Nikon D80 vs D60

I bought a D40 after Christmas and got a smoking deal. I considered the D80,
but it was about twice the price over a D40.

Each to his own but there is not much difference between the D40, D40X and
the D60. I do not believe that the extra cost of the D40X or D60 are not
worth the extra cost over the D40. The D80 is a "dated" DSLR and is due for
replacement sometime mid summer and the replacement for it will no doubt
will have some of the features of the D200 and D300.

You can get a D40 with lens for about $400 this is a price you can get going
with. Every one today is getting hung up on how many pixels. The D40
(6million mp) with the 18 - 55mm Nikon lens has made great 8x10 prints. Is
easy and fun to use.
My opinion for what its worth.


"Jürgen Exner" wrote in message
...
"cocob" u43438@uwe wrote:
Can any one help me out~ I've read that the D60 is a step up from the D40x

Arguable. IMO the D60 is the successor of the D40[x] but not a step up.
The D80 is the next step up from the D40[x].

but can't find anything on the D60 vs the D80! Which one is better??

Better as to what requirements or criteria? Even the D40 is smaller and
lighter than the D80, therefore it must be better, right?

D60 versus D80 is basically the difference between latest entry level
model versus 1 1/2 year old 'enthusiasts' model. For details about how
many features trickled down from the enthusiast to the entry level over
those 1 1/2 years and if they are of any interest to you I suggest you
compare those two cameras side by side on e.g. dpreview.

jue

"G" wrote:
I bought a D40 after Christmas and got a smoking deal. I considered the D80,
but it was about twice the price over a D40.

I faced the same decision a year ago and went with the D80 because of
the separate status LCD, the build-in focus motor, but most of all
because the smaller D40 did not fit my hands. I always had a finger left
that I couldn't place anywhere. Sounds stupid but if it doesn't feel
right then it is not going to work for you.

Each to his own but there is not much difference between the D40, D40X and
the D60. I do not believe that the extra cost of the D40X or D60 are not
worth the extra cost over the D40. The D80 is a "dated" DSLR and is due for
replacement sometime mid summer and the replacement for it will no doubt
will have some of the features of the D200 and D300.

Agree. But it's still a great camera :-)

jue

In article .co.uk,
Angus Manwaring wrote:

A feature I wanted (that I didn't think was unreasonable) was seperate
controls for shutter speed and aperture, a lot of these cameras use the
same control and you hold down a "qualifier" button to access the other
function. I hate that, so the D80 with a decent viewfinder and a build
quality that doesn't feel cheap was a good choice for me.

the d40/d40x/d60 and d50 all have one control wheel and the rest have
two. it's only really an issue with manual exposure. otherwise, the
wheel controls the function that's not being automatically adjusted by
the camera.

On 06-May-08 20:26:36, Neil Harrington said
"cocob" u43438@uwe wrote in message news:83c26a81e0afa@uwe...


The D80 is "better" in that it's much more advanced, but whether that should
be your criterion for choosing a new camera is another question. The D60,
like the very similar D40 and D40x, is a significantly smaller and lighter
body than the D80, as well as being less expensive. Since you're new to this
type of camera, it seems safe to say that anything in the D40/D40x/D60 line
will satisfy most, and very likely all, of your needs for some time to come.
The D80 has more features and controls than the smaller models have, but
also probably more features and controls than you'll know what to do with.

A feature I wanted (that I didn't think was unreasonable) was seperate
controls for shutter speed and aperture, a lot of these cameras use the
same control and you hold down a "qualifier" button to access the other
function. I hate that, so the D80 with a decent viewfinder and a build
quality that doesn't feel cheap was a good choice for me.

I've not got hold of a D60 yet so these comments apply more to the D40x
and the Canon and Pentax equivalents.

All the best,
Angus Manwaring. (for e-mail remove ANTISPEM)

I need your memories for the Amiga Games Database: A collection of Amiga
Game reviews by Amiga players http://www.angusm.demon.co.uk/AGDB/AGDB.html

"cocob" u43438@uwe wrote in message news:83c4f55d8a6e9@uwe...


Thank you so much for all your infomation. Your site is great, full of
info
to learn and will also be very useful when I get a camera.

Kim

You're very welcome, Kim. You've probably noticed that Ken Rockwell's site
has his own user guides for some of these cameras that you can download for
free.

Also, you can find user guides (not the factory-supplied manuals) on Amazon
which are excellent. For most Nikon cameras of this type there are books by
David Busch or Simon Stafford which I recommend highly. Busch's books
(titled Digital Field Guide for the specific model) are probably best for
the beginner, partly because they have better illustrations, in full color
on coated stock. Stafford's books (in the Magic Lantern Guide series) have
only B&W illustrations, but are generally more technically informative.

I always buy both, a Busch book and a Stafford book for each Nikon DSLR
model I own. They're only $13 or so each on Amazon and well worth it. They
won't have books for the D60 (or any brand new model) right away; it usually
takes a few months for them to come out. The camera of course comes with a
very thorough printed manual in the box (also you can download a manual
directly from Nikon USA), but you will find a book by Busch or Stafford a
lot more readable.

