Need advice on my D60

[Ariana Murphy]

Hello, all,
I bought my D60 on Ebay in October, my first "real" DSLR, and I'm still learning how to use it. (Thanks, DPS!) I shoot mostly birds, and almost always use my Tamron AF 70-300 mm tele-macro lens, but I have problems getting nice clear shots because the AF doesn't work. There's no stud. I just get the little green light in the corner, and it's way too slow. I get lots of pictures of empty branches. The pictures I do get look great on my computer, but printing at 5X7 or bigger shows most of them not quite clear. I also have a AF-S Nikkor 18-55 mm (AF does work) and a AF Nikkor 28-80.

Here are my questions:

Would an upgrade to a better and longer lens help? If so, what lens? Something that would actually auto focus, so I don't have to rely on my eyesight alone. Or should I just tough it out on the learning curve and let practice make the difference? I am really getting into shooting birds, including in flight, and would like to see significant improvement in the quality. (Maybe this is a case of the poor workman blaming her tools!)

Should I use one of the other lenses instead? That means I have to do a lot of zooming in pp, and the result is no better than shooting with the 300 mm. Perhaps it's my pp skills that need improvement?

I have also had trouble accessing my RAW files in Photoshop Elements 6. The literature says that I should have had access to those, but I have had to go through GIMP instead. Clumsy. Am I missing something? Or GIMP is where it's at?

Please forgive the length of the message, but I've been gnawing at this bone for months, and would really like to get some ideas.

Thanks!

[RyanS]

I'd certainly upgrade to either an AF-S lens or a D90 (on which your current lens will autofocus). You should be able to sell the Tamron and get a Nikon 50-200VR that will autofocus for not too much dough (although you lose 100mm on the long end). The Nikon 70-300 (non-VR version) should be within reach financially as well.

Zooming in PP isn't ever going to be a decent solution for you.

[Almond.Butterscotch]

The Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 will autofocus on the D60 (as will any Sigma lens with the HSM designation) and is optimal for sports and wildlife photography (imo)

[Almond.Butterscotch]

Woah- just checked out the price on Amazon- Yikes!

[Ariana Murphy]

Thanks, Ryan and Almond,
I'm looking into some Sigma lenses, and the upgrade to the body might also be an option if I can get a good deal on a used one. I read on the Flickr group "Tamron 70-300mm lens" that the difficulty in focusing at 200+ mm is characteristic of the lens, so at least it's not me being clumsy.
I'm open to other suggestions, too. Anybody?

[wannabephotographer]

Try cleaning the contacts. Tamron lenses have 6 year warranties, I would send it in and get it fixed.

[Ariana Murphy]

Yes, I'll try that before I do anything radical. I don't know if I can access the warranty, since I bought it second hand. I'm not going to be able to afford a big outlay of cash right now, so I'm looking for other solutions first like the contact cleaning. Thanks!