D-Train Loc: Bend, Oregon

Hi guys,
I have posted this question in other places and have not yet been able to find anyone that can answer it.

If you look at the specs of the D5100 and compare them to the D60, the D5100 is seemingly a MUCH better camera! It does video, it has 16.2MP compared to 10MP, it has an articulating screen, etc. So why, when you compare the cost of the 2 cameras, is the D60 $450 more expensive? It doesn't make any sense!

The D5100 with just an 18-55mm kit lens is $599
http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-16-2MP-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6/dp/B004V4IWKG/

The D60 with the exact same lens is $1049
http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-10-2MP-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6G/dp/B0012OGF6Q

Can anyone please explain this madness?

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

The D60 is OLD no one would pay that price for it

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond60/

Oh, except a newby to photography who does little research

This is THE most expensive one I can find

http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Nikon-D60-with-18-105mm-VR-lens_79690.html

It doesn't have to "make sense" offer a 6p biro on ebay for £100 and one day some fool will buy it

doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

JR1 is spot on. Please don't buy a D60--all you will be is unhappy and out the money.

craggycrossers Loc: Robin Hood Country, UK

Unfortunately the consumer-buying public has its fair share of "suckers". In addition to the professional suppliers the market place also has it's fair share of "shady dealers" who try to take advantage of "the suckers" !

Nowhere is this more evident than on the world wide web. The practice is widespread on eBay, and even Amazon don't seem to "police" the practice as strongly as they might.

This is a good lesson for you when price comparing. Always have a couple of known and reputable sites where you can get a good idea of the current retail market prices of the item you are looking at.

In the UK for cameras, for example, we have this site, which is updated continually. It's just about all they do ! Here's your D5100 :-

http://www.camerapricebuster.com/Nikon/Nikon-Digital-SLRs/Nikon-D5100-Lens-Kit-18-55mm-VR

And this is another excellent such site :-

http://www.pricerunner.co.uk/pli/29-2711229/Digital-Cameras/Nikon-D5100-18-55mm-VR-Compare-Prices

If you look towards the bottom of the Amazon.com description of the D60 you will see "6 new from $879" and "67 used from $199.95". I think that in itself tells you to be wary of having to pay $1049.99 ! Below that you'll see that "there is also a newer version of this camera, the D3100, at $446.95". A "newer version" at nearly 2.5 times less money ...... warning bells about the D60 !

Moral ? Know what product you are looking for. Know where to go to find the correct current retail price range. Then you will be sure to quickly discard the prices and suppliers about which you have posed your question.

I see from your self-intro that you are already the owner of the D5100. Happy for you ! And hope that your question has now been answered !

Caveat Emptor ...... Buyer Beware !

D-Train Loc: Bend, Oregon

I didn't want anyone to think that I was considering buying a D60. I have the D5100 as you pointed out, but I have an acquaintance that has the D60, which I knew nothing about, so I started comparing her camera to mine. That's when I started scratching my head when I compared the specs then compared the prices. It doesn't make any sense!

So yeah, I'm glad I've got the D5100, I just thought I must be missing something when I looked at the D60 specs. I guess it's like you said, there's a sucker born every day, so caveat emptor indeed!

I myself tend to do a LOT of research before I make any purchasing decisions. I also read the reviews on dpreview and Amazon before deciding which items to buy.

So I'm gathering by the responses here that there is no reason for the D60 to be more expensive than the D5100, and that's what I figured. I bought my D5100 body used for only $325 and it looked and worked like brand new! Yeah I got a sweet deal! :-D

Looking at the first website you posted, it seems the best price for just a D5100 body is 275 British Pounds, which comes to $445. So my "like new" body for $325 (about 200 British Pounds) was a great deal!

doduce Loc: Holly Springs NC

Good for you. Better and cheaper is always gooder. :)

cthahn

Write down all the specifications side by side. Fully understand what the specifications mean. What is Nikon 10-2MP. Learn some thing yourself instead of some one else doing all the work for you..

cthahn

Write down all the specifications side by side. Fully understand what the specifications mean. What is Nikon 10-2MP. Learn some thing yourself instead of some one else doing all the work for you..

craggycrossers Loc: Robin Hood Country, UK

Go back up the page to D-Train's last post. Read it, re-read it, then read it once more for good measure. Then work out for yourself just why your comment here is absolutely worthless !

phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York

The D60 with the exact same lens is $1049
http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-10-2MP-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6G/dp/B0012OGF6Q

Can anyone please explain this madness?[/quote]

No one is their right (or left) mind would pay that for a D60 and 18-105. It would be more like $500 for the combo, new. The D60 is many generations old.

jjadeco25 Loc: Alma, AR

Hi D-Train,
I am a Nikon gal, I have had the D70 which was a better camera than the D60, which I use for a second camera by my assistant at weddings, recitals, sports events, etc; I recently had a D5100 which I had an accident with because of a defective camera backpack. Since then, my hubby and friends bought me the D5200, which is about $150 more than the D5100, but well worth the price. It does the same things as the D5100, but is better built and has more bells and whistles on it. Even though it came with a kit lens 18-55mm, fortunately my 3 other lenses did not suffer any damage in the crash. It only took me about an hour to figure out the D5200. I highly recommend it!

:thumbup: :thumbup:

donnahde Loc: Newark, DE

If that's true then it's DEFINITELY time to put my D60 on the market! (-: I have the D5100 and love it so much I haven't picked up my D60 since. I thought I'd use both with different lenses but the controls are so different that I end up deleting images by mistake! As soon as I did that a few times I put my D60 to bed.

donnahde Loc: Newark, DE

< I bought my D5100 body used for only $325 and it looked and worked like brand new! Yeah I got a sweet deal! :-D >>

Yea, you sure did get a sweet deal! Was that on eBay? I'd love to get a second body because my first really needs cleaning but I can't afford to be without it for a few weeks.

craggycrossers Loc: Robin Hood Country, UK

For those watching this thread who still think that D-Train, or the friend, is in the market for a new camera ....... look at his self-intro, made only 4 days ago, and you will see this :-

"Recently upgraded my Nikon D40 to a D5100, kept my kit lenses and have added 2 new lenses since."

BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

D-Train,
I'm going to give you a website that you should save and refer to from here on. It's a website from a company named DxO Labs, a company that scientifically measures the effectiveness of cameras and lenses. Great site! However, you need to keep it in perspective---this company is not the be-all, end-all authority in making judgments about cameras and lenses. But, it DOES give you a reference point to use in addition to other reviewers and bloggers. The link here is for DxO's camera sensor ratings. The drop-down box you see will show the overall scoring for 232 cameras. Since the sensor is vitally important to the quality of your pictures, it's worth a look to see how the cameras we've all come to know and love stack up against each other. In your case, out of the 232 cameras, your Nikon D5100 comes in 32nd place, while your friend's Canon 60D comes in 97th place. Even the brand new Canon 70D comes in only a few places ahead of the 60D, 83rd place to be exact! Anyway, you should also take a look at the three areas of the camera's characteristics that were measured to produce the overall score---portrait (color depth), landscape (dynamic range), and sports (low-light ISO). When your curiosity has been satisfied with the cameras, then move on to look at the measurements/scoring for lenses. Hope you enjoy the site!

http://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Camera-Sensor-Ratings