Canon D60- a loser?

[Outdoorsman]

I was considering buying one of these and all the reviews say that the exposure control is poor and the AF is extremely unreliable. Others say it's not so bad as it seems. Anyone have some advice on this so I don't buy something I don't want? Thanks!

[EOSThree]

I am considering a D60 for a backup to my 10D. I have heard the same things you have, and I am certainly willing to take the chance on it. The image quality I have seen from this camera is very good to excellent. I know reading the forums that a lot of people are still using their D60s, and are very happy with them. It also depends on what kind of photography you do, if you are into sports and actions photography, the D60 probably isn't the best choice, but for landscapes and portraiture it's probably great.

[paulnj]

A friend of mine(bird photog..go figure) got one when they first came out and made 1000's of SALABLE images with it ;) He did complain about focus tracking of fast move or low lit subjects, but prefocusing does help in ALL cases with ANY camera.

He moved up to a 20D when it came out and now shoots both MKII bodies with his 600IS ;)

Personally I wouldn't pay more than $400 for one, but you be the judge of it. A used 300D(original D-rebel ) can be found for $400 I am sure!!

[Lionheart]

I was considering buying one of these and all the reviews say that the exposure control is poor and the AF is extremely unreliable. Others say it's not so bad as it seems. Anyone have some advice on this so I don't buy something I don't want? Thanks!

It is slow to focus in lowlight, but it's not that bad. It's about the same as a D30, but with twice the resolution. Contrast is still a problem, but better than the original D30, and the color is extremely vibrant. I still keep the D60 at home as it (and the D30) have been replaced at the practice by 10D's, and the 1D Mk II in the studio, and I use it as my DSLR whenever the 1D-II isn't available for me to use from the office. Drawbacks are limited ISO settings, noisy at ISO 400 and above (Noise Ninja is a must if you want to shoot high ISO with this camera), 3 fps (maybe), poor AF performance in lowlight, only three AF points. We didn't use the D60 much in the office since we added the 10D relatively soon after, and with the huge difference in AF performance (not that the 10D is gold medal sprinter, it has its limitations for speedy AF in lowlight), nobody wanted to use the D60. I wouldn't pay more than 300-350 dollars though. It's definitely dated, and repairs could potentially cost more than a new entry level DSLR.

[Asylum Steve]

I don't think you can catagorize the entirety of a camera model as a loser, especially when it was a big seller from a major manufacturer.

The problem with the D-60 is that it is old, and it has become simply a step in the evolutution of Canon's line of DSLRs, which has now become pretty remarkable.

So, you have to consider some things. One, the early releases of any given camera model almost all had bugs, be it focus or exposure or sensor or whatever. And the accompanying grumblings of those who had to deal with these initial issues sometimes tainted the perception of an entire line, even if the vast majority of users were ultimately satisfied with the product.

When the D-60 first came out, people had been griping about issues with the D-30, and so the newer model was generally considered an improvement over that. And in turn the D-60 has been far surpassed by newer model DSLRs. It's all relative...

The major upside of the D-60 is its price, but of course, that's the tradeoff. As someone whom most always shoots manual exposure and focus, if money were the sole issue, I'd certainly consider the D-60 as a dependable backup or maybe even a main camera in a pinch.

If you have a bit more to spend, you're probably better off with a used 10D...

[another view]

DSLR's are still changing a lot when a new model is released, although it seems as though the major changes are slowing down a little bit. The D30 was their first so there were big changes with the D60, and more still with the 10D. I don't know all the specifics, but it was a whole new type of product and that's how things like that tend to go (especially high-tech stuff).

I'm sure great images have been taken by D60's and any other technically obselete DSLR. Whether or not it's a good fit for you is another story. It's no worse of a piece of equipment as the day it was released, but newer DSLR's have gotten so much better in many ways. They'll continue to improve, too.

[Outdoorsman]

Great responses everyone, thank you very much!
I'm thinking that between what I've read elsewhere and what you've all said, the D60 isn't quite the right fit for me. It would be my first DSLR anyway, so I'd rather step into something a little more "with it". Like choosing between the original Elan or my newer Elan 7N. Of course I'd pick the 7N, but the original Elan will of course still make a great image despite its age. I found lots of great images on the web shot with a D60, which is why I decided to look into it as a possible solution to my "need to go digital on the cheap" problem. But for the price, I think something like a DRebel or 10D will be the better choices.
Thanks again, you guys rock!

[iJoe]

true story,

i was in a local camera shop here in the nati and they had a canon D30! used for about 550 they also had a 10D for 699. hmmmmm. which one did i buy?

point is, why not just buy another 10D to back up your 10D i've seen them on ebay for under 600 bucks. with batteries and sometimes the vertical grip.

[Outdoorsman]

true story,

i was in a local camera shop here in the nati and they had a canon D30! used for about 550 they also had a 10D for 699. hmmmmm. which one did i buy?

point is, why not just buy another 10D to back up your 10D i've seen them on ebay for under 600 bucks. with batteries and sometimes the vertical grip.

Hmm... I don't own a 10D. If I bought one, it would become my primary camera and my Elan 7N would become the backup. And the 650 next in line, followed by the Ricoh p&s 35mm and then the ancient manual Vivitar 35mm SLR. I see D30's for less than $500 all the time, but I've heard they're not much improved upon by the D60. And half the resolution...