nikon D40

This was an upgrade from a Sony compact digital camera which was fine , but the Nikon is superb.
I was looking at a Pentax k100ds and this Nikon D40, and the Nikon felt better in the hand.less heavy and more user friendly for a first timer.
At first as I am not an expert I used it on"auto" but soon wanted to experiment with the other settings,all easy to follow.
This is a great first step to dslr cameras and the price and service I got from Amazon was perfect.
10/10

Great entry level DSLR

Recently bought this digital SLR (with the VR lens kit) and I'm very impressed so far. This is my first dSLR purchase but I don't think I was prepared for just how great the jump in quality would be from a compact.

Out of the box it's pretty much ready to go, and I was taking pictures about five minutes after the battery was done charging. The camera does come with the obligatory 300page manual for when you get round to needing to know about f-stop and aperture timings and all that but the quickstart guide is enough to get you up and running.

So far I've been shooting inside and outside and the picture quality thus far has been, to my untrained eye, exemplary. Although the auto-flash seems a little oversensitive it's just a flick of a lever to turn it off.

The camera comes with it's own picture exporting and viewing programmes although the installation to my PC seemed a little buggy so I'm taking them off manually with Windows Explorer and it's fine.

The only two things to bear in mind before you buy is that, firstly, unlike compacts (or even your phone) at this price range you shouldn't expect to be able to arange a shot via the screen, so you'll be using the viewfinder. Secondly, the Nikon D60, like it's predecessor does not have an internal auto-focus motor, so you're dependent upon the lens having one - this is a standard feature on pretty much EVERY compatable lens that the entry-level amateur will be looking at (if indeed you upgrade at all)but bear in mind that if you're looking to dig out an old Nikon or Sigma from your standard SLR you might be on manual focus.

All round a great camera - really happy with it and would definitely buy again knowing what I know now.

great camera, perfect for holiday usage

I have a Nikon SLR D80 camera which is regarded by nearly all reviewers as the no1 SlR mid-range camera to own. We also owned a trendy pink canon Ixus camera for compactness eg holiday nights out etc. the canon was terriable, slow, bad battery, several returns to canon for repairs. This nikon is cheap cheerful and great pics, for the price its fantastic and in 18 months or 2 years if i need a new one well for 100 outlay ive got my moneys worth from this 210 ...great buy and soo compact, a real gem

D80 kit with 18-135

It has taken me more than 15 years to commit to a new system and a new manufacturer. Previously I was a pro using the old FD and later auto focus ranges by Canon. I absolutely loved the old T-90 (still the best camera ever made in my book)and EOS 1's. I had therefore become so reliant on the EOS system that when it came to change I avoided any other brand.

The thing I liked about the EOS system is that once you have learnt it it is intuitive and simple to use. On the other hand Nikon was always a bit of a hassle for me and even though I loved the way they were so adaptable I just couldn't justify spending thousands on a new rig. So I stuck to my guns and in the end most of the rest of the press corp followed and now Canon are a ubiquitous as Nikon used to be.

So now it is a decade later and I have finally given in long after digital became de-rigeur. Last week I bought my first Nikon (D80)in fact it is my first digital SLR.

I didn't want to spend a fortune in case it was a disaster and I wanted a decent performer with all the functions I was used to but when it came down to it I guess I just fancied a change. So now I own a D80 with the most basic lens that has any chance of portraiture use (18 - 135) and do you know what? It is great.

Everything is backwards compared to the Canons - rotation of focus and zoom, thumb wheels etc and that is proving to be an issue but I will get over it. The viewfinder is superb and the focus and exposure meter are top notch. Best of all it actually deliver in AF and Auto mode so all those years of taking spot readings and re-framing are over. It even feels nice. Not weak and plasticy but solid. My only issue is that the lag between pressing the trigger and hearing the (fake I assume) mirror trip is still there. Physical film cameras have that one in the bag even now. Otherwise only one thing remains outstanding..

Why didn't I do this before?

Very disappointing camera

Having been delighted with a Nikon Coolpix 3100 for the last 4 years my brother and I decided to upgrade to a new Coolpix when the battery compartment cover started to break on the old camera. We thought that we would stick with the trusted Coolpix brand, so went for the S210.

