Nikon D60 hitting in February for $800?

We had all the vitals last night except for the price. Lucky for us, the D60 showed up today over at Henry's with a pricetag of $800, not bad at all for this low-end DSLR. Nikon still hasn't said anything officially beyond "pricing information will be available approximately 30 days prior to sales availability," and we haven't seen the camera, which arrives in February, available for pre-order elsewhere, but $800 seems like as good a guess as any.

[Thanks, Devon]

[Pete @ Jan 29th 2008 8:52PM]

dpreview.com is reporting $749 retail. prob $650-700 street

[Pete @ Jan 29th 2008 8:52PM]

dpreview.com is reporting $749 retail. prob $650-700 street

[Pete @ Jan 29th 2008 8:53PM]

fucking comments system!!!

[nerdtalker @ Jan 30th 2008 12:06AM]

I don't know what's worse, the fact that you've double posted, or the fact that you've been forgiven entirely because everybody who has ever used the commenting system can empathize.

(Especially with the lack of editing...)

As for the camera, the only thing I really dislike about the entry level Nikons is the lack of an autofocus motor inside for autofocus compatibility with some of the legacy Nikon lenses (some of which are widely considered superior to the current lineup):

Fully compatible with AF-S and AF-I NIKKOR lenses that are equipped with an autofocus motor(Autofocus supported) (Also compatible with most F-mount NIKKOR lenses when using manual focus mode)

[Johnathon Zirkle @ Jan 30th 2008 12:41AM]

It never seems to act up on me unless I'm trying to get into a contest...but someone really really REALLY should look into fixing it...

[Charles @ Jan 29th 2008 8:58PM]

Is $800 the price for the body or the price for the body and the lense????

[Draconix @ Jan 29th 2008 9:05PM]

Lens probably not included... rarely is... But most pro's have a whole stock of lenses that they choose from... so adding another 35-80 to the collection is mostly seen as a neucance...

[wickedpheonix @ Jan 29th 2008 9:16PM]

@Draconix

I'm pretty sure the lens is included - the low-end DSLR model that most manufacturers offer is not geared to professionals because it does not offer the performance that pros need - in fact, the D60 doesn't include an internal AF motor so it will not be totally compatible with the vast majority of lenses that pros would have. Instead, it is geared to the consumer looking to upgrade from a point-and-shoot, who would not have any SLR lenses, and thus would not buy a camera that is not usable out of the box (a camera is completely worthless without a lens, in point-and-shoots the lens is integrated into the body (non-seperable) whereas the lens is interchangeable on a DSLR). Therefore, a kit lens is included.

[Chris @ Jan 29th 2008 8:59PM]

I'm not a big camera person, but when did $800 become "low end"?

[Draconix @ Jan 29th 2008 9:05PM]

Low end DSLR... lol...

[matt @ Jan 29th 2008 9:03PM]

Am I missing something? Isn't that a lot of money for a camera that's supposed to slot below D80 in their product line? You can get d80's for only 100$ more. Is there anything that the D60 does that D80 doesn't, or vice versa? Because this looks like the d80 spec sheet to me, save the nicer D80 viewfinder and and the D80 LCD top display.

Also, aside from being slightly smaller, what about D60 is better than D40x? Because this looks exactly like the 40x spec sheet.

Just curious.

[wickedpheonix @ Jan 29th 2008 9:07PM]

kit lens is now a VR lens (vibration reduction, removes blurriness on non-tripod photos, similar to steadycam type whatnots) and there is an anti-dust system so that you don't have to clean your lenses as often (clearer photos, fewer dust artifacts). That's about it.

[wickedpheonix @ Jan 29th 2008 9:04PM]

Daaaamn I sure hope not. Considering the fact that this is really supposed to replace the D40 AND the D40x, it should really be priced below the $600 mark. Else, this is really a step backwards as the prices of point-and-shoots fall and DSLR makers attempt to get more people to upgrade to DSLRs.

Essentially, you would drop the price of the D40 to about $400, the D40x to about $500, and the D60 would be $600 to move out old stock. Once all the stock has moved out, the D60 goes down to where the D40 is now, at $500-$550 depending on retailer. Cause what is the D60? - just a refresh really, by the looks of it, all that's really different is the anti-dust tech and the VR kit lens, and considering the fact that technology becomes cheaper all the time this should cost the same as the D40.

If they really couldn't bring the price down they should have made this a D60x and have released a D60 with a ~6MP CMOS, like with the D40 and the D40x, to keep the prices low.

Still waiting for D90 though, the D80 still blows the D40/D60 out of the water with live preview, increased AF points, and internal AF motor, which is more than worth the cost of the upgrade if you even think you're going to buy more lenses in the future. D90 would have the anti-dust tech at the very least, but I'm not sure what else you would put in before it starts to impede D300 territory.

[RyanTV @ Jan 29th 2008 9:54PM]

I agree with you on the price point - $700-800 is a bit much. they are missing the mark that the D40 filled...

