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| Click photo for more views of the Nikon D60 DSLR. |
Nikon has introduced a new consumer digital SLR in advance of the 2008 PMA trade show in Las Vegas, NV. The 10.2-megapixel D60 is an improved version of Nikon's D40x camera. It retains the same body; viewfinder; battery, and 230,000-dot, 2.5-inch LCD with a wide 170-degree viewing angle. However, the D60 LCD and viewfinder have been upgraded with a sensor system that automatically rotates the LCD's status display when the camera is turned and switches it off when the camera is brought up to the photographer's eye. The D60 also has a new system for keeping dust off the sensor. It vibrates the low-pass filter that covers the CCD, in a similar manner to the system in the higher-end D300 SLR, and has an airflow control system that keeps more dust from getting near the sensor in the first place. The D60 uses the same image processing engine as the D40x, but Nikon has dubbed it “Expeed” in the new camera.
Among the notable functions that the D60 shares with the D40x are a 3fps drive mode, eight Digital-Vari Program scene modes, 3D Color Matrix Metering II, three-area autofocus, and support for Nikon's wireless flash control system. New features in the D60 include more powerful in-camera RAW-to-JPEG conversion that allows the photographer to adjust numerous image parameters before saving the file; Nikon's Active D-lighting feature, which opens up dark shadows while preserving highlight detail as a shot is taken; and a focus indicator that can be displayed in the viewfinder instead of the exposure meter to aid manual focus. The D60 also outdoes the D40x by capturing stop-motion movies, with selectable frame rates and sizes. Movies can be previewed on the LCD and adjusted before being saved as an AVI video file. Other additions include a digital cross filter for adding star effects to specular highlights, an RGB intensifier that lets the photographer increase the saturation of each color channel separately, and redeye correction.
The D60 will be available in February 2008 in a kit with the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G lens for $749.95.
Nikon has also announced several new lenses for its DSLR line and a raft of additions to the Coolpix line of digital compact cameras.
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