However we could not have been more disappointed. Having taken nearly 200 pictures each, and having tried various settings and scene modes, we both discovered that the wonderful crispness of the pictures on our old Coolpix was sadly lacking on this new model. In the majority of pictures the focusing was only crisp in the centre of the picture. As you moved to the outside of the pics you got increased blur - and that was with the vibration reduction switched ON and even on static objects. There was also a good deal of chromatic aberration (bluish-purple edging) in high contrast areas. This may be down to our lack of photographic know-how...but even if that is the case, this camera is most certainly not a point-and-shoot - not if you want to get any kind of decent results without having to fiddle with manual settings. The camera really struggled with focusing indoors and most of those pics ended up more blurred than the outdoor ones. The pics may well be OK for 6x4 prints, but certainly not any good if you want to blow them up.

On top of that both of us encountered"lens error" problems while on holiday in Cyprus only 3 weeks after purchase, and that was with the cameras in a padded case, so no chance of sand intrusion. In the case of my camera I was able to power off and then back on and that seemed to fix the problem. The same thing worked for my brother the first time it happened, but the next time the lens error was terminal. The camera was toast for the rest of the holiday.

When we took the camera into a photo shop in Larnaca a passing Canon rep pointed out the slimness of the Nikon camera and the resulting vulnerability of the lens mechanism.

We have now returned both cameras to Amazon and are now considering going for the Canon IXUS 80 IS, which seems to have much better reviews.

Frustrating

I am pleased with the camera itself but didn't appreciate that delivery was from the Netherlands. As such, the instructions, which appear comprehensive, come in 4 languages but none of them are English. In addition, the battery charger power lead comes with a european pin plug. A UK plug was enclosed but you either need to change the plug yourself or use an adaptor. None of this was apparent when I ordered the camera and whilst not a serious problem, it was certainly frustrating.

Nikon S600

I own a Nikon D70x and a D200 along with the usual collection of zoom, wide angle and macro lens.
I needed something which would produce good quality images but that I could carry in my pocket.
I bought the S600 on the day of it's release and found it to be very good
indeed. The lens is superb and once you find your way around the menus and use the correct set up the photos are very good. I am very pleased with the camera it does what it says on the packet.

Great entry level DSLR

Recently bought this digital SLR (with the VR lens kit) and I'm very impressed so far. This is my first dSLR purchase but I don't think I was prepared for just how great the jump in quality would be from a compact.

Out of the box it's pretty much ready to go, and I was taking pictures about five minutes after the battery was done charging. The camera does come with the obligatory 300page manual for when you get round to needing to know about f-stop and aperture timings and all that but the quickstart guide is enough to get you up and running.

So far I've been shooting inside and outside and the picture quality thus far has been, to my untrained eye, exemplary. Although the auto-flash seems a little oversensitive it's just a flick of a lever to turn it off.

The camera comes with it's own picture exporting and viewing programmes although the installation to my PC seemed a little buggy so I'm taking them off manually with Windows Explorer and it's fine.

The only two things to bear in mind before you buy is that, firstly, unlike compacts (or even your phone) at this price range you shouldn't expect to be able to arange a shot via the screen, so you'll be using the viewfinder. Secondly, the Nikon D60, like it's predecessor does not have an internal auto-focus motor, so you're dependent upon the lens having one - this is a standard feature on pretty much EVERY compatable lens that the entry-level amateur will be looking at (if indeed you upgrade at all)but bear in mind that if you're looking to dig out an old Nikon or Sigma from your standard SLR you might be on manual focus.

All round a great camera - really happy with it and would definitely buy again knowing what I know now.

Frustrating

I am pleased with the camera itself but didn't appreciate that delivery was from the Netherlands. As such, the instructions, which appear comprehensive, come in 4 languages but none of them are English. In addition, the battery charger power lead comes with a european pin plug. A UK plug was enclosed but you either need to change the plug yourself or use an adaptor. None of this was apparent when I ordered the camera and whilst not a serious problem, it was certainly frustrating.

Not so cool camera

Without a doubt the worst camera I have ever owned. It's been back to Nikon three times now and every time it is returned with additional faults. Nikon made good 35mm cameras but don't appear to have cracked the digital market.

First big test and it failed

This is my third Nikon digital camera : I started with a 990 and moved to a much smaller 4200. I have been very satisfied with both these cameras. So at time to upgrade, having looked hard at the Canon G9, I stuck with my familiar brand, Nikon. I am now in China, my first major trip with the new Nikon P5100 and the camera has failed me. The optical view finder, a key feature in my choice of camera, has failed and does not operate over the full range of the zoom so I am forcd to use the monitor, which has appalling reflections in any lighting, and I frankly hate using.
The camera is made in Indonesia, while the G9 is made in Japan. This was pointed out to me by sales staff, but I had counted on Nikon's quality control. Sadly I will not forgive this failure : I will only buy Japanese-made cameras in future and have bought my last Nikon. I will replace it with a Canon G9 asap.

