Pros: Versatile, solid build, take super clear photos, easy to use.
Cons: Little heavy for snapshot uses, no manual light meter
The Bottom Line: I would buy the Nikon N60 again because it has been far superior to anything else I've owned. The photos are clean and colorful every time.
jenningspaige's Full Review: Nikon N60 Film Camera
It has been over a year since I bought my Nikon N60 and I'm liking it better and better as I go. I used to use an all manual Pentax K1000 camera. The Pentax took great people pictures, but it was taking too long to set up the shots I wanted, and it never did well with a flash. I researched cameras until I found the Nikon N60, but it still wasn't exactly what I was looking for, so I was only about 90% satisfied at the time.
To this day I want a camera that can be either totally automatic (light and focus) or totally manual. The N60 came the closest with it's automatic or manual focus. But the lighting is pretty much automatic. You can adjust the F stops on it and change the exposure, but it doesn't have a light meter to show you how much you're changing the exposure from what it should be. Since I'm not a professional, I am not good enough with lighting to understand how to do it blindly. My old Pentax had a needle that showed where the exposure should be, and then you could stop up or down and see exactly how much. Unfortunately, you can't buy a 35mm SLR camera that has a manual light meter anymore.
After I decided on the Nikon over the other cameras, I was disappointed with the portraits I took. The problem was that the camera and Nikkor lens was TOO clear for portraits. My satisfaction dropped from 90% down to about 65%. Everyone looked bad in my photos because every pimple, pock mark, blotch, red patch, or rough skin showed up in the photos. The scenery photos looked great, but I mostly use my camera as a portrait camera. I wanted to get rid of it and get the Pentax back, despite it's problems.
About a month ago I went to a camera store and talked to a guy there about it, and he said to try a good soft focus filter for portraits and see how they turned out. I sprung for a $150 Nikon soft focus filter and put it on, and that solved every problem. I found out that the Pentax took good portraits because it was a low quality camera and lens, so the pictures weren't ever clear. But the Nikon with the soft focus filter takes clear, smooth, even photos. The people in my new photos look amazingly beautiful, but not fake or blurry at all.
I now love my Nikon, and my satisfaction is up to about 95%. I use it for snapshots, portraits, landscapes, micro shots, black and white, weddings -- you name it. It is so versatile, it can be used in any situation. The flash is conveniently built into the top and releases up with the push of a button. I haven't had hardly any red eye shots with that flash, so it's doing something right on its own.
It has several modes to use. I usually keep it on automatic, but sometimes I switch it to action or landscape, although I'm not sure what difference that makes.
I would recommend this camera for someone familiar with cameras who wants to get better, learn more, and experiment. The camera is easy enough for a beginner, but a beginner wouldn't be able to make use of it to its full ability. I would also recommend it over other brand cameras like the Canon rebel or the Pentax 50 because the quality is far superior. Nikon also has a much larger selection of lenses and other professional equipment, most of which can be used with the N60. Also, your Nikon will probably outlive you if you don't beat it up. The camera and lens is very durable, because I have dropped mine several times onto hard ground and nothing has happened yet. Other cameras would have been ruined the first time. So you can relax, use it however you like, and have fun looking at your pictures!
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