Nikon D60 Hands-on Review
Reviewed on 27 February 2008

Succeeding the wildly popular Nikon D40 and Nikon D40x, anticipation and expectations mounted high for the Nikon D60. It was the camera that many thought would trump those before it with an array of innovations and state of the art upgrades, but however, this wasn't quite the way Nikon had planned. Instead, Nikon kept the D60 surprisingly similar to the D40x and made improvements around the camera rather than recreating it. Nikon has also apparently backed away from the megapixels race and settled the D60 with 10.2 megapixels. With also a near identical body to the D40x, it seems Nikon has this time focused its upgrading efforts internally by adding on next-generation features to elevate the D60's camera performance.

Designed well in the spirit of the D40x, the D60 is a solid entry-level DSLR that can shoot professional image quality with amazing ease. The previous D40 and D40x both gained a reputation for being unbelievably compact and lightweight and the new D60 is no different. By keeping the same size and weight of the D40x at 495g, the look and feel is also identical and even offers the same 2.5-inch large LCD. Since the housing and ergonomics of the D40x had been vastly proven to be superb, the D60's similarity should also duplicate the same success.

Adopting a safe and conservative approach for the exterior design, the D60 uses the same solid 10.2 megapixels CCD sensor as that of the D40x. While the same, image quality on the D60 is slightly better given Nikon's new EXPEED image processor, boasting better processing speeds and better noise reduction. The benefit of this processor also brings useful technologies like the Active D-Lighting that helps compensate for strong shadows at the time of shooting. With Active D-lighting on, images do generally reveal greater detail and sharpness. Shooting with the EXPEED processor in action, the D60 presents incredible image smoothness at lower ISO ratings and manages noise very very well, keeping noise to a minimum at the high ISO 1600 sensitivity. (Refer to ISO test below)

Besides just better image quality, the D60 also adds extra fun with an interesting and innovative Stop-Motion mode that can string together up to 100 pictures into one movie, a first in DSLRs. While these improvements may not appeal to the more serious DSLR users, a more notable advancement of the D60 could be its dual sensor cleaning system, combining both sensor-shake and a new Airflow Control System that uses air to move away dust from the sensor each time the shutter is depressed. Given this reliability, it instilled with us the kind of confidence needed when shooting in dustier environments.

Greatly improving the actual hands-on experience of the user, we were particularly fond of the Nikon's auto-orienting screen that rotated the shooting menu into either horizontal or vertical orientation when tilted. This was appreciated especially when framing and switching between shooting portrait and landscape shots. Yielding more power from a single battery, a sensor gapped between the viewfinder and LCD served as a nifty power-conserving feature, shutting off the LCD once it senses your eyes up the viewfinder.

For the more demanding photographer, the D60 might not have been the upgrade that they were hoping for, but rather they may have regarded it as a reiteration. However, with Nikon's inclusion of the recently released anti-shake (VR) version of Nikon's 18-55mm lens on to the D60, no one can possibly deny the benefit of this lens. Judging the D60 alone, it is a highly recommendable camera for entry-level DSLR users with its improved usability and image quality. Straightforward and reliable, the D60 continues the winning ways of the D40 and D40x by combining the functionality of a DSLR with the ease of a compact camera.

Nikon D60 ISO Test

In testing out the imaging quality of the Nikon D60, an ISO test was conducted in an outdoor environment. Using the included 18-55mm VR-NIKKOR lens, the Nikon D60 was set to Aperture Priority mode giving us an aperture of f/4.5. With the D60 propped up and fixed perfectly still to a tripod, identical shots were taken at each stop up the ISO sensitivity range.

ISO 100 - f/4.5 1/40
At ISO 100, the Nikon D60 produced an extremely smooth image. Cropping closer into the image, the flowers were well-defined and clear even in shadowed areas.

ISO 200 - f/4.5 1/80
The image quality at ISO 200 is outstanding and comparable to that at ISO 100.

ISO 400 - f/4.5 1/160
Noise at ISO 400 is hardly noticeable. Noise only became apparent as we went pixel-peeping into its full resolution, and even so, noise is still extremely faint.

ISO 800 - f/4.5 1/320
At ISO 800, this marks the point where the D60 begins to really impress. While noise began to creep in at the shadowed parts of the image, the D60 still delivers a very well-defined image.

ISO 1600 - f/4.5 1/640
A fair bit of grain appears on the image, the petals, leaves and stems from the flower are evidently coarser. Noise is frothing in the darker shades of the image.

H1.0 (ISO 3200) - f/4.5 1/1250
Boosting up to ISO 3200, a great deal of degradation and noise flocks the image at its full size. Even still, noise is handled very well.

From what we can learn in our ISO test, the Nikon D60 is a camera that performs outstandingly well at high ISO sensitivities. From ISO 100 to ISO 400, very little differences are noticeable and while noise became more apparent from ISO 800 and up, the images seen show very little loss in detail. With evidently better noise reduction, it's a testament to Nikon's new EXPEED processor at work, helping to strengthen the prowess of the D60's 10.2 megapixels sensor. With that said, the Nikon D60 is undoubtedly a strong competitor in today's entry-level DSLR market.