Neil

"Blinky the Shark" wrote in message
news
frederick wrote:

Paul Furman wrote:
cocob wrote:
Can any one help me out~ I've read that the D60 is a step up from the
D40x
but can't find anything on the D60 vs the D80! Which one is better??
I'm new
to these cameras, but don't wan't to spend more money in a year or two
because I bought a cheaper one!! thanks!

The D80 has a bigger brighter viewfinder and autofocuses with more
lenses. It's probably about to be replaced. The D60 is the replacement
for the D50.

Replacement for the D40x?
IIRC the D60 doesn't have a focus motor.

The D40X does?

The D40x doesn't but the D50 does, which was his point. A "replacement for
the D50" would reasonably be expected to have an in-body AF motor.

I think the "D60" desigination is unfortunate and misleading for this
reason; it does seem to suggest a model between the D50 and the D70/D70s,
which it obviously is not.

Neil

cocob wrote:
Can any one help me out~ I've read that the D60 is a step up from the D40x
but can't find anything on the D60 vs the D80! Which one is better?? I'm new
to these cameras, but don't wan't to spend more money in a year or two
because I bought a cheaper one!! thanks!


Depending on who you talk to, either the D60 is a excellent investment
or you waste your money.

The issue for people with older (non digital era) lenses is that the
lack of a focus mother limits which lenses they can use.

For someone like me who jumped from Canon to Nikon and had to buy
lenses, it's a non issue. Side by Side with a 20D the Nikon produces
technically better images with truer colours and more easily controlled
noise.

Compared to a D300 it's a bit of a toy but then the price difference is
substantial too. The D80 has been around for a long time in model years
but still it's up there with the best of them.

If you are going to buy lenses, definitely go for the D60. If you
already have lenses, either D80 or set your sights higher.

An interesting issue with the D60 is that DxO Optics Pro... The RAW
developer that fixes sensor and lens faults during development, has no
modules for it. For me that means more expensive lens choice.

Douglas
At home.

Neil Harrington wrote:


"Blinky the Shark" wrote in message
news
frederick wrote:

Paul Furman wrote:
cocob wrote:
Can any one help me out~ I've read that the D60 is a step up from the
D40x
but can't find anything on the D60 vs the D80! Which one is better??
I'm new
to these cameras, but don't wan't to spend more money in a year or two
because I bought a cheaper one!! thanks!

The D80 has a bigger brighter viewfinder and autofocuses with more
lenses. It's probably about to be replaced. The D60 is the replacement
for the D50.

Replacement for the D40x?
IIRC the D60 doesn't have a focus motor.

The D40X does?

The D40x doesn't but the D50 does, which was his point. A "replacement for
the D50" would reasonably be expected to have an in-body AF motor.

I think the "D60" desigination is unfortunate and misleading for this
reason; it does seem to suggest a model between the D50 and the D70/D70s,
which it obviously is not.

Yeah, it is kinda stuck in there in the middle.

But I was only reacting to the implication that the D60 isn't a
replacement for the D40X because it (the D60) has in-lens IS (in the two
lines before my sort of rhetorical question).


--
Blinky
Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org
NEW -- Now evaluating a GG-free news feed: http://usenet4all.se

"Blinky the Shark" wrote in message
news
Neil Harrington wrote:


"Blinky the Shark" wrote in message
news
frederick wrote:

Paul Furman wrote:
cocob wrote:
Can any one help me out~ I've read that the D60 is a step up from the
D40x
but can't find anything on the D60 vs the D80! Which one is better??
I'm new
to these cameras, but don't wan't to spend more money in a year or
two
because I bought a cheaper one!! thanks!

The D80 has a bigger brighter viewfinder and autofocuses with more
lenses. It's probably about to be replaced. The D60 is the replacement
for the D50.

Replacement for the D40x?
IIRC the D60 doesn't have a focus motor.

The D40X does?

The D40x doesn't but the D50 does, which was his point. A "replacement
for
the D50" would reasonably be expected to have an in-body AF motor.

I think the "D60" desigination is unfortunate and misleading for this
reason; it does seem to suggest a model between the D50 and the D70/D70s,
which it obviously is not.

Yeah, it is kinda stuck in there in the middle.

But I was only reacting to the implication that the D60 isn't a
replacement for the D40X because it (the D60) has in-lens IS (in the two
lines before my sort of rhetorical question).

Not one Nikon body has any IS. The lenses have VR.
Everyone is guessing about the upgrade, but nobody understands: it's just a
new camera!
If a new model car comes out, nobody wonders what model it replaces. Same
he it's like a D40x, but with some newer stuff. That's all.


--
Focus

Alienjones wrote:

An interesting issue with the D60 is that DxO Optics Pro... The RAW
developer that fixes sensor and lens faults during development, has no
modules for it. For me that means more expensive lens choice.

And they aren't going to upgrade DXO to incorporate new models? That
would be a surprising omission in an expensive program which claims to
be a professional level product.

--
Chris Malcolm DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]