D60 lack of built in AF...an issue for a beginner?

[victorwei]

Denise, it has not been an issue for me to manually focus the 50mm f/1.8 with my D60 as it has a scale bar range

finder at the bottom of the viewfinder which will guide you which way to turn the focus ring to get it focussed

accurately. It is very light and easy to use - even for a beginner.

[Rene11664880918]

Eric... calm down! lol

[eric_arnold]

"Eric, I have and like that combo! I would add a SB-600...oops you used that flash to take the pictures, didn't you?"

 

actually justin, that was the built-in flash on my D300. it works well at close range. i do have an sb-600 though, it's

nice.

 

"I'm simply pointing out that the D60-50/1.8 combination is even more compact than that same lens attached to a

D80. That's not too confusing is it?"

 

jim, i was never confused about the relative size of a d80 and d60. nor was i ever confused about the size of a 50/1.8.

 

apparently you felt it necessary to make a point so obvious, no one else thought of it. that's ok, you can continue to

champion this entry-level camera, or should i say D40x mk II, all you want.

 

i'm sure there will be plenty of buyers who will buy it because its a new camera and overlook the fact that the d80

gives you more features for only about $120 more, at current prices. maybe you don't need a second command dial.

maybe you like digging through menus. maybe you don't want to use fast primes and 3rd party glass and still AF.

that's fine by me. as spock would say, live long and prosper.

 

we all take pride in our individual camera bodies, no matter what make/model. that's cool. i'm not mad at cha. i'm

sure the d60 is capable of great shots if you know how to use it.

 

but the OP specifically asked about a 50/1.8 and said manual focusing was a concern. plenty of other posters,

including shun, told her a d80 would be a better purchase in the long run. you chose to focus on the compactness of

the d60. well, maybe size matters to you, but it's not like the d80 is some massive beast you need three hands to

hold. i'm just saying...

 

anyway, i'm sure the OP is perfectly capable of making up her own mind as to what camera/lens combo will work for

her. i'm just trying to give her some advice from my own experience as someone who has used the combo she's

talking about. maybe she will save some money in the long run. whatever. it's cool.

[denise_smith2]

I appreciate all of your opinions, thank you! After more searching, I have come to the conclusion that as much as I would love the D80, I simply cannot afford it. I know in the long run it may pay itself back, but the fact of the matter is, I feel lucky to be able to get my first DSLR and even though it may not be top of the line or my dream camera, I am excited to dive in and learn something new!

 

Also, a little more detail on my goals and situation... My main purpose is going to be taking photos of my children (first is on the way!) I want more freedom and creativity than a P&S allow, but don't plan to use it professionally or dive into the huge world of specialty lenses all that much. I LOVE the bokeh (is that the word? :-) that the 50mm prime adds and that is mainly the only other lens I care about at this point as I hear the kit VR lens with the D60 is pretty good.

 

So, slightly different question now... If upgradeing my choice to any higher than the D60 is simply not an option, would you still recommend the D60 over other $600-range cameras of other makes? Or would the lack of AF push you towards a different choice such as, oh say, Canon XTI or a Sony alpha a300? Like I said, I prefer the D60 in all ways except the lack of AF. Thanks again!

[Jim_Tardio]

If you want an AF body in this price range, then by all means get the Canon. Their system is second to none, and they have wonderful lenses as well. I'd stick with either Nikon or Canon.

[eric_arnold]

denise,

 

is this a onetime investment or will you be adding on lenses and accessories as you go? it's something to think

about because as jim says you're buying into a system.

 

if $600 is your max, there are some attractive other options other than nikon or canon in the crowded entry-level

DSLR market.

 

for example, the olympus e510 is $582 on amazon with a 2-lens kit: http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Digital-

Stabilization-14-42mm-40-150mm/dp/B000NVXF30/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?

ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1216753694&sr=8-1

 

that's a lot of bang for the buck, especially compared to what canon and nikon offer for the same price, and would

probably be fine for your needs (there's even a PN olympus forum for all your questions). besides a 10mp sensor,

this model also has in-body stabilization, so you dont have to spend more on VR lenses. also, you can use

olympus and sigma 4/3rds lenses; the zuiko 50mm/2 macro is sharp and fast, although the 4/3rds crop factor is 2x

(good for macro and long teles), so the 50 oly prime effectively becomes a 100mm lens, and the supplied kit 40-150

lens effectively becomes an 80-300.

 

while i'm partial to nikon, i have a friend who has an older model oly and their cameras are not bad for what they are,

very user-friendly.

 

some people like the canon rebels for their compactness, some think they're too plastic-y and toy-like. to others, it

comes down to ergonomics, button placement, intuitiveness, etc., which many people give nikon the edge.

 

OTOH if you can wait for the rumored d90 to come out, the price of the d80 may well drop another $100 or so, not to

mention all the low-actuation used d80s that will be hitting the market.

