Nikon Coolpix P60

Value
The Nikon Coolpix P60 is an interesting point-and-shoot, geared for advanced shooters upgrading from a strictly automatic point-and-shoot. At a retail price of $229.95, a dual manual and automatic point-and-shoot is a good deal. Users can grow with this camera as they mature in their photographic skills. Buyers should know, though, that the older P50 is nearly identical to the newer P60, except the P50’s retail price has been cut to $199.95. That extra 30 bucks is spent on the slightly larger LCD screen with improved resolution.

Who’s this Camera For?
Point and Shooters – Even within the point-and-shoot demographic, there is a wide range of users. The Nikon P60 suits novice users with its automatic Scene modes and advanced users with its manual controls.

Budget Consumers – The $229.95 price for a manual point-and-shoot is not bad. Buyers should note, though, that some automatic point-and-shoots go for as little as $150 these days.

Gadget Freaks – Not really. There are too many features found on other cameras, such as Wi-Fi and touch screens, that will lure techies away from the Nikon P60.

Manual Control Freaks – The P60 isn’t an SLR, which most manual controllers like. Instead, it retains manual controls for aperture and shutter speed, but in a point-and-shoot. Users adjust those functions with the multi-selector instead of barrel rings like on an SLR. This puts it somewhere between point-and-shoots and SLRs; it has some manual controls, but not enough to satisfy most serious shooters.

Pros / Serious Amateurs – The Nikon P60 really doesn’t suit professionals well, even with its manual controls. Serious hobbyists would more likely lean toward compact SLR-styled cameras or SLRs.

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