Will knock the socks off you for performance!!!

I have had the benefit of owning a D200 immediately before this. This beauty blows the D200 in to smithereens in terms of quality, function and speed of response. I think the extra 2Mega pixels do make the difference. I was always slightly disappointed with the quality the D200 had to offer. In many situations the focus would be slightly out and on enlargement this was apparent. I don't find that with the D300. I don't know if its because I never found it but the D300 also has the facility to compensate for minor errors in focussing and you can set this for each individual lens. The focussing is perhaps a little slower but there are many great positives this camera has.

I was delighted to upgrade, and this was only after 8 months with a D200. I wish I had never bought the D200 now and plumped for the D300 straight off. I can guarantee you will not be disappointed with this camera. It is stunning, and will give you the ability to take some breathtaking photos.

Frustrating

I am pleased with the camera itself but didn't appreciate that delivery was from the Netherlands. As such, the instructions, which appear comprehensive, come in 4 languages but none of them are English. In addition, the battery charger power lead comes with a european pin plug. A UK plug was enclosed but you either need to change the plug yourself or use an adaptor. None of this was apparent when I ordered the camera and whilst not a serious problem, it was certainly frustrating.

wow - crazy in low light, and then some

I have had a D200 since 2 years, which has been an absolutely splendid decision. About the only weakness of the D200 was its inability to go high in the ISOs without introducing a lot of noice, which already starts creeping in at ISO 400, is definitely there at ISO 800, and is intolerable at ISO 1600. The D3 which came last year fixed this problem but was very expensive at that time. I have owned a D700 since a month now and I have been absolutely blown away by its performance. The D700 inherits some major systems from the D3, especially the sensor and the autofocus. It is absolutely amazing to be able to go straight to ISO 6400 without any loss of quality: no noice, no loss of sharpness (at variance with the D300 which is less noisy than the D200 but does so at the expense of more softening and loss of detail of the image, like the Canons do).
But there are some other significant goodies. Auto-ISO means that when light gets low, ISO automatically will be increased untill the level you accept. My ISO is set at 200, but may go up to 6400 if necessary. Only when light becomes even lower does the shutterspeed decrease. Another major system is auto-dLighting, which will reduce the dynamic range of the picture by automatically enhancing the darkest parts of a scene which otherwise would be completely blackened out. Full frame is a mixed blessing: wide angle becomes wide again, restoring the intended use of my glorious 28-70F2.8. The new 14-24 F2.8 is an astonishing new lens (the absolutely best in its category, some canonians buy it with an adaptor ring to be able to use it, accepting the fully manual operation of this lens on a canon) which takes wide to new extremes, unattainable with a DX camera like the D200. The larger FF sensor with 12MP as compared to the D300's 12MP on a DX sensor means a lesser pixeldensity, which is the secret for the extremely high ISO sensitivity of this camera. It also implies less DOF (depth of field) with the same focal and diafragm settings, which is good for isolating a subject from its surroundings, but which also means one has to be more careful about focusing. Some inexperienced photographers may be surprised when upgrading from a bridge or especially a compact camera: one needs a better photographic technique with a full-frame camera, so there certainly is a learning curve. On the other hand, my teles are shorter on a FF than on a DX sensor: 200 mm is once again a 200 mm and no longer equivalent 300 mm as on a DX camera, so one loses at the long end. Long tele with perfect light (safari etc...) is probably the only situation in which I would still use my D200, some people also use it for macrophotography because of the gain in DOF.
I could use DX lenses on my D700, but that would be a waste since only the central part of the sensor (about 5MP) would be used. To take full advantage of the FF sensor, one therefore needs FF lenses which tend to be more voluminous than equivalent DX lenses. The D700, like the D200, can however fully use any F-mount lens Nikon ever made, including its mindblowing manual focus masterpieces, or second-hand AF-(D) lenses which can be bought at extremely nice prices these days.
I don't use live view, but it's OK if you like it.
This is a professional camera: it is heavy, weather-sealed and sturdy. The D3 which costs almost double has a double CF-card slot (the D700 a single CF-card slot), a 300.000 rated shutter (instead of the D700's 150.000), a 100% viewer (instead of the +/- 95% viewer of the D700), and better batteries. For me these differences weren't worth the huge price difference. Note that the D700 resembles the D3 much more closely than the D200 resembled the D2x for instance.
I didn't think one second about the D300; I guess only auto-Dlighting would have been an advantage compared to the D200, but that certainly wouldn't be sufficient to upgrade.

Here therefore is a very happy D700 owner.