This one is for all you photography gods out there. I'm a complete virgin when it comes to photography so please bare with me. I recently had my point n shoot Kodak DX7590 digital zoom stolen and i'm going to be making the leap to an slr camera. I honestly know nothing about slr cameras and I was (for the most part) happy with the pictures taken with the point and shoot.

The purpose of this post is I would like to see some photos (unedited) taken with the above mentioned Nikon Cameras. I'm seriously considering the D60 since i'm guessing it's in the middle and will serve more than what I'm looking for. I have a 5 year old daughter and basically want this camera to capture life's little moments, however, I would like to pick up my camera back and go to a hockey game and catch a few action shots too. I don't want to go bankrupt but want something that is worth the price paid.

One problem I can't stand on the point in shoot is the constant red-eye shots and obviously the blured pictures when the object is in movement. I'd like to see some untouched shots and if anyone would like to chime in with an opinion and what I would need to get started it would be most helpful. I'm looking for some friendly advice and don't want to start a war about Nikon, lol. If you'd like to make a suggestion, just mention the the name and i'll give it a look.

Just remember, I don't need anything too spectacular because anything is going to be better than what I was used too. Once I'm able to familarize myself with the SLR then I'm sure I will step up to a more advanced camera with even more accesories. What i'm looking for now is the reccomendation on the Camera and possibly an extra lens (I'm used to the 12x digital on my previous point n shoot and would like something similar)

Thanks in advance for everyones help!

 

I say the d80 is your best pick if you think you will be expanding further.

since d40 and d60 are alike and lack alot slr like features.
- extra lcd screen,
nikkor motort (since they only use af-s lens)

 

here's a quick comparison between the D60 and D80 for ya...

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/comp...n_d80&show=all

...roughly a $200 price difference and basically the same camera with minor additions on the D80:

more ISO options
nikon's multi-cam1000 (as opposed to multi-cam530 - autofocus sensor)
more self-timer options

i'm sure there's more, but those are three from the comparison link above...check this thread for an earlier topic where someone just bought a D60...

here's a few unedited shots from my D80...the baseball shots are from my son's baseball team...

 

Beware the photography bug. This can get expensive it you get bitten. If you think you might, go with crazyanl and his advice on the D80. The 40 and 60 do not have drive motors built into the body so you will be limited by the available lenses. You'll also bump up against their limitations rather quickly.
Also, like I say to anyone exploring the DSLR world, get the book "Understanding Exposure", available at Amazon or any large chain like Borders or B&N. It gives you a great overview of the basic fundamentals.
Whichever camera you choose you'll have the ability to get creative and customize your images to what you want them to look like, not just what the camera decides is best, and to do so you need to understand things like aperture, DOF, shutter speed, white balance, etc. If you don't think you'll be getting into any of that then go get another p&s. They have some really good ones out there now.
Yes, the 40, 60 and 80 have an "Auto" mode but that is reserved for when you hand someone the camera to take a photo of you.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. It seems everyone I talk too says go with the D80 and going forward I won't be limited in upgrading the lenses. I work for a publisher and will also pick up a copy of the book you mentioned. My other question was going to be if I hand my wife or anyone else the camera I want them to be able to take a picture without being afraid of breaking something. While on this topic, does anyone have reccomendations for photo editing software.. If the photography bug is anything like the TL modding bug... I'm sure I will be diagnosed with it soon.

 

Photoshop Elements or LightRoom. Both are good. Do you have a pc or a mac? If you have a mac, then Aperture is pretty good as well.

If all you're looking to do is get rid of red-eye or do some cropping, then a lot of the free stuff like Picasa is sufficient for doing that. If you think you might play around with levels and layers then you'll need one of the others.

 

Question... Does a D40 really suck that bad? I can get a new one for around $500 through a dell offer I was sent (or maybe I can convince them to let me use it on the D60)

D40 6.1 MP Digital SLR Camera (with 18-55 mm/55-200 mm Lenses) $512

 

you can get the D40 with two kit lenses for $500 from Samys Camera, probably b and h, too.

If that is the way you want to go, just letting it be known.

EDIT: Nevermind, looks like Dell is the same deal.

 

I can tell this is not going to be an easy choice... My wife just pointed me to this one and while the features seem alright.. it's still a damn point and shoot, lol

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....#productdetail

 

The d40 and d60 are great cameras its just how far do you plan to go into photography.

The d80 will keep you happy to move on even after years go by, but i feel like the d40 and d60 now will keep you wanting more.

Thats my opinion since i kept moving down the line.

 

If you're going to go that route then go with a Canon G9. Trust me.

