Nikon D60 Review

Nikon is touting its D60 model as 'one of the smallest Nikon digital SLRs ever'. Released less than a year after the slightly lighter D40, it's identical in size and also the same size and weight as D40x that followed. It also has the same 10.2-megapixel CCD sensor and a very similar feature set to the D40x. The review camera was supplied with the new AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens, which will be bundled with the camera body and sports a built-in Silent Wave Motor and Vibration Reduction.

As with the D40 and D40x models, the D60 can only be used in autofocus mode with AF-S and AF-I lenses because it lacks a built-in focus drive motor. All other lenses must be focused manually. However, a noteworthy addition to the new model is the provision of two ways of removing sensor dust, whereas dust removal was not provided on the earlier models.

The main dust removal system uses standard low-pass filter vibration. The secondary system sends a flow of air through the mirror box to prevent dust from accumulating in the first place. Active D-Lighting is another new addition to the D60's feature set and is an evolution of the D-Lighting function that was introduced in Coolpix digicams a little over a year ago.

While D-Lighting was a post-capture adjustment in the digicams, on the D60 you can engage Active D-Lighting before you shoot by pressing a button between the shutter release and the mode dial. The associated processing adjusts the image immediately after it's captured, pulling back over-exposed highlights and boosting blocked shadows to provide a usable dynamic range in shots.

Another new addition is an eye-start sensor that cuts power to the LCD when you put your eye to the viewfinder. The LCD will also rotate its data displays according to whether you shoot with portrait or landscape format. The display options are essentially the same as the D40 and D40x, with three 'info display formats': classic, graphic and 'wallpaper'. Examples are shown below.


Margaret Brown


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