Nikon users, come on in

[DSpandel]

What's your opinion on the d60? I have a chance to pick up a d60 camera base, 3 batteries and grip for $300. I currently have a sony alpha, all though a great camera I find it hard to find items for it. Would this be a good upgrade?

 

[Trever1t]

Buy it. I had a D60 and can tell you it's a great starting DSLR and for that price a steal.

 

[Ken Rockwell Fan]

Find a D70 instead. The D60 only works with AF-S lenses and uses slow SD cards. The D70 has a internal autofocus motor and it uses pro CF cards which are much better.

 

[mwcfarms]

Buy the D90 listed for sale here. Its better than both of those systems which are much older models. It all depends on your budget and price. What actuations the camera has etc. I mean that D60 might only have a few thousand actuations in it and then you need to get it replaced anyways so your $300 becomes 650 etc. You get the jist of it Im sure.

 

[Derrel]

I'd much rather own a D60 than a D70! For $300, the D60 + grip + 3 batteries seems like a pretty fair price. The D60 will mount ANY Nikon F-mount lens, manual focus, pre-Ai, AF, AF-D, AF-S, and will shoot photos with any lens in F-mount....it will only autofocus with AF-S lenses, but those are the majority of the lineup these days.

 

[Trever1t]

lol, I paid $500 for a low shutter count D60 (~4000 actuations) and sold it for $650 a few months later when I upgraded to the 300s. (mint condition, 2 vr lenses, 2 batteries, filters and bag.)

 

[Ken Rockwell Fan]

I'd much rather own a D60 than a D70! For $300, the D60 + grip + 3 batteries seems like a pretty fair price. The D60 will mount ANY Nikon F-mount lens, manual focus, pre-Ai, AF, AF-D, AF-S, and will shoot photos with any lens in F-mount....it will only autofocus with AF-S lenses, but those are the majority of the lineup these days.

It's a fair price but I can't understand why you would prefer a D60 over a D70. The D70 has a fully professional 1005 segment RGB meter vs the D60's amatuerish 420 segment RGB meter. That alone is reason enough for me. Not to mention the D70's 1/500 flash sync vs the 1/200 D60, The D70 has 5 focus points VS the D60's 3 and the D70 has a wireless flash commander built in. Sure the D60 has a better LCD and more Megapixels but I'd much rather have autofocus with Nikons AF lenses like the 135mm DC f/2.

 

[Derrel]

The D60 has a better sensor in it. The D60 will use pre-AI and Ai-era lenses without modification. The D70 will not even MOUNT an Ai era lens!!! But mostly it comes down to the D60 having a better sensor....I own a D70, and have since it was new...its sensor sucks. Pretty simple. The D70 is the better camera for daylight fill-flash, but for the newbie, the D60 is the better camera in many respects.

 

[djacobox372]

The D60 has a better sensor in it. The D60 will use pre-AI and Ai-era lenses without modification. The D70 will not even MOUNT an Ai era lens!!! But mostly it comes down to the D60 having a better sensor....I own a D70, and have since it was new...its sensor sucks. Pretty simple. The D70 is the better camera for daylight fill-flash, but for the newbie, the D60 is the better camera in many respects.

I've used AIS lenses on a d70, and I'm pretty sure I've used AI as well.

However, I'd suggest the TS look at a D80, it has the best of both worlds and sells for as low as $325 on ebay these days.

I've purchased three d80's off ebay (for friends) over the last few months--paying $300 or less for the camera body. The trick is to find one paired with a resellable lens or grip. The grips fit the d90, so you can get $100 for them if they're nikon brand. Lenses vary, but it's pretty easy to check what the lenses sell for in a completed items search.

Here's an example of an auction I'd watch:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NIKON-D80-w-18-...300708?pt=Digital_Cameras&hash=item35af2e19a4

The low market value of the grip in this auction is around $90 or more (if it's nikon brand), the lens can be resold for $150 or more. So if you can win this auction for less then $540, you'll end up with a d80 body for $300 or less (much less if you end up getting high-market prices for the lens and grip).