 

I agree got my gf the canon g9 she loves the small size and the ability to do video, but have flexibility with slr features!

 

I was at a local camera shop a couple of weeks ago and talking with a sales rep. He stated that Nikon will be transitioning all of their lenses to AF-S (motor in lens). If that is true then the D40 and D60 not having in body focusing motors is a moot point.

Unfortunately I can not confirm what he said with an external source. All of my searching on the internet has just turned up people talking about it in forums, nothing official from Nikon.

Obviously I've been contemplating the jump to a DSLR, I currently own a Fuji S5100. Personally I'm leaning toward the D60 for a few reasons:

1. 10.1mp imager. Cropping seems to be a little easier. Between my Fuji (4.1mp) and my really old Olympus (1.3mp), I could always get away with cropping the Fuji's images more (for obvious reasons).

2. Self cleaning system.

3. The D60 comes with the 18-55mm VR lens. Being that this would be my "indoor" lens most of the time, I like the idea of VR, maybe some of those sleeping baby shots will finally be in focus. The lens that comes with the D40 is not the VR version.

3. The D60 does far more than I'm able to take advantage of right now. Considering that digital camera technology moves nearly as fast as computer technology, buying a SLR body for the long term does not make a lot of sense. I feel that I will want to trade up in a couple of years anyway and by that time I'll have the skills to take advantage of a more advanced camera.

Anyway, don't take my post as a recommendation. I'm just outlining my reasoning behind my decision, that's all. It is still a work in progress as I haven't made a purchase yet.

CanopyFlyer

 

I had and sold the G9, I found it great for normal everyday shooting. But when the good light isn't there, I didn't like it. Now take that with a grain of salt, it isn't a DSLR replacement and I'm a D/SLR guy.

It will give you great images, but if you're looking to do more than what a P&S can do, this won't do it. You can add a wide and tele lens to it with an adapter, but at $400 or more for the body and another $300 for the lenses, I would just get a used d/SLR.


One thing with the G9 it shoots 1024 video, which is the best of any P&S.

 

I have a D60 and my biggest gripe would be the lack of an AF motor built into the camera because it will limit my lens choices if I want to always have the AF feature. With that said, I admit to being a total n00b when it comes to photography and I imagine it will be a long while before I'll outgrow the available features of the body and the stock 18-55 VR lens.

I'd say more but then I'd just be repeating CanopyFlyer.

 

I think i'm most likely going to go with the D60... It seems like it has more features than I would know what to do with for now and I think it would be a great camera to learn with. I'm totally confused on what lens I would need to get the images i'd most likely be taking.

I take pictues inside and outdoors on a regular basis so I obviously would want to make sure I have the right equipment for the pictures I take. I'm coming from the Kodak Z7590 which had a 12x optical zoom... I believe it's equivilent to 36-462mm, assuming this is accurate do I need to look for a 400+ zoom to be used with the D60...and if yes, can someone point me to the right place. I have a good feelign the lens is going to cost as much if not more than the camera itself... but if i've learned anything thus far it's that a good piece a glass will cost you but in the end the pictures will speak for themselves!

 

my gf is loving that camera right now but she always has my d300 to steal when she needs low light and high iso abilities. I'm actually stealing her g9 when i can't lug around my d300.

I think with the d60 its 1.5x zoom so a a 50mm is 1.5x actually.
Not sure if thats correct but something like that.

d40 + d60 lack the use of nikkor prime lenses. 50mm 1.4 and 50mm 1.8 have no way to use auto focus.

 

Does anyone have any beginner tips for getting started? I assume once I have the D60 out of the box and charged that I'll take some indoor shots of my daughter and take her to the park where she can play and I can experiment. I don't even know where to begin as to what settings I should try using indoors/outdoors, also the park is on a lake and I'm sure I can shoot some ducks on the water while i'm there.

 

I could have swore someone posted it in this thread today, maybe another one.


Get the book Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson, you can find it at amazon.com for under $20.00. This is the best reading book to get you started.

 

Set it on P mode. It's kind of like Auto but it allows you to cycle through different shutter speed / aperture combinations with the command wheel. All of the combinations will give you the same exposure, so to speak, but you'll be able to see what the difference is between a wide (low f number) and narrow (high f number) aperture. That's just to begin with. Here's a few tips to get you started.

High depth of field (everything in focus) - high f number. Low depth of field (subject in focus / background blurry) Low f number.

Also, in Program (P) mode, the flash will not pop up if it's needed like it does in Auto. But if you push the button on the side and pop it up yourself it will be used and factored in to the settings. Try doing that outside (called fill-flash). Useful for getting rid of shadows.

Basically just get out there and shoot! It doesn't cost anything to see your results.

