I went back and forth between this camera and the Nikon D5000. For me, I couldn't justify the price for the video and on screen display (neither of which I ever used on my old Olympus Digital camera). This camera was very easy to use right out of the box. The manual is informative and easy to use. I only used the camera for about a week before going on an Alaskan cruise. I took close to 1200 pictures with the 4mb card and the pictures are stunning. I mostly used the 55-200 AF-S DX zoom lens and was able to photograph eagles, seal and moose at a long distance with this camera. Even though only 10MP (compared to 12 with the D5000), I was able to zoom in on the moose, seal and eagles after downloading to my Imac with great clarity. Price wise, I feel I got a great deal with this camera with the extra lens and carrying case. I think after taking a few digital photography classes, I will be quite adept at using all the features and taking stupendous photos. Nikon D3000 10MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G & 55-200 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lenses
I already half-wish I invested in the D5000 but this is a really good first purchase & the lenses will come with me on future camera purchases. I have a lot to learn as it's been years since I've used anything beyond a snapshot camera, but outside photos are stunning & full of color. Inside photos I need work, although close up have been beautiful so far. Once I pull out my high school photography notes & merge them with DSLR technology, I should be all set. Note, I have not yet watched the helpful DVDs included in the purchase but hope to do so soon. I'm very happy with all aspects of this purchase.
This is the Best 1st time SLR camera I could have gone with. Ease of use is great. Camera takes great professional like pictures. I looked at many others before going with the D3000. The price and ease of use alone were the greatest factors in my decision since this was to be my first SLR. Was a little conerned about only being 10MP that is not a factor in this camera. Would recommend this to anyone.
I debated quite a while before buying the Nikon D3000. The $599 price 'pushed' me into making the decision. While I am still clearly learning how to operate all the various features on the camera - I am very pleased with all aspects so far. I find it takes very sharp photos and is pretty easy to operate. I also like the operation and results of the 55-200 VR telephoto lens that came with this package.
This is my first digital SLR camera - but, not my first digital camera nor SLR camera.
I would recommend this camera and lenses to friends.
I have been using a Nikon D40 for a few years, but recently my workplace acquired a D3000, so I've had a chance to use it and compare this new entry-level DSLR with my more ancient, dinosaurish model. I have to admit that I actually prefer the D40.
Looking around the net on the differences between the D3000 and the D40, I found many comments that the D40 had a much faster flash sync than most other entry-level DSLRs. This is what I am finding. The D3000's flash had real trouble illuminating subjects about 10 yards away in a shaded area on a sunny afternoon, and I felt the D40 flash would have handled these situations without problems. I also felt it took longer for the built-in flash to recharge, although I didn't measure the time.
So a lot of my pictures in the shade were quite a bit darker than was pleasant to look at. I was able to correct in large part by lightening mid-tones on the computer, sometimes by as much as 60%, but that's not ideal. With my D40, corrections are usually in the direction of somewhat darkening midtones, by 10-20% -- which if you need to make corrections at all, seems like a more flexible and favorable situation.
The D3000 also seems to respond less quickly in general than the D40. For example, I was taking pictures at a recent official event that featured children, and was trying to get some good action shots of them running around, playing and smiling, etc. I found the D3000 just wasn't able to get the pictures I feel I would have been able to shoot with the D40. By the time the auto-focus fixed on a moving child, they often already past, so I only got the back of their heads. This was not my experience with the D40, with which I shot up a storm at a celebration featuring lots of kids from a local orphanage.
I'm not sure if the final issue applies to all D3000s or just to our unit, but the pictures also seemed very dark on the built-in screen. I even deleted a few otherwise good shots because they looked pretty underexposed. But when I got the images on the computer, they looked much better than I expected and turned out to be salvageable by manipulating the midtones. So the viewing panel on the back also has some issues, showing the photo to be quite a bit darker than it really is.
The more complex autofocus mechanism is better than the 3-zone AF on the D40, but I also felt this might be one of the reasons for slower response on action shots.
The D3000 may be the wave of the future, but I think I'll stick with the past for the time being, and maybe eventually upgrade to something like the D90 later. - Photography - Nikon D3000 - Nikon Dslr - D3000'
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