Major bang for the buck, for a just-above-entry-level DSLR

Why did I buy this camera? I wanted a Nikon DSLR body to mount to my telescope; this is the first SLR I've used since I put down my old Nikkormat 10 years ago and went point-and-shoot digital. SLR photography has, er, changed since then! But much remains the same, and Nikon has done a good job of not "dumbing down" the craft with this camera. If you're a long-lapsed 35mm SLR buff like me, this camera will prove out that much of what you know/remember still applies. I purchased this model based on comparison of features of various Nikon DSLRs found on wikipedia, and weighing features / cost. Had no idea the DSLR world was so feature-rich; this camera is no exception. But the features are not just gimmicks, and they don't get in the way of the user just having fun and getting creative with the camera. Only downside/dislike, which I did NOT know about before purchasing, is that the previous generation of Nikkor lenses, which have a manual aperture ring, CANNOT be auto-focused with this camera. And the current generation of lenses, which CAN be auto-focused, have no aperture ring. (Example is the included 18-55mm lens.) So it's a compromise either way, which may stick in the craw of some old-school SLR purists. Still, those older lenses work. Shoot, the lenses from my old Nikkormat kit from the '70s work with this camera, since it allows full manual operation. Still, the camera is easy to use, fast, great optical quality with the included 18-55mm lens and with the 55-300 I bought since. Operating the controls, zoom, manual/auto focus, etc. becomes natural fairly quickly. You can easily switch from fully automatic mode to full manual ops, with several "semi-automatic" (aperture-priority, etc.) modes in between, to suit your immediate needs. Afraid I can't compare this to competing products, as this is my first and only DSLR. Recommended accessories: - Some kind of protective case, your choice of style/format - 52mm UV filter, mostly to physically protect the front element of the lens if nothing else (if you drop the lens, would you rather break a $20 filter or a $200 lens?) - HIGH capacity and FAST SD memory card - at 24MP, each pic file can get BIG, esp. if you use RAW mode - Extra battery, so you can charge one while shooting with the otherRead full review