The D60 is Nikon's new 10-megapixel entry-level digital SLR.

It takes over from the D40x and, outwardly, it's very similar.

Under the skin, though, there are some significant improvements.

Fun new features from Nikon

For a start, the D60 gets a new dust-removal system, in line with most other digital SLRs on the market. It also has an eye-sensor just below the viewfinder eyepiece, which switches off the LCD when you put it to your eye.

The other news is the arrival of a new VR (Vibration Reduction) version of the 18-55mm kit lens, which we've used for our review.

Otherwise, there's not a lot to report. The body design is 'inherited' from the D40 series and is very small - perhaps too small. The lack of height in the body means your grip isn't as secure as it is with a larger camera, and the buttons on the back do feel a bit cramped.

For beginners

The D60 is designed for novices and for those who want to develop their photographic skills. For beginners, the interface is both clear and attractive, but for more experienced users it may prove irritating. First, you need to press an 'info' button to make the screen display interactive, and then use the navigational controller to highlight the option you want to change.

Once this is selected, you then use the navigational buttons again to scroll up and down a list of options. It's all very clearly laid out, but it's not quick.

It does seem a bit of a waste of the camera's Command dial. Couldn't this be used for changing the options in these menus? It would certainly save some time and mean less of this tedious button pressing.

LCD screen improvements

There's no secondary LCD on the D60, so the main screen on the rear is used for changing all the settings and status information. This was a bit of a nuisance on the D40 and D40x because the LCD stayed illuminated when you put the camera to your eye, only going out when you half-pressed the shutter release.

Nikon has fixed this now by placing a sensor below the viewfinder eyepiece so that the display disappears the moment you put the camera to your eye. The information display rotates when you turn the camera to take vertical shots, too, which is a nice touch.