tobias_yao Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>I want to pick up photography as a hobby and I plan to buy a DSLR. After browsing through countless websites and reviews, I have my heart set for D90. However, when I talked to my friends, some of them suggested to me D60 because it's more 'for beginners' like me. As much as I respect their opinions, I would like to know if it really too much for a beginner to use a D90? </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliot1 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>The D90, like most Nikon DSLR cameras, can be used fully automatic, fully manual, and anywhere in-between. Buy the camera that feels good in your hands and has the features and lenses/accessories you want/need. Amongst other things, you will really appreciate the larger monitor of the D90 over the D60. The D90 will also do a better job for you over the D60 in less than ideal lighting conditions.. Enjoy your new camera - don't let your friends talk you out of it!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SolaresLarrave Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>Alright, Tobias, you may not like what I say, but then, I have your best interest in mind.</p> <p>In reply to your question about the D90 being too complicated for a beginner... My opinion is that it's not. In fact, if people see you as "a beginner" and steer you towards a camera like the D60, well, they're not thinking of you as a very intelligent person. In short, never buy a camera for dummies. If you're interested in photography, you're not dumb. Do yourself a favor and challenge yourself. </p> <p>Granted, the D90 is far more complex than a regular P&S, but then, it will also allow you to grow, discover and learn for a looong time. A simple camera isn't worth the effort if you want to go deeper into photography because it will be limited to a few functions and capabilities. You can always set it in full-auto mode before attempting to find out what the controls do. I guess you could do it with a D60 too, but if you like the D90, by all means, go for it. Think about room to grow in the future, see yourself growing, learning and becoming better with a good camera. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_arnold Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>nope. the issue here is that the d60 might have a slightly less-steep learning curve, but is much easier to outgrow.the d60 has 3pt autofocus, one command dial, and wont AF with older screw-drive lenses. which doesnt mean much at first, but a year down the line, could bite you on the butt when you want to upgrade your lenses or fill a specific need.</p> <p>the d90 has faster frame rate, better low-light performance, and a more sophisticated AF system. for many people, it will be all the camera they ever need.</p> <p>if you want, you can use a d90 like a P&S, with auto and scene modes, or just leave it in P for 80% of your shots--which is what i did with my d80 until i felt confident with A/S/M modes. get Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure as your self-help tutorial, and embrace the learning process...</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Javkin Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>By all means, if you can afford it, get the D90. It works with all Nikon autofocus lenses. With the D60, you'll be limited to autofocusing with lenses that have internal motors. As a beginner, you don't even want to worry about what lenses have internal motors. In terms of controls, it is actually easier to use. With the D60, you have a control wheel which determines aperture or shutter speed depending on whether or not you are holding down a button at the same time. The D90 has two wheels. One controls aperture, the other shutter speed. It is easier, whether you are a beginner or not. In addition, the D90's better performance, particularly in low light, means that you will probably be happy with it for a longer time.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
errol young Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>The 90 is a great camera and can teach you a lot. You could also learn using a 60 but there are more control options on the body of the 90. You have to use the menu system to do many things on the 60 that you can do faster on the 90. The 60 is a good camera. the 90 is a better camera.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronald_moravec1 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>Buy a D60 if you like the small size and light weight or can`t afford a better one. You will lose the abililty to auto focus with the pleantiful & cheap screw drive lenses with the D60. If you want AF, a D60 will lock you into the new AFS lenses that are expensive.<br> A D90 is no harder to learn than a D60.</p> <p>Another advantage is a D60 will take any Nikkor lens ever made except a few very specialized lenses. There will be no metering and only focus confirmation if you put them on, but they are cheap. I saw a very nice 50 1.8 Nikkor original for $20 last Sunday.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morty_black Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>The D90 is in my opininon a marvellous camera. I've used D70, D80, D200, D300 and also a Canon 5D. Right now I have the latter together with the D90. The D90 just feels great in your hands. It's light, nimble, quiet, easy to use, and still it delivers the same great IQ as the D300. I'd say the D90 is as good as a beginners camera as any. And as you get better, the D90 will not let you down.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elyone Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>Hmm. I would like to put a different perspective on this. I agree that the D90 itself is much better as far as giving you room to grow into it. I have one and love it.<br> However, digital photography is a lot more than the camera. You will need to learn post-processing, how to get to print, you might get into monitor calibration. You will probably invest in a program or 2.<br> And we have not even talked about extra lens, and flash and tripods and filters.<br> I do not know what your budget is, but all this costs money and takes about a year or two to really understand and know what kind of photography you like (and hence what lens you need), what your digital workflow is like etc. By the time you can really appreciate your D90, the D90x or D95 or something will have come out.