Nikon D60 (with 18-55mm VR Lens)

“Despite modest improvements in performance and a couple of new features, Nikon's D60 fails to impress and costs more than some competing models.”

“No matter how you look at it, the Nikon D60 stands up well against the competition, with great image quality at all speeds, and near-perfect utility as a family camera. Its very fun to use (your kids will have a blast with its stop-action animation feature), polite, attractive, and well-built; just the kind of companion you want to have along on your next family outing.”

“But let's not forget what the D60 has to offer; it's still one of the most affordable cameras in its class and it represents the perfect 'upgrade' camera for anyone who has outgrown their digital compact camera and is looking to dip a first toe in the world of the digital SLR. Its output is consistently good (the JPEGs are excellent and its raw files have lots of dynamic range headroom), it's a pleasure to use and, handles well and weighs very little.”