i might be able to get a Nikon D60

[GoNz0]

as the title says, a friends selling his D60, anyone used one, reviews, good or bad etc ?

it would be my 1st DSLR so i would like to know if its worth buying.

and whats a 2nd hand one worth

[blueball]

Bought one for my daughter last year. Quality is excellent and makes a better job of getting the exposure right than my Nikon D80. IIRC I paid about £300 for it new (body only). A quick look on Amazon shows that they are selling second hand for about that now!

It is an excellent beginners camera (from beginning with SLRs I mean) but as with all tools it will take time to master and understand to get the best out of it.

[jadamso]

It's a fine camera. Not as recommended as the Canon EOS 1000D but at the end of the day Nikon is a good brand. Like with everything else it depends on what you want to do with it in which case buying a good lens will be the next thing.

[this_is_gav]

You may be able to get a D80 for very little more, which is in a different league, but that would be without a lens (though a 2nd hand 18-55mm would be about 30p now).

I've got a D40x (essentially exactly the same as the D60) as a 2nd body, and they're quite 'toy-like' compared to the D70/D80/D90. Fine if you just want to play with something a step up from a compact or a bridge camera, but if you think you're likely to upgrade it in the future, just do that upgrade now.

To be fair, I think I'd prefer the D70 over the D60 too, despite it being relatively old now. It's not like the D60 is at all useful when you have to boost the ISO in low light (frankly they're horrible with an ISO of even 800).

The only thing to be aware of with the D40/D40x/D60/D3000 and I think D5000 is that they won't autofocus with lenses without the motor built in. For Nikon you'll want a AFS lenses, Sigma HSM and Tokina and Tamron have their own names (which escape me). You can still use other lenses, but you'd have to manually focus. To be honest, the only lens this commonly rules out is the fantastic value 'nifty fifty' 50mm f1.8. For other ranges I've never had to change a lens choice due to it not having the built in focus motor.

[kalniel]

as the title says, a friends selling his D60, anyone used one, reviews, good or bad etc ?

it would be my 1st DSLR so i would like to know if its worth buying.

and whats a 2nd hand one worth

Excellent 1st DLSR, caveat about using older nikkon lenses as noted above, but it's not an issue now there are lenses like the excellent 35/1.8 around.

I vastly preferred it to the canon entry level cameras, even if at the pixel level the picture quality wasn't quiet as good - the usability of the camera was much higher.

Second hand value will be determined by included lens. You used to be able to get them new with the improved 18-55 VR lens for around £350, so the same kit in good condition second hand is probably around £250, but I've not kept an eye on the market so that could be way off.

[Saracen]

A lot depends on what you're looking for. For me, the larger bodied cameras (D80, etc, canon EOS 20D, 30D etc) feel much more comfortable and solid. I wouldn pt go for the entry level ones, even second hand. But they might suit you.

Bear in mind that with an SLR, you're buying into the brand. You're going to be looking for other lenses, flash etc, because if you're not, there's probably no point in going for an SLR. Typically, people end up with the major investment being in these extra items. Once you've bought half a dozen lenses, you're locked in to that brand, short of an expensive selling off of everything and starting again. Upgrading the camera body is, by comparison, the cheap bit.

So get the brand choice right.

I'd want to have a good play with the Nikon to determine how it felt to me, and with Canon and other options too. I'd advise you to think about what you'll buy next, and what you want to do with the camera. If it's low-light stuff, what lenses? If it's wildlife, what telephoto? If it's macro, what lens and/or flash? What's available, and what does it cost?

And to put all that in the context of your budget restrictions.

Oh, and my opinion is that generally, buying add-on bits (lenses, etc) for Nikon is more expensive than the Canon equivalent. Usually not hugely so (maybe 10-15%), and it's not always true, but in general it applies. Some will argue that Nikon are better, but I'd say it's a very fine distinction. I'd suggest it's simply because Canon, as a company, are a LOT bigger.

In any event, be careful about rushing into this simply because the chance is there, and it's easy. I'm not saying don't do it, just to think it through and research it first.