So many camera makers have had so many attempts at producing the perfect digital SLR for beginners that you've got to wonder if Nikon can really add anything new with the D3000. Its specs are pretty conservative, featuring a basic, 10.2-megapixel CCD sensor with no movie mode or live view. But then the D3000 isn't too pricey, at around £430, and that's including Nikon's very decent 18-55mm VR kit lens.
Incremental improvements
It's all about quality rather than quantity. The D3000 doesn't do anything that its rivals don't, and, fundamentally, appears little different to the D60 and the D40x that went before it. But the argument will be that you're paying for proven functionality and steady improvements, not cutting-edge technology.
One of the improvements is a new 11-point autofocus system, which is certainly a step-up from the basic, 3-point AF of the old D60, although it's not necessarily any more beginner-friendly. Also new is the interface, which makes a fresh stab at trying to display the effects of lens aperture and shutter speed (the D60's attempt was rather confusing). Nikon's especially proud of the new 'guide' mode, which prompts you to choose the type of picture you're trying to take, and then sets up the camera for you so that you can see what to do.
If you don't want to bother with any of that just yet, you can leave everything to the D3000's automatic scene-recognition system. Indeed, the results are so good so often that many beginners might not bother going any further.
The picture quality is first-rate, although we saw some overexposure on our test shot (oddly the D300S that we reviewed at the same time did the same thing). Much of the credit for this quality has to go to Nikon's 18-55mm VR kit lens, which is much sharper at the edges of the frame than most of its rivals. It's good at its maximum zoom setting, too.
Those who've upgraded from a compact may have to look hard to see any significant improvement in detail at low ISOs (it's mostly in subtle textures), but the improvement at high ISOs is huge. The D3000 is better at ISO 1,600 than most compacts are at ISO 400.
You can have some fun with the built-in retouching functions too, especially Nikon's new 'miniature' effect, which can make city streets look like pieces from a Hornby train set.
Too user-friendly?
The D3000 might seem like the best of all possible worlds for a beginner -- an inexpensive dSLR that's easy to use, leading you through the technicalities, before offering all the manual controls and overrides you could want later on.
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JamieCampbell 23 April 2011
Comment: First things first - build quality is excellent, no squeaks, rattles, loose parts etc, so that's a real plus! (Not many things these days come that are of such a high quality!) Assembly wise, all you have to do is fit the lens and the carrying strap. Both are extremely easy to do, and only take a matter of minutes, if the quick setup guide is followed. The battery charges relatively quickly (around 2 hours, so about the same for most compacts I've had in the past).
The pictures that this camera takes are also of similar quality. One of the first things I noticed was that when using the flash, the pictures don't appear washed out, as they do on some cameras. The flash, by the way, pops up from the top of the camera when required.
This camera is extremely easy to use straight out of the box, as the automatic mode would do everything that the basic camera user would want. In fact, unless your a professional, I can't see why some of the features would even be required, when the automatic mode is so good. However, it's good to see they've catered for both markets.
The lens which comes as standard with the camera isn't a very powerful zoom, but I'm sure better lenses can be bought for this job if required. Out of the box, I estimated that the zoom power would be equivalent to the basic compact, however the beauty of this camera (and most SLR's) is that nearly any sort of lens you would ever need can be fitted.
Another thing I was very impressed with was how quickly you can take multiple shots. The specifications state that up to 3 frames per second can be snapped; and it's true! This cuts out the annoying waits for the camera to reload, especially if you're trying to capture something that's about to disappear!
The picture quality is further enhanced by the VR lens and dust particle cleaner. VR lenses (Vibration Reduction) are designed so that in dim light conditions, the picture quality is still sharp. The camera also prevents dust from ruining your pictures by vibrating at exactly the same frequency so that the dust falls off! Clever!
Overall, very good camera, well built, and is suited to virtually any type of photographer. I highly recommend it!
Hugh Morley 23 July 2010
Good: Excellent image quality, good sturdy build, guide mode is useful
Bad: No live view
Comment: Moved up to a D3000 from a Panasonic FZ-28 Lumix bridge camera, and I was not disappointed. The lack of live view is hard to compensate for if, like me, you're used to snapping photos from the LCD rather than the viewfinder, but the crystal clear image offered through the finder on this SLR is more than enough to convince even the most ardent point-and-clicker to take more time in setting up a shot.
A good investment if you want to get to grips with photographic techniques, and it's not pricey at all these days.
AddyWaddy 29 March 2010
Good: Small, light, fits all AFS nikon lens, fast enough 3fps, artistic grain effect in monochrome B/W, Battery life
Bad: LCD a bit grainy compared to D90/D300, highest ISO 1600 (3200) with boost good but not great!
Comment: I've had several Nikon digital SLR's over the years and I have to say I love the D3000. It's so small and compact and let’s me get those great shots without having a 4lb weight on my shoulder (Nikon D300 + Lens). It takes really excellent pictures with great colours and sharpness and with a 10.2 mp censor means you can blow up your shots to a decent size too (I would recommend the AFS 35mm f1.8 fixed lens… sharp sharp sharp). I use a Nikon D300 as my main camera which is fantastic, but since I got this I can’t put it down, it really puts the fun back into SLR photography for me, I know some will say it’s not got Live View or a movie mode but I can live without these as they seem somewhat tagged on at the moment on the D5000 and D90. I'm not saying that the D5000 and D90 aren't better all round cameras it’s just so much fun to chuck the D3000 in your bag and start shooting! Great.
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