At that price, a D80 would be a better choice, but it does not have live view as you stated. for that you'd need to get the D300 which is considerably more expensive.

[Taylor @ Jan 29th 2008 9:32PM]

At that price, I'd much prefer the Canon XSi.

[Ben @ Jan 29th 2008 10:23PM]

100% agree - just sucks we have to wait until April.

[Kris S. @ Jan 29th 2008 9:49PM]

I still much prefer the Pentax K200D.

[Joe Lee @ Jan 29th 2008 10:51PM]

Y'all ignorant. If you would just click on the link to Henry's, you would see that the price was $800 CANADIAN! And includes a 18-55 VR Lens!!! And the anti-dust system shakes the sensor not the lens. I pity y'all fools...

[benshead @ Jan 29th 2008 10:52PM]

And what is $799 CAD in USD?
$793 according to Google today!

[Chris @ Jan 29th 2008 11:18PM]

Come on. Don't call people ignorant if you can't even get your own facts straight.

What does '18-55 VR Lens!!!' mean to you?

[Alan Friesen @ Jan 30th 2008 12:49AM]

benshead: despite the current similarity between CAD$ and USD$, MSRP is often higher here in Canada than the US. This is true for electronics, books, and (up until late last year) video games.

I'll put in my 2c and say that there's absolutely no way this camera is worth $800, USD or CAD. There's zero reason to get this over a D40x, and no reason at all to get a D40, D40x, or D60 over my D50 considering my prime lens collection.

[RyanTV @ Jan 30th 2008 1:11AM]

A prime lens collection isn't anything to brag about anymore. With the technology we have today, more versatile zoom lenses match and sometimes even outperform prime lenses.

[Joe_Templeman @ Jan 30th 2008 8:17AM]

Im sorry, but a prime lens can still out perform zoom lenses, and are usually cheaper too.

I'd like to see you get a F/1.8 zoom lens for less than £100!

[Ian @ Jan 29th 2008 11:42PM]

If they charge more than $700, it's a ripoff. A fair price should be $650 or so, but I guess Nikon feel that they can get away with a $700 price tag.

It should definitely come with the kit lens, and priced well below the D80, which isn't much more than the price listed at Henrys.

[bebop @ Jan 30th 2008 1:34AM]

$800 is overpriced, because the D60 is not a stunning new model but just a refresh of the D40x. The kit should sell for the same price as a D40x kit + a small premium for the new VR lens.

[ion @ Jan 30th 2008 7:12AM]

one of the most important new features the D60 has over D40/D40x/D80 is the processor (EXPEED), which is the same as in the proffesional D300 and D3.
This is the most important upgrade. To sum up you get the 10 Mpx sensor of D80 and the image processor of D3 and D300.

[wickedpheonix @ Jan 30th 2008 7:53AM]

All I know is that the D40 already gave some pretty damn nice photos. What matters more is, in this order, 1) the skill of the photographer and 2) the lens he uses to approach the shoot. Doesn't matter if you have the best image sensor in the world if you try to take a photo of a speaker when you're standing 100 yards away in a crowd with an 18-55.

[wickedpheonix @ Jan 30th 2008 7:55AM]

@RyanTV

Alright, Nikon needs to put live view in the D90 then =)

[wickedpheonix @ Jan 30th 2008 7:55AM]

awww crap commenting system... meant to reply to myself in my post above >:(

[med1320 @ Jan 30th 2008 8:57AM]

I wonder if they'll sale the battery grip for this camera?

[DannyV2 @ Jan 30th 2008 9:43AM]

The street prices are terrific on the D40/D40X, so the D60 will have a disadvantage as "new tech" (and less mark down). Even now the D40X isn't worth the extra money (the 40 series sensor works better @6MP) - better to go up to the 80 with 11-pt AF, more lens options, etc. (as another poster pointed out). Otherwise in the sub $500 market, the D40 (6MP model) is an outstanding camera for the price point (and Nikon kit lenses are really good too).

The D80 body is ~$790 on average, the D40 can be had for $490-ish with the 18-55mm (non-VR). Normalize these prices by putting the 18/55mm with the 80 and you're looking at around $350-370 price difference. Enough for a nice flash and a 55-200mm VR. Even if the D60 is $700 with a 18/55, that puts it less than $200 to add the same lens and get the 80.

I bet Nikon gets rid of the 80 soon so they have a new street price on the high-lowend replacement - get the D90 on the street for $850-900 (+ lens cost), then the market might support the D60 @ $670-690.

[EDub2169 @ Jan 30th 2008 9:50AM]

Will this totally phase out the D40(X) to become their new entry-level DSLR or just another option for an entry level DSLR?

[Lilly @ Jan 31st 2008 4:30AM]

Paul... I found you, haha
D60, hmm... will there be a D90 as well?
Looking forward to it.