Nikon D60 Digital SLR Review
May 21, 2009 by Eastmon Admin
Filed under Digital Camera Reviews, Featured Review, Nikon Digital Cameras
There is something about holding a Nikon SLR camera in your hand that makes you feel that now you will be able to take great photos. After all many of the great photographs we see in the press were taken with a Nikon camera, if you think Nikon, you think professional. With that in mind I wondered would the Nikon D60 live up to my expectation of what makes a great camera.
First Impression
The Nikon D60 fits nicely in your hand, a smaller and lighter body then its big brothers which is a welcome relief. My first thought was at least I will not get a headache from hanging a brick around my neck or tire from just holding the camera up. It is possibly just the right weight and size to take travelling with you and the grip size feels very comfortable and secure to hold the camera
Switching the camera on and the 170° viewing angle LCD bursts into life and the camera goes automatically through a sensor clean, then displays the current setup of the camera in the mode you have selected. Place the camera against your eye and a sensor turns the LCD off to conserve battery power until you take it away from your face. A quick look over the camera and it looks very clutter free and easy understand with a large easy to rotate mode dial.
When using the 'info' & 'help' buttons picture and text descriptions give visual prompts so you can understand the application of a chosen setting
If your new to Digital SLR’s and you feel like you will need to carry the manual around with you everywhere you go then fear not. To the left of the LCD panel there is the ‘info’ button and ‘help’ button. Both of these buttons make life very easy for the beginner to become familiar with the camera and understand what happens when they make selections from the menu. The menu is realy well laid out and easy to navigate, but the ‘help’ and ‘info’ buttons are worth their weight in gold.
As I played with the controls I was to learn that the camera will not release the shutter without the SD memory card installed this is a great feature. You may think ‘who would take photos with out a memory card in their camera’, let me assure you there are many, they just don’t tell everyone.
A quick review of the manual and I find I can get approx 500 shots from a battery charge, so charge the battery, install the memory card and I am ready for a weekend shooting with the D60.
Camera Controls and Features
Easy access mode dial, and between the mode dial and shutter button is the active D-Lighting button
The mode dial on the top of the camera shows the usual array of modes from the simplest auto mode, creative scene modes, right through to the advanced PASM shooting modes. Within any of the modes you can override or customise various functions using the menu and four way controller on the back of the camera.
A nifty little function I found useful the more I used the camera was that as you rotate the camera from landscape to portrait the text and image rotate to the correct orientation making menu selection very easy.
Active D-Lighting features on the D60 and is easily activated by pressing the D-Lighting button near the shutter button and rotating the command dial. This feature adjusts the tonal range in high contrast shooting to preserve detail in the shadows and highlights, giving a more natural rendition of your images.
Beautiful detail and colour saturation
The greatest benefit for this may be in shooting portraits, however it could be applied equally well in many other situations. A word of caution, it does slow down your photography as the camera processes the image, once you use it though you may never turn it off as it really does produce a better result.
One thing to note about lens compatibility is that while the D60 will accept older Nikon lens, those people hoping to use their old film AF lens will be disappointed as the autofocusing is driven by a motor in the lens, unlike the older body driven lenses and are marked as AF-S lenses.
The D60 introduces ‘Stop Motion Movies’ to Digital SLR’s. This mode allows budding animators to capture a number of stills, up to 100 in one go and create a movie from it.
Using the camera
Shot during the golden hours with the 55-200VR Lens
Well my expectations were high and I was using the 18-55 non VR and 55-200VR lens kit. I was impressed by the very quick startup, but if the start up was quick so is the autofocusing and shutter release. You can feel your confidence grow the more you use this camera and it’s speed and the assurance that you won’t miss a shot makes it even more enjoyable.
My first shot was a scene that was heavily shadowed and I must admit I was not that impressed. However using the D-Light function in the retouch menu really salvaged a shot I was about to discard. After that I made sure I had active D-Lighting set for my subsequent pictures
As we travelled along and the sun got lower there were a number of opportunities to capture some great images with difficult lighting using various different modes. That night as I sat down and looked over the images I was over the moon with the colour and detail of the images.
Sunrise, you can see minor lens flaring in the foreground
The next day opened with a brilliant sunrise captured beautifully with the 55-200VR lens with just a little bit of lens flare. As I was shooting mainly scenery I had the colour tone set to vivid to get a little more punch to the images. Waterfalls always present an opportunity and challenge. Using Vari Program or aperture priority you can reduce your shutter speed to capture the effect of moving water. It was the only time I wished the 18-55 lens was a VR as I did not have a tripod with me.
Over the course of the weekend I had the opportunity to use the continuous shooting mode that can capture up to 3 frames per second for up to 100 images in jpg as well as various scene modes and mixes of flash and available light. There is a myriad of different functions and customisable features that require a lot more time and exploration, but what is enjoyable is that it takes brilliant photos without needing the knowledge of the professional.
Conclusion
Taken with the 18-55 non VR lens. When you forget your tripod and you don't have a VR lens, handheld is the only option
Great! The Nikon D60 is a delightful DSLR to use. The camera was just very comfortable to hold and use. The menu is well laid out and the help and info buttons make the choice of how to set your camera a dream to use.
How did the camera perform?
Crisp, clear high resolution images with great tonal range and saturation! The focusing was always accurate and fast, just the sort of thing you need for photographing kids on the move or playing sport.
If I have any criticism it is that I wish Nikon would adopt an antishake mechanism in the camera body like some of its competitors, that said the VR lens perform admirably.
Who is it suitable for?
Nikon have aimed this camera squarely at the beginner. I think it would be the ideal camera for anyone stepping up to their first Digital SLR. It would be a great choice for a family camera as it would have the convenience of no fuss auto for the person that just wants to take nice pictures, but would also give plenty of scope to the member of the family that is passionate about their photography and wants to grow and learn more.
D60 with 18-55 non VR lens on Landscape mode
How would I rate it?
This is the third incarnation of this camera body that started with the D40. The Nikon D60 continues the Nikon tradition of making a great camera that takes brilliant images. The 10 megapixel sensor captures images capable of being enlarged to poster size with superb detail and tonal range.
My Rating, 8 stars out of 10
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