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Nikon D60

Digital Camera Review

June 03, 2008 By Steve Morgenstern 2 Comments (add your own)

This review is organized into 13 pages

Next: Page 1

Introduction

If you’ve ever seen the Nikon D40 (introduced in November 2006) or the Nikon D40x (March 2007), a glance at the D60 may remind you of a Talking Heads song – the size, shape, and overall design are same as it ever was, same as it ever was. Under the hood, though, there are significant improvements, including a a more powerful processor, a kit lens incorporating image-stabilizing VR technology, enhanced in-camera editing, and a two-stage dust reduction system. That said, the new camera inherits some shortcomings from its predecessors, including incompatibility with many existing Nikon lenses and a very small size and shape that’s great for portability but clumsy for a manly man’s grip (presumably brand spokesperson Ashton Kutcher has delicate hands). The D60 replaces the D40x in Nikon’s product lineup, while the D40, a 6.1-megapixel model at $500, remains as the company’s lowest-priced digital SLR. The D60 is sold only as a package with the camera body and a 3x zoom AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens, at $750 complete; unlike most SLRs, you can’t buy the body on its own.

This review is organized into 13 pages
Page 1 Physical Tour It's a straightforward design, low on clutter and attractive, but the plastic body is less rugged than slightly pricier Nikon models. Read More...	Page 2 Testing/Performance Performance is good overall, with notably low noise. There are slight color inaccuracies and white balance problems, however. Read More...	Page 3 Components Boasts a sharp 2.5-inch LCD screen with a wide viewing angle, but there's no live view, and manual focus is poor. Read More...
Page 4 Design / Layout It's a pro-looking Nikon design at an affordable price, albeit awkward to hold for bigger hands. Read More...	Page 5 Modes The automatic mode and presets let beginners get good results, but the movie mode is less useful than even basic point-and-shoot compacts. Read More...	Page 6 Control Options The D60 provides nice a variety of presets and manual modes, though auto focus for action shooting is limited. Read More...
Page 7 Image Parameters Sports in-camera RAW-to-JPEG conversion plus extensive in-camera editing. RAW+JPEG shooting produces low-quality JPEGs. Read More...	Page 8 Connectivity / Extras Nikon's extensive model-specific online video tutorials make learning easy. The supplied software is mediocre, however. Read More...	Page 9 Overall Impressions Click here for our thoughts on the D60's overall value, who it's for, and brief comparisons to competing models Read More...
Page 10 Conclusion Read our final conclusion of the Nikon D60 Read More...	Page 11 Sample Photos A gallery of photos taken with the Nikon D60 Read More...	Page 12 Specs / Ratings See all the scores for the Nikon D60 Read More...
Part 13 Comments Read what people are saying about the Nikon D60 Add Your Comments

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