Nikon released the D60 digital SLR camera in 2008 and targeted it at the entry-level photography market. The D60 is a huge step up from a digital point-and-shoot camera but doesn't perform at the level of Nikon's high-end (and most expensive) DSLRs. Still, learning to use the D60 can be a bit daunting for a newcomer to a digital SLR. Fortunately, Nikon has abundant resources to get you started.
Basic DSLR Terms
With the D60, you'll be pressed into adjusting settings that most point-and-shoot cameras don't have. Understanding the balance between shutter speed and aperture value is key to getting stunning, well-balanced shots, and the D60 has both aperture and shutter preferred shooting modes (marked as "A" and "S" on the mode selection dial) in addition to the full manual mode. The shutter speed is how long the camera's shutter opens for when you press the shutter button, which controls how much light is let in and how action is treated. Fast shutter speeds freeze motion and let in less light than slow shutter speeds. The aperture is like your camera's eye, opening wide to allow more light or narrowing to reduce light. Nikon has a thorough explanation of these terms and others on its excellent "Digital SLR Camera Basics" page.
Digitutor
Nikon seems to understand the difficulty of learning to use a new DSLR camera and has created the "Digitutor" website to step you through setting up the D60, taking pictures and editing photos. The site is divided into three short video lessons that are slightly reminiscent of self-help videos from the 1990s, but ultimately the tutorial is really helpful for first-timers. It shows you attach your lens, turn the camera on and gives some specific tips on framing and taking shots.
The User Manual
All of Nikon's digital SLR cameras come with an instruction booklet called "The Nikon Guide to Digital Photography," a 200+ page manual specific to your camera. While it's not essential to plough through the entire booklet to understand use your D60, it's a good idea to focus on a few of the basics from the "Getting to Know your Camera" section. The D60 has buttons you won't be familiar with if you're coming from a point-and-shoot camera such as the focus selector dial beside the lens, a lens release button, a flash-control button and -- perhaps most importantly -- a main control dial just beneath on the back of the camera. You use this dial to modify your photo settings like shutter speed, aperture value and ISO value in combination with other buttons. The manual has everything you'll need to know about your camera, really, so keep it around (or bookmarked, if you're using the online version) as you get more adventurous.
Experiment
After you've eaten up the help files and digested a bit of the manual, the best way to get to learn to use your D60 is to use it. Start in "Auto" mode and take a few shots and then review the shots and press up and down on the control pad to see the settings for the photo, which are all recorded by the camera. Check the ISO value, shutter speed and aperture settings of the shots you like and then rotate the mode selection dial to "M" for manual and try to recreate the settings yourself. You'll begin to understand what constitutes a good photo in terms of light levels and composition and with time you'll instinctively know the settings you should use for different scenarios.
Tags: shutter speed, shutter speed aperture, speed aperture, your camera, aperture value