Nikon F60 - a treat to use

<p>Two weeks ago I was given a really clean Nikon F60 that was not wanted by the shop. It was 'useless' to them, however sitting at home and trying it I realised it was much better than one may first think. I noted that it was made in Japan and had a heft and quality to it that made it feel like it was a decent camera. Certainly there is a metal chassis. After my F80 film door breakage it was cheering to see the F60 had a more solid design in that department too.</p>

<p>Trying the shutter release I was greeted with a smooth 'clunk-whirr' which was much more solid and vibration-free than my newer F75. The viewfinder (with its single focus point) was clear and bright - pentaprism noted. The AF did well and driving the 28-105mm lens was easy for it. As I was going on a holiday with plenty of photographic oportunities I thought what better time to try it than the present? I stocked up on Kodak Gold 200 and set off.</p>

<p>It never let me down once and I came home with several rolls of perfectly exposed shots. Certainly I will be using this nice-handling camera some more. I am suprised I don't see more users of this model but does anyone here use an F60? Do let me know of your experiences.</p>

<p>I attach an F60 photo taken in Dorset with the 28-105mm zoom.</p>

<p>Photo from the F60:</p>

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<p>Very nice Dorset fields! Really makes me want to get out of London!<br>

The F60 is a very underrated camera. And, no, I haven't one! But thanks for the comparison with the F75, which I have!</p>

<p>The F60 (N60) was the last Nikon entry level film camera with a metal chassis. Definitely an underrated camera. Everything that followed it, including the more advanced F80, was built on a polycarbonate chassis.</p>

<p>My brother used one of these (a gift from me) for years as a family snapshot camera. He's not a photographer, but rather a point-n-pray shooter. The N60 was easy to use and always gave him very good results with the underrated AF 35~70/3.3-4.5N zoom. The film transport eventually failed (gummed up lube I suspect) but before that it was a very reliable camera.</p>

<p>One shortcoming, considering when it was first released, is the lack of support for AF-S lenses, which are manual focus only. And the 3V CR2(?) lithium batteries are painfully expensive if you buy them retail, but inexpensive if you buy in bulk from eBay.</p>

<p>I replaced my brother's N60 with an N75 that I had kicking around. That camera works nicely and does the job for him (never leaves AUTO mode), but the difference is build durability is very obvious when handled side by side with the N60, which also has much nicer grip ergonomics IMHO.</p>

<p>Have fun with it. :)</p>

<p>Hi Ian,<br>

I've used my F60 for a number of years and find it very easy to use. Although I went digital as soon as I could, I still prefer to revisit film and try and capture what I can by myself instead of assistance provided by my D5100 or D50. I find though that ISO 400 film works better on this camera.<br>

<br />Good luck with your F60!</p>

<p>Hello All,<br>

I just came across this posting today. I have been using my f60 for fifteen years now. It has given me thousands of great photos. I still carry it with me along with my d5200. I'm glad to see there are others who enjoy this camera. I'll always have a soft spot for 35mm film. <br>

<br />Keep film alive!</p>