Nikon D60 Press Release

With 10.2 megapixels and remarkable compactness, the D60 offers incredible picture quality, extensive built-in dust reduction technologies and a comprehensive set of creative options.

D60 TOKYO – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the D60, one of the smallest Nikon digital SLRs ever. The D60 makes it fun and easy to take breathtaking pictures while also offering plenty of features for those who want to deepen their interest in creative shooting.

With a split-second shutter response, the D60 captures pictures that cameras with longer time lags miss. Ease of use and creative options both come standard with the D60, whose exclusive Nikon technologies help deliver high-quality pictures with vibrant color and stunning, edge-to-edge detail. Such superior results are achieved through a high-resolution image sensor utilizing 10.2 megapixels, world-famous NIKKOR lenses delivering razor-sharp pictures, and many cutting-edge Nikon features to further enhance your picture-taking experience. Nikon’s advanced 3D Color Matrix Metering II ensures consistently balanced exposures for images with natural color and contrast, while Nikon’s new digital image processing concept, EXPEED, makes it possible to deliver smoother tones and more accurate colors. Nikon’s fast, quiet and precise autofocus system adds significantly to the performance of the D60, capturing exact moments with astounding clarity.

Such clarity is reinforced by Nikon’s dust reduction countermeasures. To avoid picture-degrading dust particles accumulating near the imaging sensor, the D60 comes equipped with the innovative Image Sensor Cleaning function and Nikon’s exclusive Airflow Control System. These functions both reduce dust accumulation to give you even better picture quality.

In addition to new dust reduction features, the D60 offers a variety of ways to experience more fun and creativity when taking pictures. Users can easily capture dynamic images in different shooting situations with a simple turn of the mode dial. The Retouch Menu offers even more creative excitement, letting you change your pictures into even more striking images – all fast, all simple and all without the need for a computer.

Compact and comfortable, the D60 has so much to offer: amazing picture quality, simple operation, an Integrated Dust Reduction System for clearer pictures and an extensive selection of creative features. The result: fun, fantastic and inspired pictures. The world of stunning photography is just a step away, with the Nikon D60.

Nikon D60 Feature Highlights
Superior image quality and resolution The D60’s image sensor utilizes 10.2 megapixels to produce superb, high-quality images with incredible resolution, allowing you to make large prints, even if you only use part of an image. And thanks to EXPEED, Nikon’s unique digital image processing concept, your pictures will contain fine detail and smooth, natural tonal reproduction.

Integrated Dust Reduction System
The Airflow Control System used in the D60 leads air within the mirror box towards small ducts near the base, directing dust away from the image sensor. The Image Sensor Cleaning function also reduces dust accumulation near the sensor using specifically determined vibrations, which activate automatically or whenever the user chooses. This team of dust reduction countermeasures lets the user switch lenses confidently, taking advantage of the extensive lineup of NIKKOR interchangeable optics while worrying less about the effects of dust in the camera.

Active D-Lighting for smoother gradation
The D60’s new Active D-Lighting feature can adjust the look of the final image while you shoot. This automatic process works in the highlight and shadow areas, compensating for difficult lighting conditions and producing optimized exposures with rich, smooth detail.

Intuitive, simple operation within a compact body
The D60 is not just compact; its shape is ergonomically designed to fit in your hand naturally and comfortably. The body design is inherited from the highly regarded Nikon D40 series. The bright and clear viewfinder ensures precise composition, while the large, 2.5-in. LCD monitor displays an easy-to-use menu system with a wide viewing angle so that anyone can navigate the settings and view images with ease. The new Eye Sensor function turns off the LCD monitor when the viewfinder is used. When the user moves away from the viewfinder, the LCD monitor turns on again automatically.

Retouch Menu
The D60’s Retouch Menu offers many exclusive in-camera editing features to choose from. Use the Filter Effects option to intensify a color (Red/Green/Blue) of your choice, or try the Cross Screen feature to produce star-like lines radiating from brightly lit objects in the image. In-camera NEF (RAW) processing is also available. RAW format images are “developed” within the camera after shooting, allowing you to control specific aspects of your pictures, such as image quality, image size and white balance. With the new Stop-motion feature, a stop-motion animation (the consecutive playback of still images) can be created from a sequence of images (in JPEG format). Also included is a convenient Quick Retouch option, which enhances contrast and saturation, to improve images without using a computer. The D60’s extensive Retouch Menu increases the fun and creative freedom of using a digital SLR.

Nikon D60 Other Features

Click here for Nikongear.com's review of the D60

Nikon D60 Official Information

January 29, 2008, 06:29:40 AM by Dallas

The Nikon D60 official information released to the press.

So, what do you guys think? Personally I don't understand why they are bringing this out when there's a D40x aimed at the same market. Weird. And the model number? D60 was/is a Canon camera. I had one.

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Re: Nikon D60 Official Information

1: January 29, 2008, 06:50:25 AM by AFS

The D40x was reportedly taken out of production in December, Dallas. The D60 takes over its spot in the market, bringing new processing stuff and a few other features. It really should have had live view and/or a new sensor IMHO, but that might have jacked up the price. I expect the D85/D90 will feature that sort of thing, to bracket the Rebel 450D/XSi like the D40x and D80 did to the XTi, and the D80 and D200/300 did to the 30/40D.

Using model names over again isn't unusual.
Konica-Minolta 5D? Canon 5D?
Nikon coolpix S5, Fuji S5 Pro, Powershot S5 IS
D40, EOS-40D
EOS-D30 EOS-30D
and so on.

