In nikon-digest v04.n297/7 Eric Edelman wrote:
>
>I went through this with my fiancee a couple of months ago. She wanted to
>take pictures
I also went through this a couple months ago with my wife. I got her the
N60 with the (consumer-grade) 28-80 and 80-200 lenses. Here's my (our)
reasoning:
First, some background. My wife is a software engineer working for a
well-known international consulting company, specifically in the
disciplines of risk management and Y2K compliance. She's been using
computers for almost 20 years, and was an early adopter of Windows (and
GUIs [aka Graphical User Interface) since the git-go even before
Macintosh). She is extremely talented at taking on and learning new
software and hardware; in fact _She_ is the one who always has to teach
_Me_ how to use new VCRs and TVs!
She was using a very good Olympus point-and-shoot with (I think) a 38-105
zoom. She took some very nice pictures with it over the years. But she
wanted (first of all) a longer focal length at that end, but still wanted
conveniences of built-in flash and full auto exposure and focus.
So we looked at some current-generation Olympus point-and-shoots, and then
some other brands, including Nikon. All very nice, but she didn't get
"grabbed" by any of them. (We were in a mall-located Ritz Camera store, and
probably wouldn't have bought anything there, but it was a convenient place
to browse.) So I suggested she look at the Nikon SLRs, including the N50,
N60, and N70.
She dismissed the N50 quickly, both because it seemed to "old" for her
(more description later), and because she said "It's a Nikon for dummies."
She looked at the N70 next, and her first comment was "If I want Windows
for Nikons, I'll buy it from Bill Gates. I want a _simple_ interface!"
(More later.)
So we looked at the N60. "What a cute camera," she said. I told her it was
the newest Nikon on the market (the F100 hadn't shipped yet). She asked me
how old the N50 and N70 were, and were they outdated. I told her they both
came out in 1994, and although Nikon usually comes out with new pro models
every 8-10 years, the consumer cameras often last only 3-4 years. For
example, the 8008 came out in 1988; the 8008s, it's replacement, in 1991;
and the N70, the 8008s replacement, in 1994. She said, "Then why do I want
a camera that should already have been discontinued?" I told her it was
probably selling so well that Nikon wanted to keep it in production. But
then I remembered that used 8008s' go for premium prices on the used
market, and are still much-loved by pro photographers. So I kind of had to
rescind that statement.
She said, "Well, let's get the newest one. They'll probably dump the N50
and N70 soon, and I don't want to have and old camera. It's easy to set,
has all the features I want, the viewfinder is simple and uncluttered, and
you have dials to set instead of menu options. Besides _It's CUTE!" (Those
of you with wives, serious girlfriends or significant (female) others know
the last part ("cute") is VERY important <grin>.)
She doesn't care about things like exposure compensation, front-or-rear
flash sync, manual exposure, auto focus speed ("It's more than adequate for
me"), but _strongly_ liked that it (like other Nikons, of course) will take
virtually all Nikkors ever made (more later), and the built-in flash. (I
know these features are also included in the N50 and N70 as well, but...
<grin>)
(Please! No flames about the N50 or N70 being great cameras and that we
simply missed the boat on their programming structure -- if they work for
you, fine, go for it. I long ago dropped out of the PC/Windows versus
Macintosh wars because they're pointless, and interface wars over cameras
are equally ridiculous.)
There's wasn't any one thing that turned her against either the N50 and N70
-- she just didn't like the "feel" or "look" of either of them. Coupled
with the menu interface which she didn't like, and felt it outmoded because
the N60 was clearly the "wave of the future Nikon" (since Nikons after the
N70 all share the new paradigm, and not the old), and the fact the N50 and
N70 - statistically anyway - are scheduled for retirement, she just didn't
want them. And, oh yes, they were not "cute" like the N60! <grin>
The reason she liked the fact that Nikons take almost all Nikkors ever made
was simple. "When we go on trips, you can carry all the heavy lenses for
your cameras, and I'll be able to use whatever I want out of your bag. I
don't schlep!" <g> (I had noted that some camera brands don't have
consistent abilities to use all lenses with both their earliest and latest
models, but Nikon does, with but a few exceptions.)
The bottom line is, she's happy with the camera, I'm happy with the camera,
and that she is happy, and the intangibles far out-weighed capabilities,
either real or perceived, of the N50 or N70. The camera works very well;
I've even used an old (AI-non-AF) 105mm on it (no exposure metering, of
course), the flash is consistent, the focusing certainly more than
adequate, and the ease-of-use is superb. And remember (excuse me if I same
facetious here) that for many women, simplicity and ease of use are far
superior to all the features in the world. In fact, many women think most
men want complex machinery mostly for "show" and not because we really
intend using it productively. (Most men, says my wife, would always leave
their VCRs flashing !2:00 forever if it wasn't for the woman setting it
straight.)
A postscript: My wife sort of returned the favor: A couple weeks ago, she
got me a new F100, and says, "See, we both have the latest Nikons."
Sort of a long-winded answer to your question, but if you fiancee is
anything like my wife, I think all these are important thought.
--John Albino
<snip>
>Anyhow, she's become much more critical of her photos since she started
>shooting B&W film, so now she wants the SLR.
>I'm thinking about getting her the N60 with either a 50mm or a 35mm lens,
>whichever perspective she prefers.
>Any comments on the N60 would be appreciated. For what I've seen her taking
>pictures of, AF speed and a faster motordrive wouldn't be much of a help
--
John Albino
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
