Nikon D60

Performance
When I do a direct image quality comparison with the Nikon D40X, images on the D60 seem slightly less sharp. The D40X gave results that were a bit punchier when it comes to colors and sharpness levels. As good as that may be for casual shutterbugs, experienced users would prefer results that are a bit more accurate. I had to set the D60's sharpness level a bit higher to get the same level as the D40X. Not a big issue at all.

The colors were all perfectly reproduced without any needless extra saturation. Sure, you can set the colors to a more vivid mode to get happier pictures, but the natural color reproduction was brilliant.

I especially enjoyed the way the camera accurately captured the mood lighting of the locations I was in and gave me just the kind of results I wanted. Its reproduction of reds, yellows and oranges were spot-on.

As I mentioned earlier, in landscape shots I did find some of the finer details missing at full resolution. I could have used the 'sharpen' tool, but I can't do anything about tiny details that weren't captured to begin with. But considering that the full resolution is 10.2 megapixels, chances are you'll rarely use that size for any practical purposes.

Even at higher ISO sensitivity levels the D60 performed surprisingly well. I can easily use images shot in ISO 1600 for smaller prints, and even use images shot in ISO 3200 for web photos. This was one of the biggest plus points for me.

The camera shoots at 3fps, which is faster than the 2.5fps of the D40X. Considering that the D60 supports SDHC cards, the data writing speed is impeccable. Even the interface was super-fast, with absolutely no slowdown for any function. I could zoom in and out of an open image as I pleased, in super speed, without experiencing any lag.