Nikon D3000 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) from Nikon in Camcorders & Digital Cameras

The overall performance of the camera - taking into consideration its user-friendliness, features and image quality - was good. In no way is its image quality Read full review

Pros: Small, lightweight yet sturdy construction, reliable results and responsive in operation, intuitive to use with or without Intelligent Guide deployed
 
Cons: No Live View option, no movies of any description, no built-in anti-shake
 
With digital SLRs well within the realm of mass-market affordability, what’s to stop every family from owning one? Financial penury aside, a perceived uphill learning curve perhaps, and that’s where Nikon’s latest 10-megapixel entry-level model, the D3000, updating the D60, comes in. <br /> <br />Chief among its selling points is an Intelligent Guide mode, selected via the top plate dial, that "talks" the user – via brief explanatory text – through which settings are best selected for a range of common shooting requirements. Within the Guide mode there’s a choice of easy or advanced operation. Think of it as a kind of on-board "DSLR photography for dummies", which might have been more newsworthy if Sony hadn’t recently attempted similar with its Alpha A380 DLSR. <br /> <br />In addition there’s a further information button found bottom left of the camera’s back plate. Press this and users are presented with an overview of adjustable settings, pop-up thumbnails illustrating the kind of image you might be attempting in making your selections. <br /> <br />This isn’t to suggest that the degree of hand-holding offered by the D3000 may annoy more seasoned picture takers. There’s still plenty of creative control on offer – not only via the… Read full review

Pros: User friendly; Feature-rich; Great ISO performancel; Sturdy build; Excellent value
 
Cons: Guide mode needs improvement; No Live View; No decent video features; No ISO button; Sluggish image preview
 
The Nikon D3000 represents Nikon's attempt to put a DLSR into the hands of people who would normally feel out of their depth with that kind of high-end camera.
 
While there are lots of great digital SLRs out there, nobody has quite worked out how to make them really easy for novices.
 
Even confident and creative compact-camera users tend to blanch when you pass them a DSLR; there's something about that foreboding black body and plethora of buttons and dials that puts people off.
 
So Nikon deserves a big round of applause for the D3000, which is the most beginner-friendly SLR we've ever seen. This £500, 10.2MP DSLR is a direct challenge to the well-received Canon EOS 1000D, as well as entry level rivals such as the Sony Alpha A330, the Olympus E-450 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1.… Read full review