Nikon D60

The D60 is a handsome, straightforward camera that straddles the line between delightfully compact and annoyingly shrunken. To achieve its diminutive design, a top-mounted LCD readout and second control knob went by the wayside. A point-by-point analysis, though, proves that everything you need to shoot in fully automatic or more manually-controlled modes is included and easy to find.

Front (6.25)
Your membership in the brotherhood of Nikon shooters is proudly announced by the company logo atop the viewfinder hump, the silver D60 badge at top right and the trademark red swath on the handgrip, just below the shutter release. The grip material is slightly textured hard plastic. There's an infrared receiver (which works with the optional ML-L3 wireless remote control) on the front of the grip, and a large autofocus assist light (which also blinks during self-timer shooting) between the grip and the lens mount. The lens release button is found on the right side of the lens mount.

The distinctive Nikon brand look extends from top-of-the-line
to less expensive models.

Back (7.00)
The 2.5-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD is positioned toward the left side of the camera back. To its left is a vertical row of buttons: from top to bottom they are Playback, Menu, Thumbnail Playback / Playback Zoom Out / Help, and Playback Zoom In / Information Display. The viewfinder is above the LCD with a diopter control on the right. The viewfinder is surrounded by a rubber eyecup. Below the viewfinder is a sensor that automatically turns the LCD display off when you hold the camera up to your eye. 

The LCD of the D60 is bright and easy to read.

Below the viewfinder hump are two small buttons. The top button pops up the built-in flash and accesses flash exposure compensation settings. The bottom button triggers the self-timer by default, but can also be programmed to set release mode, image quality, ISO, and white balance when used in conjunction with the command dial.

The USB and video ports are protected by a pop-out door.

Right Side (6.25)
A simple ridged door provides access to the SD card slot. The door slides back with a flip of the thumb, then pops up out of the way to allow card insertion – quick and easy to manipulate, yet unlikely to be opened accidentally. A barely visible pull-out cover at the center bottom conceals a connector for the optional EH-5a AC Adapter. This cover is harder to maneuver, requiring a well placed fingernail in a very slim space.

The controls are clustered conveniently on the top right.

Bottom (6.25)
The metal tripod socket is conveniently centered under the lens axis, allowing access to the battery compartment door even when the camera is mounted on a tripod (the latched battery compartment door is located under the hand grip). The ridged hard plastic bottom is prone to scratches, though, particularly when tripod-mounted.

The battery can be removed even with the camera on a tripod.