 

but if you will not be upgrading lenses, at least for a while, it almost doesn't matter whether you get canon, nikon,

pentax, olympus or sony. my advice would be go try some cameras out in a store and see what works best for you,

then go online (to an authorized dealer or amazon) for best prices.

[justin_ngo]

Denise,

 

I would not recommend D60 for over $600 camera. If you can not afford for D80 ( which I recommended), then get

D40+ 18-55 (non-VR or VR both are fine) + a Nikon flash like SB-600 ( which you can bounce the flash light to

ceiling or surround walls to get natural lightings and avoid strong lights directing to your baby eyes).

Example, price at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6G-Zoom-Nikkor/dp/B000KJQ1DG/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1216755592&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-SB-600-Speedlight-Digital-Cameras/dp/B0002EMY9Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1216756129&sr=1-1

Cost : $470 + $190= $660. Still less expensive than the D60 or D80 body alone.

I'm sure you will see how a flash like SB-600 improves your indoor pictures, regardless what camera you use.

 

Anyway, the best kit for beginners who can afford, IMO: D80+ 16-85 VR ( or 18-200 VR) + SB-600 which cost around

$1500 :-)))))

[justin_ngo]

D60:

#

Width 5.0 in. (126mm)

Height 3.7 in. (94mm)

Depth 2.5 in. (64mm)

Approx. Dimensions

 

weight:

16.1 oz. (495g)

 

D80:

#

Width 5.2 in. (132mm)

Height 4.1 in. (103mm)

Depth 3.0 in. (77mm)

Approx. Dimensions

 

weight:

20.48 oz. (585g)

 

Source: www.nikonusa.com

[acarodp]

Denise, as Shun noted before, it is fairly likely that the replacement for the D80 will come out at/before photokina, i.e. autumn. I don't know how long before your baby arrives, but if you are willing to wait until then, it is a safe bet that when the D80 replacement will come out, the D80 will be heavily discounted, likely to D60 level, while stores try to free space in the shelves. <p> On a side note, neither one of the two AF Nikkor 50 is famous for its bokeh. Being fast lenses they allow you to reduce a lot the DOF, but to have a pleasant boken I would say you need to stop down a bit (say to f2 for the 1.4 version). But I admit this is nitpicking, and I suppose they are going to be better than kit zooms anyway in this respect. <p> L.

[timothy_comben]

I have to add,

I love my D80 and 50mm f/1,8 lens. I reada lot of comments here about this prime lens, I need a faster lens for taking pictures in low light, so purchased it. I think the D80 is a great First DSLR.

Tim Comben

[jannekaakinen]

Well, how about buying used D50? You'll save some money, 50mm lens AF's beautifully, and it is actually quite

good first DSLR. It was my first DSLR and I loved it! Now I have D80 and I love it even more (so that would be my

suggestion over D60 or D40), but if it is really out of your price range, go with the used D50 and use the money

saved to buy all the accessory you'll find out that you'll need (like filters, tripod, bag, etc) and some nice

lenses.

[tri-x1]

If your primary interest is shooting your kids and your budget is limited get a D40x with 18-55 lens for $499. I suspect you will like the images it can record.

[Apurva Madia]

Denise,

 

Many people say that you can manual focus non AF-S lenses on a D40/60. People used to manual focus before 20 years , why cant they now?

 

Here is one reason. Manual focus SLR has three focussing aids. Ground glass, range finder and the "collar". Out of the three I consider rangefinder the most useful the ground glass the least. D40/60 will only give you ground glass for manual focus. No collar. {It does have a tiny little green dot in the corner as a rangefinder but I consider it too tiny and cumbersome in comarison to the optical range finder we used with manual focus SLRs}. Trying to use modern SLRs as man. focus cameras is not my idea of good equipment.

[eric_wirtz]

I have the D60 and the 50mm 1.8 and focusing it is easy as...(insert inappropriate word here). As much as I'd like to play with a D300 or something of that nature, I love my D60. I think I'll keep it forever, that way in about 5 years I can show people what an ancient camera looks like! Technology moves to quick for me.

 

These suggestions could go on for months, but no matter what you get you'll probably be satisfied.

[rob_piontek]

I have the D40 and the 50 1.8. You can MF if the subject is not moving much, and it's fine. You just look for the green focus confirmation dot out of the corner of your eye.

 

That being said, since your budget it tight, I'd just get the D40 with the kit lens. Or a used D50. I actually have both. There are some minor improvements on the D40 over the D50, though, so I most often take the D40 with me.

 

Later you can buy the Sigma 30 or 50 1.4 lenses if you want them. It's not really fair to compare these with the nikon 50 1.8 on price, you should really compare to the nikon 50 1.4, and then the price difference is not as much.

 

Don't forget, the most important thing is you, not the camera model, in how the picture turns out.