Nikon D60 Digital Camera Review

Nikon D60

Digital Camera Review

Jun 03, 2008 - By Steve Morgenstern
3.5 The size, shape, and overall design are nearly identical to the D40, but under the hood 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. 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. For full details, read the complete review.
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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 autofocus/auto exposure lock button is between the viewfinder and the command dial on the right side. The circular four-way controller, with an OK button in the middle, is to the right of the LCD. The delete button, with its distinctive trashcan icon, is found below and to the left of the command dial. A small light indicating image recording and noise reduction activity is to the right of the delete button. There's a prominent ridge on the right-side of the camera back to help maintain a steady grip (to rest against the right side of your thumb) and an indentation directly above the four-way contoller (for the ball of your thumb).

 


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

Left Side (5.25)
At the back edge, a pop-off cover reveals the USB and video-out ports – a thin plastic tether keeps the cover from falling off when opened. Above it is a flush-mounted metal strap lug. Threading the strap through was a challenge, eventually conquered by grabbing the barely protruding end with a pin and tugging it through.

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 SD card slot cover slides back and pops out.

Top (7.00)
There's a flip-up flash at the front of the viewfinder hump, and an industry-standard hot shoe behind that. The mode dial is immediately to the right of the viewfinder. The shutter release, found at the right front, clearly indicates when you've hit the half-way-depressed point, an important touch. The ring-shaped power switch surrounding the shutter moves into position with a satisfying snap.

The exposure compensation button, which doubles as an aperture control toggle in manual shooting mode, is located on the right behind the shutter release. The active D-lighting toggle, which does double duty as a default values reset button, is on the left behind the shutter. 

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.

 


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