Newbie! Need help

Please don't make fun of me. 😋 I have a NikonD60 - I realize it's an old camera but I'd like to buy a nice lens for it and start taking pictures again and have NO IDEA where to start! Please help
 

WayneF

Senior Member
Please don't make fun of me.  I have a NikonD60 - I realize it's an old camera but I'd like to buy a nice lens for it and start taking pictures again and have NO IDEA where to start! Please help

The Nikon kit lens that typically shipped with the D60 was the Nikon 18-55mm lens. This lens is quite inexpensive, less than $100 new.

Amazon.com : Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras : Camera Lenses : Camera & Photo

There is a newer VR version of it now. VR is a feature which helps to prevent blur due to camera shake when handholding slow shutter speeds. Which can come up fairly often with a f/3.5-5.6 lens.

The D60 has no focus motor in the body, which means it needs an AF-S lens to be able to do auto focus.

There are better quality lenses, but this 18-55mm is a useful zoom range. The 18mm will be a useful wide angle, like for indoors, and the 55 is a mild telephoto, almost 2x. The trend today would be more like 18-105mm or 18-200mm.
 
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Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
Wayne makes a good point. If you are going to start with just one lens, the 18-55 would be a versatile starter lens.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
What types of photography do you like best? If you are into landscapes, the 18-55mm is a good place to start. If you are into wildlife, a telephoto zoom might better fit your needs. In general, eventually you might want to cover the range from 18mm to 300mm by considering a combination of either zooms or primes (possibly zooms if you are on a budget). If you are into portraits, no wider than 35mm works well for group shots--especially indoors. If you are looking to do individual portraits, 50mm is good on a DX body.
 

Mike150

Senior Member
Don't worry about the D60. I've had mine for almost 7 years now. I use the kit 18-55 lens most of the time for general shots. Sometimes I put the 50mm prime on when the subject isn't going to change much. If I want to do something requiring a longer lens (2 or 3 times a year), I usually rent a Telephoto zoom like the 70-300. Just make sure that any potential lens you look at has the AF-S designation. That means there is a focus motor inside the lens and it will work with the D60.
 
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