Best Camera - Beginner Photographer?
I have no clue about camera types, or anything of the sort. But I am wanting to become a photographer. I know that I'll eventually have to learn through schooling or self taught. But I need a camera now to at least get some pictures out there, lol.
I found something at Walmart.com that I think would be alright. I'm not shooting pictures for a professional anything. I really just want to build up my portfolio first. So, I don't need anything fancy, but I DO need something better than a Kodak Easy Share, lol.
So here's the link, since there's too much to post here, lol.
Thanks in advanced to all who post helpful things. 
http://www.walmart.com/Nikon-D40-Digital-SLR-Camera-18-55mm-Lens/ip/5607412
Nikon D60 is a great camera, and don't let anyone tell you it's only for beginners. The images that the D60 produces easily rival that of more expensive cameras. When you spend less money on the D60, you are sacrificing a few bells & whistles but not necessarily image quality.
It has all the manual settings you'd expect in an SLR and a very easy-to-navigate (and nice-looking) menu system. The LCD screen is big and bright, and the viewfinder is great as well.
What it's missing (at least when compared to higher end models) and why you don't necessarily need those things:
- No auto-focus on non-AF-S/AF-I lenses. Unless you already have a bunch of old Nikon lenses, this shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure any lens you buy in the future is an AF-S or AF-I.
- No Live View. This is only just becoming standard on higher end cameras and on the ones I have tried I have found it very "clunky" anyway. "Live View" is a hallmark of compact point & shoot cameras, and I think that's where it belongs... at least for now. SLRs are just made for shooting with the viewfinder. It just feels better on a camera like this. If you *need* Live View, look at the Sony SLRs. They seem to implement that feature best.
- Only 3 auto focus points. The D80 has 11, the Canon XSi has 9, blah, blah, blah. Three is enough for most people... heck, one is enough for most people. Yes, having more is nice, but honestly if you are a beginner and don't understand what the benefit of more AF points might even be, you don't need them.
- No exposure bracketing. A helpful feature for making HDR images, but even then it is not necessary.
Those are the biggies. I have my own little nit picks, like:
- No dedicated buttons for ISO or white balance (you can program the Fn button to do it, but it's nice to have a seperate button).
- RAW+JPEG setting only allows you to record a "basic" quality JPEG.
- The ViewNX software supplied with the camera sucks for processing RAW images. If you are going to shoot RAW, get something better like Nikon's CaptureNX, Adobe Camera Raw for Photoshop or Lightroom, or something similar. If those aren't in your budget, RAW Therapee is a great open source RAW processing application. It's light years better than ViewNX in this regard, and it is 100% free of charge!
Now for the major perks:
- The D60 inherits features like Active D-Lighting and Expeed processing from the (much more expensive) D3 and D300 pro SLRs, which the D40 and D40x do not have. Look those things up to see what the benefits are. D-Lighting is subtle, but effective.
- The new kit lens with VR (vibration reduction, Nikon's term for image stabilization) which allows for sharp pictures in lower light conditions when using slower shutter speeds. The D40/D40x have a non-VR version of the same lens. In my opinion, this is the best "kit" lens when compared to what the competition is currently offering (in terms of overall image quality).
- Auto focus assist lamp. Trust me, it's a simple little thing but you'll love having it.
- FAST auto focus (even with those three piddly AF points =)
- Big, bright LCD and viewfinder.
- Superb build quality. Feels much more "pro" in your hand than it's plastic-y competitors.
- Great high ISO performance. Perfectly usable shots at ISO 1600. ISO 3200 is worse, but you could still use it in a pinch and get decent results and small prints. I've printed a couple 8x10s from ISO 1600 shots that look fantastic.
- Which brings me to the most important feature: stellar image quality. Go find sample images online and see for yourself. Forget those chart & graph test shots. Look for real-world samples of real people/things -- that's where you'll really be able to see the D60 shine!
I love my D60. I have been shooting with it every day since I bought it a month ago and have no regrets. It truly is a great camera to learn on for the SLR beginner, but is just as good for those of us with a little experience who are on a budget and don't see the above "cons" as deal breakers. Just buy the thing and go make some beautiful photos
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