Nikon D60

The Nikon D60 is a compact DSLR from 2008. At 522 g and 126 x 94 x 64 mm it is a genuinely small interchangeable-lens body, and it slips into a modest bag without weighing you down.

Its combination of an optical viewfinder, the Nikon F DX mount and an APS-C sensor suits someone learning photography on a straightforward stills camera, or a Nikon shooter wanting a light second body.

Owning one today means working without video, live view and wireless transfer, and planning around a single card slot. In exchange you get a simple, stills-focused camera.

The 10.2 megapixel APS-C CCD sensor captures enough detail for everyday prints and web sharing, though heavy cropping eats into that resolution quickly. The Optics score of 43 is modest, and the camera sits in the bottom 12% of our database for optics.

Autofocus offers three points. The maximum burst rate of 3 fps suits portraits, landscapes and other unhurried subjects rather than fast action, and it should be read as a peak figure rather than a promise for every shooting situation.

Sensitivity runs from ISO 100 to 1600, which covers daylight and well-lit interiors but leaves little headroom once light drops. With no in-body stabilisation, camera shake is left to shutter speed, technique or a support.

The Nikon F DX mount accepts compatible lenses, and the optical pentamirror viewfinder gives a direct view of the scene while you frame. The 1/4000 top shutter speed can limit wide apertures in bright conditions, so a neutral density filter helps if you like shallow depth of field outdoors.

The D60 does not record video. It is a stills camera in the plainest sense, with no movie mode of any kind built into the body; moving images were simply left out of its design.

There is no built-in timelapse function either, and live view is absent, so the rear LCD cannot be used for framing. Every photograph is composed through the optical viewfinder, with the screen reserved for menus and reviewing shots.

None of this slows down a photographer working purely in stills, and the camera's simplicity is part of its appeal. Anyone who needs video clips, interval sequences or screen-based composition alongside their photographs, though, will want a different body.

Features are where the D60 shows its age, and its limited score of 17 reflects a short feature list: no live view, no touch input and no Bluetooth. The 2.5-inch LCD carries 230,000 dots, which is enough for menus and a quick check of composition but will not confirm fine focus with confidence.

With live view absent, composition always happens through the optical viewfinder. The screen is fixed, with no touch input, so settings change via the physical controls rather than by tapping the display.

Lighting is better served. A built-in flash handles quick indoor shots, and external flash support gives you a path to stronger, more controllable light as your kit grows.

No Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or GPS means images leave the camera via the memory card, and location tagging has to happen elsewhere. The body also lacks weather sealing, so keep it sheltered from rain and dust.

Storage and battery provision is limited as well, with a score of 27. A single slot takes SD, SDHC or MMC cards, but there is no second card for backup or overflow on a long shoot.

The EN-EL9 battery is rated at 500 shots per charge. Since real-world battery life varies with conditions and usage patterns, packing a charged spare remains sensible insurance for longer shooting trips.

There is no USB charging, so the battery cannot be topped up over a cable while you are out. Keeping a second charged EN-EL9 ready is the practical way to extend a shooting session.