perfect camera for the beginner.... | Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX...

Nice camera | Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

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	• Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens Nikon Nikon average customer review:based on 63 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Nice first Digital SLR

This is my first Digital SLR, I've spent the past several weeks learning how to use it. The settings are pretty easy to change, without requiring alot of deep menu navigation. Whats nice about this camera is that the auto setting takes really good pictures, a must for someone that isn't used to all the settings offered in manual modes. Good battery life, support for SDHC cards, a decent all around lens, and a great price make this one of the best DSLR's for a first time buyer.

Cons: The camera kit does not come with a video out cable to hook up to your TV, and the Nikon cable is unavailable everywhere online. Pretty lame for a $600 camera not to include this.

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perfect camera for the beginner....

My wife is a beginner of SLR camera and she really likes it. This camera is perfect for beginner and even for professionals... Easy to deal with and back lcd shows every imformation for your picture.. it is really good.

Nice camera

It's not heavy or bulky considering it is a DSLR, I like it because it's easy to use.

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Buyer Beware (of Software)

Warning to anyone buying a Nikon D60 and expecting it to come with processing software. You, like me, may be sorely disappointed. I used a Nikon D50 for years (it was stolen) and thought I was replacing it with an "upgrade." The old D50 came with a decent if simple processing software program called Picture Project which allowed you to edit pictures (crop, tweak, etc.). THE D60 DOES NOT! No one tells you this in advance. The D60 comes with a completely inadequate program for "viewing" pictures but not editing them--ViewNX. It's good for nothing. When I found this out the hard way and called Nikon they told me I would have to buy their new Capture software for $179. If you are about the spend $700 on this camera, be prepared: if you want to edit your pictures on your computer (and not just on the tiny LCD screen on the camera), you'd better budget another $179. Nikon should be ashamed of themselves. Let the buyer beware.

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Fantastic Images, Lightweight and Well-Built

This is a great camera, and don't let anyone tell you it's only for beginners. The images that the D60 produces easily rival that of more expensive cameras. When you spend less money on the D60, you are sacrificing a few bells & whistles but not necessarily image quality.

It has all the manual settings you'd expect in an SLR and a very easy-to-navigate (and nice-looking) menu system. The LCD screen is big and bright, and the viewfinder is great as well.

What it's missing (at least when compared to higher end models) and why you don't necessarily need those things:

- No auto-focus on non-AF-S/AF-I lenses. Unless you already have a bunch of old Nikon lenses, this shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure any lens you buy in the future is an AF-S or AF-I.

- No Live View. This is only just becoming standard on higher end cameras and on the ones I have tried I have found it very "clunky" anyway. "Live View" is a hallmark of compact point & shoot cameras, and I think that's where it belongs... at least for now. SLRs are just made for shooting with the viewfinder. It just feels better on a camera like this. If you *need* Live View, look at the Sony SLRs. They seem to implement that feature best.

- Only 3 auto focus points. The D80 has 11, the Canon XSi has 9, blah, blah, blah. Three is enough for most people... heck, one is enough for most people. Yes, having more is nice, but honestly if you are a beginner and don't understand what the benefit of more AF points might even be, you don't need them.

- No exposure bracketing. A helpful feature for making HDR images, but even then it is not necessary.

Those are the biggies. I have my own little nit picks, like:

- No dedicated buttons for ISO or white balance (you can program the Fn button to do it, but it's nice to have a seperate button).

- RAW+JPEG setting only allows you to record a "basic" quality JPEG.

- The ViewNX software supplied with the camera sucks for processing RAW images. If you are going to shoot RAW, get something better like Nikon's CaptureNX, Adobe Camera Raw for Photoshop or Lightroom, or something similar. If those aren't in your budget, RAW Therapee is a great open source RAW processing application. It's light years better than ViewNX in this regard, and it is 100% free of charge!

Now for the major perks:

- The D60 inherits features like Active D-Lighting and Expeed processing from the (much more expensive) D3 and D300 pro SLRs, which the D40 and D40x do not have. Look those things up to see what the benefits are. D-Lighting is subtle, but effective.

- The new kit lens with VR (vibration reduction, Nikon's term for image stabilization) which allows for sharp pictures in lower light conditions when using slower shutter speeds. The D40/D40x have a non-VR version of the same lens. In my opinion, this is the best "kit" lens when compared to what the competition is currently offering (in terms of overall image quality).

- Auto focus assist lamp. Trust me, it's a simple little thing but you'll love having it.

- FAST auto focus (even with those three piddly AF points =)

- Big, bright LCD and viewfinder.

- Superb build quality. Feels much more "pro" in your hand than it's plastic-y competitors.

- Great high ISO performance. Perfectly usable shots at ISO 1600. ISO 3200 is worse, but you could still use it in a pinch and get decent results and small prints. I've printed a couple 8x10s from ISO 1600 shots that look fantastic.

- Which brings me to the most important feature: stellar image quality. Go find sample images online and see for yourself. Forget those chart & graph test shots. Look for real-world samples of real people/things -- that's where you'll really be able to see the D60 shine!

I love my D60. I have been shooting with it every day since I bought it a month ago and have no regrets. It truly is a great camera to learn on for the SLR beginner, but is just as good for those of us with a little experience who are on a budget and don't see the above "cons" as deal breakers. Just buy the thing and go make some beautiful photos!

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