Introduction
Here it is, the slightly higher than entry level digital SLR from Nikon. On paper it seems very similar to many other similar priced cameras. So in this review, I dig a little deeper to see if there is enough difference to put you out of pocket.
Nikon D3000
Camera Body
First thing you will notice is the size of the body. It is impressively small, very good for travel photography and in general circumstances. The bodies' grip will fit the contours of your hand well even if you have large hands, like myself. The 10.2 megapixel sensor is expected, but possibly may have benefited from upping to 12 megapixels or more. As beginner to enthusiast photographers develop they will be left wanting more pixels to suffice their needs. The manufacturers' website states it also includes, 'Active D-Lighting.' This is said to compensate the highlighted and shadowed areas. This does not work to any great affect that you will notice over any other camera without. The autofocus with the supplied 18-55mm kit lens is slow, yet precise, this will be discussed later. The metering system works extremely well and is only second to that of the Sony that has had years of development at Minolta. Another small issue I found when using this camera was the continuous shooting mode. It allows 100 Jpeg images to be taken at 3fps. I expected a little bit more for this cost, maybe 5fps would have allowed this camera to be used a bit more professionally and allow much more flexibility. The ISO range goes to 1600 with the ability to stretch it to 3200. Anything above 400 is not recommended as it does not cope as well with these as its Canon rivals of same price. The 2.5 inch screen at the back is small compared to others of similar standard but it does feel big. This is probably due to the extraordinary small body of the D60. It does make good viewing even outside in bright-ish conditions. The information displayed on the LCD screen itself is great. The colors are bland and undazzling, with all the correct information where you would expect it. The all important auto mode works well but is let down by a slightly, dodgy let's say, white balance auto mode. The mode selector on the top of the camera also works well with no real problems found during my two weeks of using this camera. Other modes include; portrait, night portraits and sport. All of these work well except for the slow shutter rate letting the sport mode down just slightly.
Included Lenses
The lens that I tested it with is the standard 18-55mm, f3.5-f5.6 now found on most Digital Cameras. This lens had no problems in each shoot I used it but also didn't surprise me. All vignetting and abrasion acted as standard with no unexpected issues cropping up. As I briefly mentioned earlier the autofocus is slow. This was found even under bright studio lighting. A lot of moments did go amiss by the lack of a speedy focus but of course this can be rectified by using manual focusing, but this is less than favored in most situations.
Finally
This camera and lens package is definitely an ideal recommendable kit. Most of the problems described can easily be lived with in most shooting situations. The large range of lenses from Nikon ensure there is definitely the right one to suit you.
Nikon D60 Digital Slr ReviewRecommend : Canon Rebel XSi Kit Camera Us Shop
