Product Reviews

If the new D60 looks familiar, there's a simple explanation. Hold the old D40X model in one hand and this camera in the other, and aside from the silver model-name badge you'll struggle to tell the difference.

The only clue is a slightly tweaked main mode dial, and a couple of small sensors above the display (which is 2.5in in size, just like the D40X) that serve to switch off the display automatically when the camera is raised to the eye.

The similarities are more than just skin-deep, too: basic specifications are also exactly the same, with a 10.2-megapixel sensor, three frames per second maximum burst rate and autofocus based on just three points.

In fact, the only significant difference in the physical design is a sensor dust-removal system. Aside from that, the camera's firmware is redesigned and more sophisticated.

It doesn't exactly sound like the D60 is going to stop the world turning on its axis, but the basic design is still a good one. The body is solid and the control layout logical, and the engineering of the shutter release results in a lovely soft clunk rather than the attention-grabbing staccato clack of others. That stealth can easily mean the difference between bagging and missing a great candid shot.

Although it might be losing out on bragging rights to more cutting-edge competitors - notably Canon's newly announced EOS 450D with its 12 megapixels - the 10.2 million pixels of the D60 is more than enough.

It is disappointing only to see three-point AF, though, when competition like the EOS 400D has six, and the newer 450D has nine. The D60's three are arranged horizontally across the frame so subjects towards the top and bottom of the viewfinder can't be focused on without reframing the shot.

New features

The new dust-removal feature is a welcome, if belated, addition to the range. But having come late the party, Nikon has headed straight for the kitchen with a two-stage system. First, there's the standard sensor-shaking mechanism, which can be configured to happen at switch-on, shut-down or to be activated manually.

Then, take the lens off and look carefully just behind the lens mount and you'll spot a series of small holes at the bottom. These, claims Nikon, are part of a system to take advantage of the airflow created when the mirror flips up to take a shot.

The internals are arranged to push air in the main camera chamber down and through those holes, taking with it stray dust particles that might otherwise end up stuck to the sensor. It's impossible to tell whether the system works, but every little helps.

Even

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though the primary differences between the D40X and D60 lie in the firmware, the changes do make for a significantly better camera. For starters, you get the impressive Active D-Lighting system. At first glance it seems no more useful than the frivolous scene modes or effects settings on compact cameras, but it's genuinely useful here.

Active D-Lighting is essentially a dynamic-range enhancer, lifting shadow detail and reducing clipped highlights. The system has three preset levels and works well in harsh lighting conditions, particularly midday sun.

Lenses

The D60 has two standard kit bundles. One includes the same standard 18-55mm lens supplied with the D40X, and the other - the one it would prefer you to buy - with the new 18-55mm f/3.5-f/5.6 VR (vibration reduction) lens. Nikon's stock lenses are one of its strongest areas, and the build and optical quality outstrip Canon's by a noticeable margin in our tests.

Chromatic aberrations are low - although still make their presence felt occasionally - and images are decently sharp. VR is the Nikon term for optical image stabilisation, and it's a seriously useful addition to the basic camera.

The stabilisation is good for around two stops and makes the lack of a new lower-noise CCD sensor much less of an issue; you can now shoot at slower shutter speeds and lower ISO levels and still get a decent picture.

Acting in concert with this is Nikon's unique and supremely brilliant ISO Auto feature, first seen on the D80 but missing from the D40 and D40X.

ISO Auto is a programmable system. Rather than the camera arbitrarily deciding the light level is too low and pumping up ISO sensitivity to its chosen level, ISO Auto gives you control over two parameters: maximum sensitivity and minimum shutter speed.

The first allows you to set the maximum ISO level you deem to be acceptable - for instance ISO 400 - and the second the target shutter speed that's acceptable before the system kicks in.

That control allows you to tailor the camera's ISO assistance to your ability to take steady shots, safe in the knowledge that above the threshold you've specified the camera won't interfere and raise the ISO level, thus introducing unwanted image noise.

But it gives you the safety buffer that if you suddenly find yourself in low light you can continue to shoot, getting usable shots with the level of noise you've deemed acceptable. It's a genius addition.

Conclusion

The crunch point for the D60 is whether you deem what are, on the face of it, relatively minor improvements make it worth plumping for this model rather than more exciting offerings from competitors that offer Live View, more megapixels, faster burst rates and generally newer design technology.

On the face of it, it's easy to be cynical, especially when you can now pick up a D40X for less than £400.

But Nikon's approach is to produce a solid and useful photographic tool, and on that front it's difficult not to like the D60. It's designed to do its job well, rather than blind you with specifications. If you take it on that basis you won't be disappointed.