<br> You might want to start with a simple D40 kit, (not even a D60 - get the D40 (not even the x) it takes wonderful images) with the 18-55 lens, and start shooting with it. Sure many of the functions are buried in the menus, and not as accessible as on the D90 with dedicated buttons, but frankly, you might not know what to DO with them for awhile.<br> I agree that my route will entail some financial loss in the long run (i.e. in the end you will have payed a bit more). However, paying less now, might enable you to upgrade later to what is then current, and allow you to now (now=in the next few months) to buy some basic accessories that you will soon realize you need.</p> <p>Now, I might be overestimating the learning curve, but it seems to me you have been concentrating on what CAMERA to buy and maybe less on how to be a photographer and USE the camera.</p> <p>In any case, good luck...</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossb Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>The D90 is marketed for a beginner. That's why you see them at CostCo and places such as that. It's not any more difficult to operate then the D60.. It is just one step up in price with a few extra options. Just read the manual, then shoot and keep going back to the manual. Nikon manuals are difficult to navigate. You can always post questions here. You will be snapping away very quickly.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesBecker-Toronto Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>Tobias-get the D90. You can always set it to the Automatic setting to start with and let the camera make all the decisions for you and as you get more confident, you will start trying out the various settings. I upgraded to the D90 from my D70 and love it. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a quality DSLR regardless of their experience. Happy shooting with whatever you decide to get! regards, cb :-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blair_d1 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>I am new to photography. I recently purchased a D90.<br /> Everything worth learning has a curve. I think this is an ideal camera.<br /> My only regret was not having more of a budget. I really thought the initial expense (d90 and kit lense) with a tripod would be it, really wrong. Now I find myself selling my other hobbies (electric guitar, dirt bikes) because I really want nice lenses, flash, etc. You could really spend $10000 in a heartbeat (and i'm drooling to do so), and I thought the initial $1500 was hard to justify to my other half.<br /> On the other hand, i really don't see myself ever getting out of this hobby. I love it, for so many reasons. After having some kit lenses, my advice to you would be to just by the best quality lenses you can afford, one at a time. I find my 50mm f1/4 (would have just bought the cheaper 1.8 if it was in stock when needed) on my camera way more than my cheaper 18-55 or 55-200.<br /> If I could do it all over again. D90, no kit lenses, 50mm, nice tripod, lowepro slingslot bag, maybe a flash and start saving for really nice lenses that suite your needs. Just be prepared to really enjoy this hobby, and it will cost you, but worth every dollar, dirtbike and guitar.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucecahn Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>I just got a D90 yesterday. The performance is OK, but personally the thing irritates the heck out of me. I never use on camera flash. Yet even when I turn the flash off, it goes back on again unless it is set to manual. Why? I guess because this camera was designed for weekend family shooters. The same thing happens with color. I do shoot color sometimes, but mostly B&W. So If I want B&W and no flash, I have to give up the other automatic features of the camera, except focus, which has a separate switch on the side of the body. I find the complexity of this camera unnecessary and an impediment to quick work. If I am on manual, where I have to be because of the design, and the camera is up high, I need to lower it for each shot to set the shutter and aperture. You know, it is actually easier to use an 8x10 than this thing. Why doesn't Nikon make a more reasonable to use digital camera? Something with controls like an F3, only a few more switches. I do not understand why people put up with camera designs like this. I have a nude shoot tonight. I will use an 8x10, but I want digital pictures as well. I am thinking of using my Canon 580 P&S because it is so much more sensibly designed and easier to use. When you turn off the flash it stays off until you change it. Same with the color. The thing cost 1/10 the price of the Nikon, but the results are just as good, at least when posted on the internet. For prints I would not use either of them. No offense meant to Nikon. This is a vigorous but friendly suggestion.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blair_d1 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>You did buy it yesterday...maybe you just need to give it more or a chance. I don't have any problems with it after 2 months.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>I might have missed it in the list above, but a REALLY important distinction between the D60 and D90 is the D90's ability to use its built-in pop-up flash as a commander for an off-camera Nikon strobe like the SB-600. <br /><br />Photography is all about light. The ability to provide some light from off of the camera's axis - without the need for any additional hardware beyond the strobe itself - is incredibly powerful as a creative tool. It's not nearly as scary as it sounds, once you try it - and there's no going back once you've seen what it can do for you. Between that one feature, and the more versatile lens options, the D90 is a huge improvement over the D60. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesBecker-Toronto Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>Bruce-try putting the camera on Automatic then setting the flash to off; you may find that works as well as, or better than, manual. cb :-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elyone Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>Wow I am glad to learn that Costco defines a camera's beginerness, or not. Or not.