Re: Nikon D60 Official Information

2: January 29, 2008, 09:31:33 AM by NikosR

I suspect that people will flood internet forums questioning the wisdom of Nikon marketing this camera on the grounds of this or that feature missing vs. the Canon or Pentax competition and it being just a minor update of the D40X.

I suspect that they will be missing the point as I have the feeling that this camera's strength will be its jpeg engine which will impress all internet reviewers and make many a point-and-shooter (and not only) happy.

Re: Nikon D60 Official Information

3: January 29, 2008, 10:24:30 AM by Dallas

Nikos, you're probably right about the jpg processing, however, the thing that concerns me is that this comes so hard on the heels of a camera that is barely a year old!

Interesting to note that the mega-pixel race seems to have come to an end at this level of photography. I've been promised a day with the demo unit by the MD of Nikon SA, so I will endeavour to make as much use of it as possible and let you all know what I think.

I see that it only offers 100-1600 ISO on standard selections, with +1 EV. That will be my main item of interest.

Re: Nikon D60 Official Information

4: January 29, 2008, 01:11:38 PM by Diddlbiker

Quote from: Dallas on January 29, 2008, 10:24:30 AM

the thing that concerns me is that this comes so hard on the heels of a camera that is barely a year old!

The D40x always was an enigma to me, and the D60 still is. The D40 missing a focus drive is something I can understand from a cost perspective, and the perceived target market. The D40x/D60 is considerable more expensive and clearly not intended for the "Get me one of them newfangled DSLR" crowd given the price tag. Again, I can understand the lack of focus drive, but the unability to meter on AI lenses is simply stunning.
If it had that ability I would certainly consider getting one as a second body - slap a cheap 35/2 E-lens on it and you have a great pocket SLR. Not so right now Angry

I conceive the lack of liveview a huge problem for the D60. And this is why: not because I think it is a must-have feature for this camera; it absolutely is not. However, Nikon will replace the D40, and I expect on short term. The MP race might be over, but the camera is getting old and 6MP is simply not going to sell in "that market".

But, mind you, the crowd they're selling to (no disrespect to D40 owners here, I mean the 95% of D40 owners who will never look out for a site like this) are the people that are posting on dpreview "I can't find in the manual how to switch from viewfinder to LCD to compose a shot". These are the people that reallly, really want liveview.

And if the "step up" model doesn't have liveview, how is Nikon going to put live view in a cheaper camera? It would be the death sentence for the D60 and I doubt they're going to do that. I think that not including liveview in the camera is a tremendous lack of foresight - this is a feature that especially entry level SLR's will be having in the future - as their owners are used to using a camera that way in the first place!

It would be nice to think that Nikon has some kind of roadmap on the whole line of cameras they're putting on the market - this seems more like shooting from the hip to me.

Re: Nikon D60 Official Information

5: January 29, 2008, 01:30:33 PM by NikosR

I might be wrong, but I attribute the lack of Liveview to the use of a, presumably, Sony CCD sensor, presumably of similar breed if not identical to the one used in the D80/D40x and again, presumably, done for cost reasons.

Next Nikon camera with a CMOS sensor will certainly not lack Liveview which I not only agree is a must-have toy for the P&S upgraders but I find it very usefull too.

Lack of the AF motor I find absolutely irrelevant to the camera's main target group especially with Nikon actively refreshing its lens line. Having said that I have to admit that this lack has prevented me from buying a D40x (which I wanted as an alternative camera for its small size), but then I'm not the typical buyer Nikon is targeting with these cameras. If Nikon comes up soon enough with new AF-S primes I will be the first in line to buy a D60.

The success of the D60 will absolutely depend on its street pricing vs the new Canon 450D.

Re: Nikon D60 Official Information

6: January 29, 2008, 01:39:30 PM by Dallas

I think that they could have foregone the penta-mirror prism in favour of Live-view. The camera might have become more attractive to the P&S user.

Re: Nikon D60 Official Information

7: January 29, 2008, 03:08:21 PM by AFS

Some of the points I've seen made regarding LV on the D60 are that there is no evidence that the Sony 10.2mp CCD is even capable of live view output.

I am worried that consumers will find they don't understand how to properly use LV with a DSLR. Their sloppy technique and poor understanding of the goings on will in some cases (not all) negate many of the DSLR advantages other than pure image quality and switching lenses.

Re: Nikon D60 Official Information

8: February 02, 2008, 02:05:26 PM by dpowell

I was surprised that LV wasn't a feature of the D60 - it's become a "standard" feature for new DSLR's, and on paper, the D60 seems to lacking compared to it's competitors. When I've let people shoot with my D80 or D200 when I had them, it was amazing watching them hold it at arms length and asked how to turn the screen on! It's just how people expect them to work (when coming from a P&S experience) so when comparing the D60 with Sony/Canon options in the shop, I wonder how many would decide to skip the Nikon 'cause they can't frame the picture on the monitor?

Personally, the D60 looks like a great little camera to me, and once pricing in Australia is announced, I'll give some serious thought to getting one (probably from Hong Kong!).

One more thing, I wonder if the D60, like the D40, is a stopgap before the D60x, which you would think would have LV? Who knows.

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Nikon D60 Digital SLR Press Release by Nikon Corporation

Click here for Nikongear.com's review of the D60

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Nikon D60 Digital SLR

Press Release by Nikon Corporation