D3000 Mini Review - The Purchase

Hi Readers/Photographers/Friends,
I was just going through CNet product video-review of Canon S90, before recommending to a friend, when I felt like checking D3000 review video(which I had seen many times earlier before
purchasing the cam). It is quite mediocre in terms of reviewer interest(may be thats what they call as professionalism i.e. doing things to the point that you loose interest and people look at you with high respect. Good if that's what you wanted:p). I thought of posting a short reader review in order to guide potential buyers like me, who could get an idea of the post purchase experience. Well I did post a review. As am going to write the review anyways, why not share it with my beloved reader here as well.....

1. Rate this product:

2. One-line summary:
Commendable Beginner's Nikon (Sturdy enough for my adventure trips)

3. Pros:

• Build quality(Sturdy and feels perfect in hand)
• 11 point AF system (cool to track moving objects)
• Ownership Feel/Brand Reputation(No worries for compatibility with 3rd party accessory/lenses)
• Nikkor 18-55 Kit lens (picture quality is good)
• VR (though it's built into the kit lens) allows shooting low light scenes without a tripod(as am new and don't carry a tripod most of the time:P)

4. Cons:

• Lack of dedicated buttons to alter settings on the fly(i.e. without getting into menu! psst..it's usually found in high-end DSLRs)
• No exposure bracketing(haven't used it yet)
• Nikkor lenses/accessories are expensive(compared to Canon)
• Live view (personally I never felt the need)
• Camera's picture saving time is slow(when 'Active D-lighting' is ON, so in order to have a faster response switch this feature off, when not required!)

Bottom-line summary:

Hi,
Am Sidharth, 25yrs old, a software engineer by profession. I love taking photographs and have mostly used point and shoot. I decided to go for my first SLR in december 2009 and after a lot of research/hands on, I zeroed in, on the D3000. I had 2 options(out of the recommended brands):
a) Canon 1000D(a yr old model but feature rich)
b) Nikon D3000, latest offering, but with less frills
My requirements which lead me to Nikon's this model are as follows:
1. I do long motorcycle rides(http://iluvriding.blogspot.com), and these are the times I would be capturing the places, experiences,etc.. so my cam needs to be reliable and sturdy, so that I can carry it without much fuss/extra attention
2. I wanted to carry it all the time, so the one I feel most comfortable(out of the 2), would be my choice, and it was D3000, the weight, size and sturdiness got me hooked.
3. During my early stint with photography , I have read many books and knew enough concepts/theory that most professionals should be aware of, so all I needed was a reliable(dependable) device with manual mode. Frills(live view, video,etc) doesn't impress me much anyways, at least not at the cost of build quality.
4. I liked the brand Nikon, since I was a kid
5. I had read in a site the advantage of having a Nikon(or Canon) is on special situations an accessory can be rented(i.e no compatibility issues), in any corner of the world

The End

Hope you found it useful, and my experience will support you in making a decision for your first DSLR. Last but not the least, O'ways (read it with li'l British accent) remember:

"It's never the paint brush, but the artist who creates a masterpiece!"
- Sid:)