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luis_g Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>It's not too much for a newbie. Use 'coma mode' (autoprogrameverything) until you want to take it to the next level. You'll be fine. Don't forget to 'upgrade' something (a lens or peripherals is good) every three-to-six months. Bigger camera bag's a must every year, until it gets so heavy you need a dolly to get it in & out of the car and your chiropractor's nurse smiles and waves at you on the street. Your family and friends will roll their eyes frequently as you skid the car to a halt on deserted roads and eight lane highways alike, for no apparent reason, grab your D90, bail out of the car and say things like "It's PERFECT!". Soon, you'll be the first on your block to make the Do Not Fly List. How were you to know it was a secret DHS base in your landscape? Your pictures will improve technically by leaps and bounds, as you become yet another PS wizard, then one day, you pick up your daughter's declasse', wouldn't-be-caught-dead with 8 MP P&S, and you'll take your best pictures yet. Did I mention sharper? You'll anxiously post about it here in the schizoid frisson of qualitative dissonance, and everyone will reply that yeah, that happens in good light, due to some mumbo-jumbo the factory includes with $200.00 rigs, but not with $1.7K ones. Hmm-hmmm. It will make sense in a perverted way, trust me. By the time your coffee table is stacked with photo/PS books and magazines, bookshelves sagging, and you've learned the difference between an F/stop and a stop bath (ancient history), the rig will be paperweight obsolete. Welcome to our world.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmm Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>Bottom line for me in choosing D80 over D40/D40x (this was before D60 or D90 were released) was that D80 supported the use of a much wider variety of lenses including the fast primes that you will soon be wanting to explore - even if intially only via the excellent but modestly priced 50mm/1.8.<br> This to me was a fundamental difference and still is in my view for anyone who really wants to do some photography as a hobby, as distinct from getting an SLR just to have better quality P&S images (which is fine of course and a good reason, but is different from a true 'hobby' interest).<br> D90 has all sorts of advantages over D60 and yet isn't that much harder to learn. But bottom line for me is the issue above. With a D90 you will not hit the brick wall of wanting to have auto-focus functionality with the full range of Nikon glass, and realising to your chagrin that your entry-level model simply does not support this. With a D60, for all its other unquestionable virtues, that brick wall looms large if you do indeed want to really 'pick up photography as a hobby'.</p> <p>PS: just to keep the hoardes happy and to be clear, the functionality I am discussing is the camera being able to Autofocus all kinds of lenses including primes and older models. You can of course mount and use any of these on a D60 as well, but you will always have to manually focus.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stwrtertbsratbs5 Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>Buy a D60 and you'll always have a nagging feeling that you should have spent a bit more and purchased a D90. So get the D90 - it will make you smile.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopoki Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>If your heart is set on the D90 then get it. Keep it in P mode until you understand what the other modes are mostly used for. Purchase a book on the D90 and read it. These are much easier to understand then the manual that comes with the camera. You'll be up and running in no time.<br> <a href="http://slopoki1.smugmug.com/">http://slopoki1.smugmug.com/</a></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorgen_udvang Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>Bruce, I can recommend an excellent book. It's called the instruction manual, and comes free with the camera. Here's a shortcut regarding the flash though:<br> If the flash works like the one on my D80, and I believe it does, press down the little button on the left side of the flash, the one with the flash symbol. While holding the button down, spin the front command wheel until the symbol on the top LCD shows only a tiny flash symbol and no "auto" text. Voila, your flash is now completely under you control.<br> This can be done individually for each shooting mode, but in M, A, S and P modes, the flash is always in manual. If you want to learn about photography, I can recommend A (Aperture) mode. That gives you manual control over the aperture, while the exposure time is controlled by the camera. Just check that the exposure time doesn't become too long (The general rule is exposure time = focal length x 1.5 or faster).<br> Hope that helps :)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobias_yao Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>Thank you guys. I think I m learning a lot from the answers to this thread. In fact, I also think that it is good thing to begin with a better camera like D90 so that I could learn and explore more of it than of a D60.<br> I have looked through many of the camera kit sold on ebay (I have checked BH, buy.com, ebay, amazons, adorama, etc, seems ebay offers the cheapest and most diverse range of packages to me), I m interested in getting a kit with a <strong>18-105 mm VR lens</strong> for a start. This way I can save a little bit and when I m more confident and ready for an upgrade I could always buy new lenses. Is this a good idea?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owen_omeara Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>That d90 kit will be fine and give you a great platform for the future. The 18-105 will be a great lens to start with and it will give you a good idea of where you want to go in the future as far as glass goes. Have fun and welcome to a great club.</p> <p>-Owen</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SolaresLarrave Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 <p>By all means, if buying from eBay, buy from a store, not from in individual. A store will offer you a warranty at least, useful in case something goes awry. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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