Nikon D60

When a camera manufacturer releases a pricey D-SLR, it had better have killer features or some sort of hook to entice current users to upgrade to the latest model or to get new customers to take the plunge. The Nikon D60, while a very good camera, doesn't really deliver in that regard. With a 2.5-inch LCD, a 10.2-megapixel CCD sensor, and lacking a Live View system, the D60 is nearly identical to its predecessor, the D40. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because the D40x is a significant step up from a simple point-and-shoot camera, but I wish the D60 offered more new features. With so much competition in the entry-level D-SLR market, this camera is in danger of becoming obsolete before long.

When you place the D40x and the D60 side by side, it's hard to tell them apart. Weighing in at 20.6 ounces with a battery and an SD card and without a lens, the easy-to-hold D60 is much lighter than its big brother, the 33.6-ounce D300. The included AF-S DX Nikkor 18mm to 55mm, f/3.5 to f/5.6G VR (vibration reduction) lens (35mm equivalent: 27mm to 82.5mm) is light enough not to add much to the camera's body weight.

While not quite as intuitive as the D300's, the D60's menu system is much simpler than that of the competing Sony Alpha DSLR-A350. I really like that the LCD displays graphic representations of nearly every setting. For example, the lens is represented by a circle that opens and closes as you increase and decrease the f-stops. Shutter speed is represented by rotating bars around the lens. If the shot you wish to take is too dark, you'll get a message on the LCD telling you so. There's an Information button on the bottom left of the camera that lets you customize what you see on the display. This same button also lets you access frequently used settings, such as ISO, white balance, and metering modes. To get to all camera settings, you need to use the Menu button.

During testing I found that autofocus was sluggish, compared with the same feature on the Sony A350. The D60 uses only a three-point autofocus, while the A350 and Canon EOS Rebel XSi both use a nine-point system. Generally, the more focal points, the quicker the response time can be. Nikon also employs lens-based optical image stabilization here, as opposed to Sony and Olympus (with its E3, for example) which rely on in-camera sensor-shift image stabilization. This is something to keep in mind if the lens you already own lacks this feature, as it is not built into the camera's body. That said, the D60 performed well during testing, and I never had a problem with blurry images. Nikon offers plenty of DX lenses for the D60, but as with the D40, older Nikon or Nikon-compatible D-SLR lenses (anything other than Nikon Nikkor AF-S lenses) won't have autofocus capabilities when installed on this model because of its relatively compact construction. Check Nikon's Web site for a full compatibility list.

A handy and fun feature that you won't find on all D-SLRs is stop-motion movie mode. The camera takes a series of JPEG files and converts them into a movie—a 640-by-480 AVI file at a frame rate of 15 frames per second. I found it easy and fun to use. The D60 also offers in-camera editing, including corrections for brightness and red-eye. Like the D300, the D60 has 3D Color Matrix Metering II. When this mode is activated, the camera will determine the best possible exposure for the scene to produce accurate light and shadow detail. I found it worked as well here as in the D300: Shots came out clear and bright, even in a darkened environment. An additional feature is the automatic Dust Reduction system, which works in conjunction with a new airflow control to keep the lens clean.

The D60 has a number of manual settings, including white balance, ISO sensitivity, shutter speed (including continuous mode), auto and manual focus, exposure metering, flash modes, exposure compensation, and active D-Lighting. It also shoots in RAW and RAW + JPEG format for maximum flexibility.

ISO settings go all the way up to 3200, and, as with most D-SLRs, low-light shots were impressive. Noise was negligible at about ISO 400, and even at ISO 1600 noise was minimal—often completely unnoticeable. I did find that at ISO 3200 unacceptable noise was present in some shots.

In the lab the D60 demonstrated its high speed. One of the key missions of a D-SLR is to eliminate shutter lag and enable continuous shooting. The D60 doesn't disappoint, with a boot-up time of just 0.2 second, and shutter lag of just 0.15 second—scores nearly identical to those of the $1,800 (body only) D300. At 1.5 seconds, recycle time was impressive, but not as lightning-fast as the D300's (less than a second). Still, this is much quicker than any compact point-and-shoot camera can manage. The camera's burst mode was effective and speedy, allowing for continuous shots to the capacity of the card. (The D60 conveniently supports SD and SDHC cards, so you don't necessarily have to upgrade your existing memory format.)

Using a DX-format CCD image sensor, the D60 produces exceptional images. The camera averaged 2,000 lines on our resolution test—on par for a 10MP camera. My daylight and flash still-life shots were superb, with accurate colors and more-than-adequate flash coverage. Shadows were true to life, with no under- or overexposure. I saw slight barrel distortion at the very fringes of the wide angle, but that's to be expected. Outdoor shots yielded fantastic color, especially in the vivid mode, and I was able to get some excellent shots of the city skyline.

I don't have many complaints about the D60. It is an easy-to-use camera that produces high-quality images, and at $750 (with lens), it's a terrific deal. But since there aren't too many substantial feature upgrades from the D40x, the D60 is in danger of falling behind the current competition. The Sony A350 offers an excellent Live View system, a tilting LCD, and 14.2MP resolution, while the Canon EOS Rebel XSi sports a 3-inch LCD and a 12.2MP sensor. Of course, both of these models cost more—about $800 (body only)—but you'll get more features in the bargain. Still, if you want a solid, simple, budget D-SLR, the D60 delivers.

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