On my Nikon d40 sometimes I can't lower the aperture when I have it on the manual modes, is there a reason?

Question

On my Nikon d40 sometimes I can't lower the aperture when I have it on the manual modes, is there a reason?

Answer 1

Which lens are you using and which aperture are you trying to use?

Answer 2

I am guessing here--you may have "hit" the limit of the lens. Most zoom lens (especially consumer level ones) are aperture variable. When it's zoom in, the aperture gets smaller. This keeps the lens smaller, and the costs of it down, otherwise it would be a big chunk o' glass.

Answer 3

Pooky's probably identified your problem, but I'll add the numbers.  Your lens is labelled 18-55mm - f/3.5-5.6.

You might think you should be able to get down to f/3.5 at all focal lengths, but you can't.  At 55mm, the widest you can go is f/5.6.  You need to be zoomed all the way "in" at 18mm to access f/3.5.

Answer 4

Pooky's right.  It's the limitation on your lens.  It will tell you on top or front of your lens what your widest aperture (or aperture range, if it's a zoom) is.