D3000 Digital SLR Camera body only

I received my camera 2 days after purchasing. Well packaged and easy to open.After charging my battery for an hour and a half, I was able to start pretty much straight away, bar a couple of standard camera settings to change. I have yet to fiddle around with the settings more, but so far am very pleased with this camera. A few reviews I have read complain about dark pictures, but I do not have this issue. Only thing I was slightly disappointed about was the zoom, which isn't the camera's or the manufacturer's fault. Before buying this camera I had no clue as to how strong an 18-55mm lens was, and despite being slightly disappointed, I now know the strength and have given in and purchased a 55-200mm lens to compliment it further. Not that the landscape or zoom photos I have taken are bad in any way. One thing I am very pleased with is the close up setting. I have taken some beautiful photos of plants in my garden, some insects and my jewellery. Some pictures don't turn out and are a bit fuzzy, but I took several at once in succession and got some lovely photos of every subject I photographed. I have also taken some wonderful photos of my Jack Russell, who isn't exactly the most calm and still animal, both close up and from further away. The photos look ok on the camera, but you can really see a difference when you view them on a HD laptop and they turn out stunning. Obviously, not being a knowledgeable SLR photographer and having only just started out in the world of SLRs, I cannot compare the camera or lens to any others, but I am very pleased with the product. One thing, however, that I don't like is not being able to view a photo in the viewfinder before taking a photo. I don't know if this is because you can't or because I haven't worked out how to set it that way yet. I will need to read through the guide more thoroughly, but for the moment I'm not sure you can. If you can, it would probably have been nicer to make it easier to set it that way, but this might be down to a fault of my own or misreading an instruction. I will have to investigate it further.I plan on taking this camera to my upcoming scientific field trip to Java and Borneo, and with the complimentary 55-200mm lens I have recently bought (but not yet received as I only bought it today)I hope to take some wonderful photos.

Having owned several point-and-shoot cameras since 2003, I wanted to take it to the next level and I found this camera ensured a smooth transition.Guide mode is a good starting point, it begins by asking you about the shoot type you want to do and then sets the camera and gives you tips for making it. Another cool feature is that every menu has explanatory pictures so they are very intuitive.After some time playing with the Guide mode, I moved into the more advanced P, S, A modes which are common to all DSLRs and again, the transition was smooth.Missing points? Maybe live-view for some compromised shots.Overall the D3000 is a great camera, takes fantastic pictures and it's excellent value for money.

I am using a Nikon D3000, and currently very happy with the camera so far (I have had it about 8 months now).The CCD sensor for the camera is of a good size and pixel count of just under 11 million. It can take SD and SDHC card and I have not had any problems using two card. This can also shoot in RAW as well which is a handy format to shoot in, if you like to use RAW that is. Overall weight of the device is impressive and is fairly light for a robust body, with an 18-55 lens on the body it's a good weight and the weight feels more central that most cameras I have used.Unlike a lot of view finders this one (apart from information such as batt life and focusing points) is non-digital and you can view though this and see what you want to shoot unlike digital ones in which you must have the camera turned on in order to do this. I would say that you view about 90 percent of the picture you want to take though the view finder.The back display screen is of a good size and rotates it's self automatically if you hold the camera portrait or landscape. It's a very clear screen which you can adjust the brightness on. The screen is not touch screen.It's also fairly cheap and even cheaper if you get the body and 18-55 lens kit bundle, you could call it an entry level camera but it does the job, and has a vast range of functions and options and you can fully customize this as much or as little as you like. I have found the auto and guide functions rather good as well, when I am feeling lazy and not wanting to mess around with fine tuning my camera to the environment I want to shoot in.I have used the Nikon D3000 for a wide range of photography from landscapes, race tracks and speedways, equine disciplines, model work to name a few and the camera performed very well indeed. I have also used this camera in wet stormy conditions to dry hot sunny weather, and again the camera didn't put a foot wrong.One thing that this camera doesn't do is shoot video, so if you want a camera that does both this isn't for you.Well hope that helps