Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Nikon D60 digital SLR beats the D40

In yesterday's discussion of the Nikon D80, I mentioned the new smaller D60, which was announced on Monday, and should replace the D40 in a few months. Here's the info:

The new D60 has the same size, weight and ergonomics as the D40 and features the same scene modes, image optimizer menu and battery life. It's rated at 10 megapixels (compared to 6.1 for the D40), offers a 3 fps burst mode to 100 JPEG images, a 2.5-inch LCD screen and will include a new AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens.

Improvements include additions to the camera’s retouch menu such as an RGB intensifier, the ability to adjust image contrast after capture, and in-camera RAW to JPEG conversion. Also new is the option of adding photos to the LCD display as wallpaper.

New to the D60 is a stop-motion movie mode, which allows users to sequence 100 images together in the camera which is then exported as an AVI movie file. Consumers choose the first and last image in the sequence and the camera automatically processes the remaining 98.

The D60 will also incorporate a new dust reduction system which uses a vibrating low pass filter to dislodge dust from the image sensor and a new venting system that removes dust from the camera’s mirror box. It will also offer an orientation sensor in the camera which properly orients the menu items on the LCD when the camera is held vertically or horizontally.

Like Nikon’s higher-level D300, the D60 features an active D-Lighting mode for improving exposures during capture. Pricing was not announced although a Nikon spokesman said it would be “in the range” of the D40, which was launched at $599. (info from TWICE)

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