stack multiple photos in software I look forward to trying a few really long exposure star trails and maybe even long tracked exposures piggybacked on my scope. Eventually I want to use an autoguider with it as well.
The only downside I've come across in my preliminary use of the D3s is the extra weight of the camera on the end of the scope, but I can deal with this with counterweights!
So hopefully with Nikon's latest improvements filtering down to the lower ends of their range eventually more astrophotogrphers will use Nikons! You might have something to look farward to soon if you want to upgrade your D40!
Wayne
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