Nikon D60 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G Auto Focus-S Nikkor Zoom Lens

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Switching from a Cannon Powershot A95 point and shoot to a SLR Camera was a huge jump. When I first got it I was a little intimidated. Surprisingly I found it very easy to operate and I was out taking pictures that same day with the automatic setting of course. Now after a few weeks, I have gone through the manual and have become a lot more comfortable with the manual settings. I highly recommend buying at a minimum the Nikon ss-600 flash which is what I got. The pictures come out incredible and professional like. I am sure once I have more practice my pictures will be just as good as a Studio. At least that is the goal and with this camera and its simple to understand functions, I am sure I will get there. I also bought the AF-S Nikon Nikkor 55-200mm Zoom lens as the lens that comes with the camera is limited on close ups. All three of these items including a 4 year protection, 8GB Card, Two extra batteries, Bag, cleaning kit and car charger where all bought via Amazon and Cameta Cameras which is an Amazon Retailer. Huge savings! Bought everything for around $1050. Compared to Best Buy where just the camera, protection plan, flash and extra lens was over $1300. If I would of bought everything at a local retailer like Best Buy, I would of spent almost $1700. Wow!

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I was a bit torn between this camera and the D80 which my friend has but, with the lower price, smaller size, and a VR kit lens I was sold on the D60. Last night I had a photo shoot in a night club for a birthday party. I love the sensor in the eye piece, i didnt mind not having the extra LCD screen, Also, I took over 400 pictures using mostly my internal flash with a jimmy rigged defuser, but my photos came out wonderful. the VR really helped to reduce low light noise when compared to my friends D80 with a kit 18-70mm lens. my battery lasted the whole night and still reads 3/4 full. I am very pleased in my decision to get the D60 for me it was perfect.

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I really enjoy using this camera. The Active D Lighting is an awesome feature of the D60. I have just recently discovered the world of SLRs and dont have too much photography experience, but I used this camera when I traveled to Alaska and Japan and was happy with the picture quality. The camera went everywhere with me and had its fair share of bumps scrapes, so it is durable. I didnt mind carrying the D60 around because it is more compact than the D90 and full frames, but at the sacrifice of a smaller LCD screen (among other cool features). The stock 18-55 VR Nikkor lens that comes with the camera is a decent all-around lens; very versatile for many situations. However, with many DX lenses available for the D60, youll soon be shopping for better lenses. Really happy with this camera, although after seeing my friends D90, I want to upgrade soon. A great buy for a beginner to intermediate photographer.

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I began my excursion into the DSLR world with the Olympus 4/3 system, which is a fantastic system, period. What lured me away from Olympus to the Nikon DX DSLR system was the simultaneous introduction earlier this year of the now widely acclaimed 16-85mm VR zoom lens and the D60 DSLR, which has a built-in dust reduction system. IMO, the IQ of the D60, when used in RAW capture mode with the 16-85mm zoom lens, is a notch above that of the Olympus E-410 (equipped with the ZD 14-54mm zoom lens), which I owned for several months (and before that the E-1 and E-330). The D60 wins hands-down in the noise department, even at low ISO settings, and beats the pants off the E-410 at higher ISOs. The same is true for dynamic range. Its not that the E-410 has poor dynamic range, becuase it doesnt. Rather, the D60 has such unbelievable dynamic range that, compared side-by-side, it makes the dynamic range of the E-410 look weak by comparison. Bottom line: With the exception of a few missing features noted below, the D60 has nearly everything I could ask for in a compact DSLR and is nearly perfect when combined with the spectacular 16-85mm VR zoom lens. Features missing or lacking in the D60, include: * no exposure or white balance bracketing * only 3 focus points (not really a problem for me personally) * no live view feature (I bet this feature will be included in the D60 upgrade) * menu navigation system is much clunkier than the one used by Olympus consumer DSLRs Regarding the 18-55mm VR D60 kit lens, its actually quite decent. Stopped down a bit, it may be close in IQ to the 16-85mm VR lens. If cost is factor, the quality of the 18-55mm VR lens makes the D60 kit a fantastic deal.

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Ive had the camera for a few weeks now because i wanted to pick up a better hobby for myself and Ive gotten really good at taking pictures in manual mode of my cellphone. I felt that this was the best camera that would compare to a smartphone today. Let me tell you that the difference is night and day.

