Nikon D60 or D80?

Originally Posted by Duster_360

I was disappointed in Nikon when I started having trouble with the battery door on my 990 (cost almost a grand when I bought it). The little housing the batt door finger went into broke off and after repairing it (CA) a few times, it was no good. They basically told me it was time for a new camera, they wouldn't help.

After many, many years as a Nikon owner, I bought a Canon. Been very happy with it too.

if I spent a grand on a camera and I was told I need a new one due to the battery door I would have made something work even if it ment using a strip of duct tape...did you buy it at a camera store? or was it online

[VintageMA]

The D300 if you can afford it with a nice DX VR lens.

Assuming you are here in the states make sure that no matter what you get you get it with the US warranty and not the grey market products with international warranties - it's not worth the 50 dollars of savings.

This is one of my favorite sites for digital camera reviews:

www.dpreview.com

Also for purchases: www.adorama.com or www.bhphotovideo.com They are two huge stores out of NYC that have been around forever.

Originally Posted by azjc

if I spent a grand on a camera and I was told I need a new one due to the battery door I would have made something work even if it ment using a strip of duct tape...did you buy it at a camera store? or was it online

Seems they had 2 design probs with that one - uses 4 AAs and they made it such that there was a lot of pressure on the door I guess to insure good contact. The other was the placement of the shutter is such that any rubber band wrap or any other kind to secure batt door will run over the shutter and prevent its operation (keeps it tripped).

Made an external batt pack and hard wired it into camera body and velcroed the pac to the other side of the camera. Worked, but balance and grip was odd, made it harder to use and it looked like heck. Just needed a new body. Very poor design, Had the same thing happen to my wife's Nikon too, another batt door prob. The location of the shutter was moved on the her Nikon and its is still working with three hvy rubber bands across the batt compartment. Fell out of favor to a pink Kodak however.....

Canon's design uses a purpose built batt and a little internal catch to hold it, there is no pressure on the door and the catch the way its used has little pressure either. My last camera store camera was a Nikon FE SLR, everything since has been online from a store in NY.