was it a mistake to buy a nikon d60 dslr as a starting photographer?

i searched nikon d60 in the search answers and browsed through many questions and answers, but many public suggest its a terrible camera due to the lack of motor and such.
what do you reckon?
keep it? sell it? hug it?
a photographer is determine by his pictures, not gear?

Answer by oliviajoan
No, it’s not.
I stared with a Nikon D40x as a starting photographer, and i now do it as an on-side job. I’ve photographed weddings and everything.
If it’s what you want to do when you’re older, then deffinatly persue it.

Answer by retiredPhil
I agree with oliviajoan.

The lack of motor just earnings that you have to buy lenses with their own motor, or learn to do manual focus, a very clever tool.

Keep it. This is an brilliant tool to learn to be a better photographer.

Answer by OMG, I ♥ PONIES!!1
The D60 is a fine camera. Better in nearly every way than the Nikon EM (a film SLR) that I started out with for myself 25 years ago… better than nearly any camera made 25 years ago.

So it won’t auto-focus with AF-D lenses. So what. Suck it up and learn to focus persons lenses manually. Or be satisfied with the – what – 30 different AF-S and AF-I lenses that the D60 will auto-focus with. Which AF-D lenses do you want to use anyway?

The 50mm f/1.8? Invest in the 50mm f/1.4 AF-S instead. It’s better.

The 55mm macro? Invest in the 60mm AF-S macro instead. It’s better.

Lenses are an investment – they’ll give you better image quality now and with the next cameras you buy and they’ll hold their value. Camera bodies on the additional hand, have changed from life mechanical devices to electronic devices. As with all electronics, they are nearly disposable items. Simply replace the body when it breaks or when you outgrow the features.

So that’s the question really. Is the D60 holding you back? What would you do with a D90 or D300s that you can’t do now? Yeah, I can reckon of stuff – four years ago when I transitioned to digital I skipped the entry level models and went with a Nikon D200 ($ 1800 then, worth nearly nothing now). But is a more advanced camera body the best way for you to spend your money?

Answer by Edwin
“Pictureas are not taken, they are made.” Ansel Adams.

“It isn’t the camera, its the photographer.”

Keep the D60 and start learning about light, composition, exposure and depth of field. Then practice using that knowledge to make the pictures you want to make. These sites will get you started:

http://www.digital-photography-school.com
http://www.illustratedphotography.com/photography-tips/basic
http://www.cambridgeincolor.com
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html
http://www.calculator.org/exposure.aspx

You’ll also need to spend time to really READ & STUDY the Owner’s Manual for your camera. Its full of information about all the features and benefits of your camera and you need to know them. After all, if you don’t know them how can you use them?

Excellent photography requires thinking and thinking requires time. To make a excellent picture you must reckon about the composition, the light, the exposure and the depth of field. If you just go out and point & shoot, point & shoot, point & shoot then all you’re doing is taking snapshots. Its what I call the “machine gunner mentality” – take 300 exposures and hope – hope – a few turn out. I encourage adopting what I call the “sniper mentality” – make one exposure, make one excellent picture.

When a scene catches your attention, don’t just stand there and compose and shoot. Look at the scene permanent, kneeling, sitting, maybe even flat on your belly. Go to the right. Go to the left. Back up. Get quicker. Try a landscape (horizontal) composition. Try a likeness (vertical) composition. Choose if everything should be in focus (maximum depth of field) or just your main subject (minimum depth of field). Even if that flower might look nice in direct sunlight why not get around behind it and shoot it backlit with the light coming through the petals?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/3581810196/ Flat on my belly in wet grass.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/2758839501/ This looked better backlit.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/4032748624/ This is just as I saw it.

While you’re deciding on the best point of view and composition you also need to really look at what additional elements will be in the picture. Litter? Power lines? A dead tree branch? A blah, washed-out sky? Then you have to exchange your composition to eliminate or at least minimize persons distractions. Sure, you can probably clone them out with an control program but that takes time – time you may maybe be using your camera. The thought is to “Get it right in the camera” because that minimizes your control time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/3991210245/ Before making this picture I picked up 3 cigarette butts, a discarded tissue and a plastic bottle. That’s why I carry hand sanitizer and a small garbage bag.

So study and practice, study and practice. To my knowledge there aren’t any competitions or prizes for the person who makes the most exposures in a day so there’s no reason to not take your time and reckon about what you want to do and how you can do it.

Accessories I consider necessary as you get started:

1) A UV filter to protect the front element of your lens.
2) A circular polarizer filter. Its used to darken a blue sky and to remove/reduce glare/reflections from glass, snow, water, sand and painted metal – but not polished metal.
3) A lens cloth to keep your filters clean.
4) A tripod. For landscape photography a tripod is mandatory. The more you use a tripod the better your pictures will be.

Always buy quality filters. Choose from Heliopan, Tiffen, B+W, Hoya, Singh-Ray. Check out the Benro “Travel Angel” series of tripods. Manfrotto, Velbon, Slik, Gittos are also brilliant brands.

Photography tips:

1) Always shoot at your camera’s highest resolution.
2) Always use the lowest possible ISO.
3) Use your tripod whenever possible.
4) When using your tripod, use the camera’s self-timer to release the shutter. Turn VR “OFF” when using your tripod.
5) The horizon should be horizontal.

Know better? Place your own answer in the comments!

YES!!XD Nikon d60!


Image by ♥ KawaiiCloud ♥
Finally i got one thanks to Yeyo. It was one of my best dreams..and now i can see the world better…and learn about photography..^^

I am just using a nikon d60 with a standard 18-55 lens. in the photo contest i am joining, one of their rule is that i have to use a standard 18-55 lens. can you give me some tips and camera settings if i want to have photo winning shots of public?

Answer by Shorty
Most commonly used mode is “P”. It’s stands for program auto and has ae/af. This program is useful as different to full auto due to its controls over shutter and aperture, among additional settings. To shoot public, it is advisable to shoot at the largest aperture possible, 2.8 or less is ideal. Shooting at 55mm would also make a more pleasing and satisfying blur than what you would realize at 18mm. I’m kind of surprised that your site only allows the standard lenses to be used though.

Answer by Elvis
go to kenrockwell.com to find out

Give your answer to this question below!

Nikon D60 verses the List Rebel XS (List EOS 1000d). 10 points to compare and contrast the user-friendliness of each. This record looks at the differences in: -changing the settings -flash exp. comp. -WB icons -quietness of camera -focal points -exposure compensation -holds in hand -deleting photos -f-number changes -live view There are more differences that I preferred in any the List or Nikon. This is the top 10, with 5 pros for the List and 5 for the Nikon. EDIT: Thanks to “joshthegreat666 ” for pointing out a confusing point in my record. Yes, exposure compensation can be changed in manual in both cameras, naturally. When I made this record, I was new to SLRs. The Nikon was obvious on how to use this feature and with the List it was a ‘hidden feature’, as I call it. One has to press the shutter button down halfway and than it is possible to see this.