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Sold my D50 to upgrade to this D60. LOVE NIkon! Simple to use on auto, yet has all the controls if you want to use it in manual mode. Nikon lenses are truly superior to other top brands. I find that Canon point and shoot digital cameras are the best, whereas Nikon DSLRs are the best. Of course a lot of that has to do with the lens youre using. I would only recommend Nikon. Dont buy cheap off-brand lenses to save money, you pictures will suffer! Screen is large with an easy to use display. Body is compact - which can be good or bad depending on how big your hand is/comfort level. The 18-55 VR lens that came with it is slightly useless. You dont need VR on a short range lens like that. I used to have the 18-55 non-VR lens with my D50 and that worked fine. Thats not to say the 18-55 VR isnt good, its just not necessary. I would rather have VR on my 55-200 lens. Also, recommend the Nikon SpeedLight SB-400, bouncing flash off the wall will make a HUGE difference in your photos, I wished I learned about it earlier (not included). Overall, comes with all the accessories and basic lens you need to get started. Its an excellent choice at an excellent price. Check back on Amazon.com often as Ive seen their price (sold directly from Amazon.com) range from $589 - $629.

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I bought this camera before the arrival of my first child. I wanted something that would focus quickly and take good quality pictures. The Nikon D60 more than satisfied my needs. As I became more conversant with the use of my D60, I wanted to take portraits with a larger aperture so that the background would be blur. The included lens will not suffice. You would need a more expensive lens with a larger aperture. While I am not a huge fan of using a flash, the built in flash does come in handy but beware that it is useful for only short range. Overall I have enjoyed this camera and would recommend it highly for basic everyday use. My next acquisition will be a 55-200 f4.5 VR lens. Im going to stick to the casual amateur equipment. The prices are more sane.

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Review for the Nikon D60 with 18-55mm VR Nikkor lens Cons: -No live preview (fine if you were a film SLR user like I was, but not so fine for point and shoot step-ups) -Lens must be AF-S to autofocus (Lens must have inner moter to autofocus) -Autofocus is considerably slow -Alot of grain present at 1600 ISO -Only 3 Autofocus points -Uses unique .NEF raw format (so not many programs can edit it) -Included lens it not that high end, (it does not smoothly blend out the BG at times) Pros: -Very well priced on behalf of Amazon -Excellent VR system -Sensor Cleaning -Ergonomic Design -Ease of use ++ -Lightweight -Sharp pictures -In-camera Retouch -Vibrant colors -Simple GUI (Graphic User Interface) -Its a NIKON!!! I did my homework comparing this camera to its predecessor, the Nikon D40. I took about 2 weeks going to local photo shops, comparing various cameras side by side, as well as quality, and for the price, the D60 took the gold I heard alot of reviews recommending the D40 over the D60, but I decided to go against the flow and purchase the D60. Purchased it from Amazon for a staggering $517 (~125 $$ cheaper than a local photography store), very prompt shipping on their part FEDEX :)/USPS :(. I got this camera today, and I am pleased to say this is an awesome camera for its price. First of all, you are going to get a quality product from Nikon, (in my opinion, one of the best camera brands), along with an excellent 18-55mm VR Nikkor lens. You also get the nice camera neck strap (which was an extra back in the 70s :)). This camera takes amazing pictures! I went outside to my garden and shot a couple of flower test shots, very satisfying! The quality is very sharp, even at a 100%. The colors are also very vibrant and lively. The camera is also relatively light, as compared to the Nikon FM-2 we already own. It is also nice to know that this camera comes with the VR lens, allowing you to take pictures with 3X slower shutter speed, as claimed by Nikon. Another plus of this camera is the fact that it has the sensor cleaning, which if you own 4 lens like I do, comes in very handy, to keep your pictures "dust free". It is also nice to know, it cleans the sensor everytime you turn it on and off. It also features an orientation sensative LCD screen, which if you rotate the camera, the screen rotates as well. However, Nikon could have made more autofocus points (9 + would have been fine). They also could have added the shaft to the lens mount, to autofocus AF lenses. I would definately recommend this camera to others for its simplicity of use. It has intuitive LCD menus, easy to navigate through, and perfect for the beginning DSLR user! *Please do not base your purchase off of this sole review, as some of the above info may be slightly off. :)

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Still have it but newer better cameras are out there

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I purchased my last slr in the late 70s and for several years took many slides and filled many slide carousels. For the past 20 years or so, Ive enjoyed taking film and later digital photos on simpler cameras. I purchased the D60 about a month ago, and would recommend it to anyone getting back into "real" photography. It enables full manual control, aperture and shutter speed preferences plus a large and easily accessible menu of standardized photo setups for portraits, landscapes, close-ups, etc. It also has a full automatic mode. I like taking candid shots and portraits, and am very pleased with the color fidelity and lack of red-eye (no correction needed yet!). Im also dabbling with manual shots - e.g. high ISO, slower shutter, etc. The VR lens is also a great help.

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