Nikon D60: Dead Shutter

The camera, my Nikon D60, which was my first in the world of DSLR photography took a turn for the worst.  At the very end of a portfolio building headshot session, it went out like a light.  It was very strange because the shutter sounded like it was struggling for a few shots, kinda like I was shooting at a really slow shutter speed; say 1 full second.  But I was at a shutter speed of 1/80th of a second.  Then I pressed the shutter one last time and the whole thing froze up and I got an error message on my screen.

I went online to see if anyone else experienced thins locking up of sorts and it was a pretty common problem.  I followed some instructions to oil up the gears that allow the shutter mechanism to operate smoothly, but there was nothing I could do for it.  So at some point I need to get it repaired.  Yet, I'm grateful.  I learned a very valuable lesson that day that I'm glad I didn't learn in front of a paying client.  You MUST have a backup camera in the event that something like this happens.

So soon I'll be getting the D60 repaired and it will be my backup camera.  In the meantime this seemed to be the perfect time to upgrade to a non-entry level camera. I was so excited when I got this box in the mail I could barely contain myself.  More bells and whistles and gadgets, but I knew it would take me at least 2 weeks to get used to the thing.  Learning to adjust the Aperture and ISO on this thing took some time.  Dare I say I had to read the manual to figure out how to manually select a single autofocus point.  Who know that switch was also a button.  One thing I also know for sure is that a better camera does not make a better photographer.  Actually, a better lens does more to make better images than a "better camera".  A better camera just lets you do some things faster. Well a better camera does let you capture sharper, higher shutter speed images in low light with less noise.  It might let you take images at faster shutter speeds too.  But it won't necessarily let you take more interesting photos.

I am truly thankful for  my little D60.  It has taken me from a novice who took snapshots of my firstborn to competent professional, who still has a ton to learn.