I have a nikon d 40 and was wondering if the display screen can be used to preview the shot instead of using the eye piece .

The D200 works as SLRs have worked for half a century. You compose the picture through the viewfinder. Only more recent dSLRs have the live view capability, allowing you to hold the camera out at the end of a wobbly arm instead of tucked in against your body. In the case of Nikon, this capability came out with the D3 and the D300.

The XS does not have the feature of using the display screen for composition/preview of images like the smaller compact digital cameras. You will have to use the eyepiece like a standard SLR.

The LCD screen on the D-40 and other Nikon models except the D-90 will not show previews like a point and shoot does. In other words you have to compose the shot through the viewfinder. The reason for this is that a Digital SLR is heavier than a point and shoot and it would be almost impossible to use it like a point and shoot. In other words it is too heavy to hold at arms length and take a pic. Hope this helps

Nope. The LCD is only for viewing images in playback mode, and for setting the menu choices. Very few digital SLR's have what you are looking for, which is most commonly called "live view". Frankly, it isn't a very easy thing to use on any camera I've seen, because you need to lock the mirror in the up positon, view your image on the LCD and compose the shot, then lower the mirror before you can take the picture. Once you're used to the eye-level viewfinder, I think you'll find it's just fine. Enjoy your D-40.

Can't be done. Digital SLR cameras only view through the eyepiece, unless they have a "live view" function, which the D40 does not. The LCD is therefore for viewing an image after it is shot, and setting your menu options.

DSLR camera was not made to be used as a point and shoot camera and you cant preview the shot before taking a picture. You are to use the eye piece to focus right. Also before taking a picture, push the exposure button just a little to let the camera focus right.

Sorry, you cannot use the screen for preview of an image before you take it. Since the shutter remains closed until you actually take a picture, there is no way to have an image on the screen before it is captured.

That's because the Nikon D40 does not have Live View. Up until a couple of years ago, no DSLR's had live preview, due to the design of a DSLR over a point and shoot, as it has a pentamirror arrangement that effectivly deflects the light path to the viewfinder and only to the sensor when the internal mirror is raised. Early live preview models from Olympus had the world's first Live View system by flipping the mirror so that the picture preview could be seen on the rear monitor. Most manufacturers now incorporate Live View into most of their models but most Nikon consumer models do not as yet, apart from the newly relesed D90. The D40 and D40x are two year old designs and therefore do not have the more "modern" specs of say the Olympus E520 or Canon EOS450D. Most photographers trading up from a compact to a DSLR are surprised when they cannot use the LCD monitor in the same way. However for most aspects of DSLR photography Live View is not something that is used all the time, low down shots, and macro perhaps being the most convenient use, but for general photography there is no substitute for framing through the viewfinder, that's what we've been used to doing for over half a century! Besides as pointed out previously a DSLR is often too heavy to hand hold at arms length especially with a long lens.

It is useful for the pro to know the settings automatically at every exposure.But if you dont like you can avoid it by going through the menu.You select "No" to display info or preview

I find that the Nikon 4300 really burns through the batteries when the camera is set to use red-eye correction. This triggers three or so flashes for each picture. I think I get more than 30 red-eye corrected flash pictures on a set of batteries, but probably no more than 50. Taking outdoor shots w/o flash naturally is kinder on the batteries.