 

Best book I bought, great instructions. I recommend looking for it on eBay though,I got a brand new sealed book for $10. Some sites I have seen have it for alot more. I had absolutely no clue what F stops were or why they were there, but he lays it out so well that you can actually go out and replicate some of his stuff.

I have been using a film setup right now but will make the jump to digital soon, also going with a Nikon.

 

My D60 kit came with a free copy of the 123 of Digital Imaging 5.0 and even though I'm still a few pages away from finishing Step 1 - Chapter 1, it's already taught me quite a bit.

 

Magic lantern guide books are great for beginners lots of pictures and organized so you can go back to learn those special situations.

 

I really thank you all for your help... now my final decision is where to buy and whether to get the extended service plan. I went to ritz camera tonight and played with the camera for a good 45 min just taking shots of my daughter and I was very impressed at how easy to use it is. I would have walked out of the store with the camera but the damn extended warranty is was $360 for 3 years...ouch! I like the fact that they offer free photo classes and I would have gotten the bag and extra lens 55-200 for an extra $100. Not sure if that's a good deal or not but it didn't seem bad

 

avoid ritz at all costs!!

 

extended warranty? peh.

 

Why do you say avoid ritz? Just wondering because the deal I would be getting is $800 w/ 2 lenses. I just saw that ritzcamera (which according to their online chat representatives are a different company than Ritz retail stores.

I was only considering the extended warranty because if for whatever reason the camera is dropped and broken.. it will either be repaired or replaced at no cost.

 

^your new Nikon should come with a USA 5-year warranty...i wouldn't even consider an extended one...

 

True.. but i'm sure the standard warranty doesn't include if the camera were to become damaged from dropping it.. Although if i'm stupid enough to drop it then I'll just deal with either having it repaired or just buy a replacement

 

picked up the D60 last night and I can't wait to start using it. Thanks again for all your imput. I do have one last question before this thread creeps into the darkness. Upon checkout it was suggested to get a UV filter for each of the lenses. I didn't buy one because I had not done my research and don't like being sold things at random without knowing a little about what I'm getting. It sounds like something I need but I'd like to hear some suggestions from you guys first.

Thanks!

 

personally and like a lot of others have said before, why put a $10 filter in front of your expensive lens? the first thing your image is going to have to go through shouldn't be a cheap filter...

now i do use my ND filter a lot, which also helps protect my glass, but i don't own a UV filter and probably never will...just put your caps back on your lens when you're done...

 

Only hoya filters I hadd tiffen and some other crap, they were crap.

Glass broke, swirled and hazed.

 

I keep a very NICE UV filter on each of my lenses...but I have gotten to the habit of keep the lenscap on them and uscrewing them to shoot.

I do this because there are a few times where I was in situation where I felt it better to leave the filter on, so I'm already set up for it.

 

How is it coming along with the D60???

 

Things could be better just because i'm still trying to figure out which settings to use for different types of shots. I seriously suck with shutter-speeds, for instance I was trying for a half-hour to take some shots of my daughter on the swingset and I had to give up because I have zero skills. I hope to post some pictures soon and hopefully I'll get some positive suggestions on how to improve. I'll either post them here or just start a new thread.

 

I've just started, but by chance have you read the book 'Understanding Exposure'

Like I said, I've only read the first 10 pages or so, but its a great book and really helps you understand the dynamics of photography to better grasp certain things. I got it for about fifteen bucks from amazon

Definitely a worthy read.

 

I'm actually going to pick up that book. I'm waiting for my contact at the publisher to give me a call back..I'm cheap when it comes to books since I work for a publisher I don't typically buy them. I've been going through a book my company publishes "Nikon D60 Fieldguide" which has been pretty helpful. After I start taking several pictures it won't be long before I think I'll start getting the hang of it.

 

You can do alot oof reading online like in flickr, theres a nikon d60 group with loads of questions and answers in there.

I was in the d80 group and moved to the d300 group everyone was helpful in there as well.

 

That sums it up

The Info LCD and Nikkor motor make it all worth it. I tried to get my friend to buy my other friends D80 and he passed to get a "new" D40. He was kicking himself because he has to MF all the glass he wants to buy (can't afford the high end AF-S).

Of course eventually Nikon will release their AF-S updates, but why wait when you can shoot now

 

I'm going to sign up for a pro account with flickr. Can anyone suggest a program to edit pictures with text, boarders etc. Just the simple things. Eventually I see myself forking out the cash for CS3 but not until i'm more experienced. I just want something easy, simple to use for the time being. For the time being I really just want to be able to put an insignia on the pictures I post to the web.