Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD (Body Only)

Comment

This was first available in 2009. Its not the latest interchangeable-lens Nikon SLR. I couldnt afford that. I was using a Nikon N6006 when the Digital Camera Revolution started. I have 3 real nice lenses for the N6006 that I couldnt use any of with my digital cameras. I saw this at Amazon.com and bought it because: the price is low, about $200 for a high-quality Nikon digital camera and because I wanted to use my lenses with it. They fit and work, as do all Nikon lenses, but of course I have to focus manually. Remember this was first available about 7 years ago. Big advances have happened since then. Considering the price, and its age, I rate it a 4. The reason why its not a 5, is the clock battery. Mine gave up the ghost after one week of use. To replace it, you have to take the camera to a Nikon service center. You cannot replace it yourself. This is a minor inconvenience, but its not fixable. Every time I turn the camera on, it asks me to specify the time, which I dont. I just push OK. I dont think its worth getting this fixed. I estimate the cost would be around the price that I paid for the camera. This is NIKON quality, and it shows in the pictures. If youre willing to put up with a few inconveniences, this is a good choice.

Show more

Comment

Summary: - Outstanding (absolutely stunning) image quality, especially in low light and difficult lighting (high dynamic range) situations - 19 point-and-shoot auto modes great for beginners new to D-SLR - Extremely easy-to-use menu system - No compromises feature set not stripped of high-end features - Bright vari-angle screen with LiveView for hard-to-reach shots, but dont consider this a replacement for the viewfinder for most situations - Nice compact body easier to travel D5000 vs. Nikon D60: - Dramatic improvement in low-light and difficult light image quality - Improved auto white balance (but still not perfect) - Slightly bigger (taller and deeper) body, slightly heavier - 11 autofocus points, 3D matrix metering, Auto D-Lighting - Faster continuous shot performance (4fps vs 3) - Up to 63 JPEG/11 RAW images in continuous burst mode (the D60 can capture up to 100 JPEG/9 RAW images) - RAW+JPG with choice of JPEG compression - Full feature set including bracketing - 13 additional auto / scene presets - Additional in-camera editing including perspective control and fisheye - Slightly smaller viewfinder, but adds optional grid line support - LiveView with HD Movie Mode - Multi selector supports diagonal movement instead of 4 directions - Quiet shooting mode reduces shutter noise in quiet situations - support for optional Nikon GPS unit - HDMI output - same outstanding 18-55VR kit lens D5000 vs. Nikon D90: - Equivalent image quality, altho D5000 tends to underexpose capturing all detail vs. D90 tendency to overexpose high contrast shots - D5000 LiveView mode adds subject tracking - Easy to use auto / scene presets along with context sensitive help - More sophisticated interval shooting and time-lapse mode - Additional in-camera editing including perspective control and fisheye - Significantly more compact, lighter body - No autofocus motor in body for older or more professional lenses - No top LCD; must use back display to review settings - No depth of field preview - Lower resolution screen than D90 but vari-angle allows you to compose hard-to-reach shots - Slightly slower continuous shot performance (4fps vs 4.5) - Up to 63 JPEG/11 RAW images can be captured in continuous burst mode (the D90 burst is limited to 25 JPEG/7 RAW images) - Quiet shooting mode reduces shutter noise in quiet situations - .78x Pentamirror viewfinder vs. the D90s brighter .94x Pentaprism - Single command dial means more access to Menu for changing settings - Built-in flash cannot command external flash units with Nikon Creative Lighting System - No option for extra battery grip - Kit lens only 18-55VR vs 18-105VR - D5000 adds Airflow Control System in addition to dust reduction system - Better value, especially body only Detailed Review: Having bought my first D-SLR (a Nikon D60) last November, I was intrigued with the announcement of the D5000. At the time of my D60 purchase, I was considering the D90, but after holding both in person, I chose the D60 for its the much smaller form factor, lighter weight, and much lower price tag. I have been largely happy with the D60, although its low-light performance while dramatically better than my old point-and-shoot camera still wasnt fantastic. Given the D5000 uses the same sensor and imaging sensor as the D90, but in a smaller lighter case, I decided to upgrade. And I must say Im exceptionally pleased with the D5000. What is to like over the D60? 1) Stunning Image Quality even in Low Light, without a tripod or fast lens The D5000 takes exceptional pictures, especially in low-light and in challenging lighting scenarios. The D5000 is the first camera Ive owned that can take a picture at night and capture everything (and in some cases more than) my eye sees. And this is in Automatic mode (flash off), without a tripod, using an average-speed (f3.5-f5.6) Nikon VR lens. Truly impressive. I went back and took the same night shots in the same settings with the same Nikon 16-85 VR lens and the results are noticeably better on the D5000 vs my D60. The difference between the D5000 and D60 is almost as dramatic (in low light) as the difference between my D60 and point-and-shoot camera. Ive posted a few example images to illustrate. Images captured even at ISO 1600 have exceptional detail and very low noise. Even when you zoom to 100% the D5000 renders these tough shots beautifully. Highlights are controlled and not blown-out, while even low-contrast areas of the picture are captured. 2) Ability to capture details in challenging light, automatically The D5000s ability to capture all details of an image, even at night, with areas of highly contrasting lighting is even more impressive than its low-light performance. As some have noted, the D5000 has a tendency to slightly underexpose these pictures to preserve detail. (The D90 tends to over-expose these shots, illustrating that the D5000 is not entirely a "D90 in a small case".) In one example (posted to the customer images), a night-shot of the famous Castro Street theater the D5000 captured the bright neon signs, architectural lighting of the facade, and even the mosaic tile and billboards in the very dimly-lit entry. All again in automatic mode, no tripod, F3.8 ISO 800. When I post the sample pictures they will tell the story better than I could ever describe. I can only think that this performance is related to a combination of improvements over the D5000: 11 autofocus points, 3D matrix metering, next-generation Active D-Lighting, latest Nikon EXPEED processor. 3) No-compromises feature set that is still easy to use for the beginner One thing that annoyed me about the D60 was its lack of some features (eg. bracketing) intended to "dumb the camera down". The D5000 has every control you would ever want, yet its menu system remains extremely easy to use even for a beginner. Example features the D5000 offers that are not available on the D60: - RAW-JPG ability to select JPEG quality (Std,Basic,Fine) - bracketing (useful for HDR post-processing) and Im sure there are many others I have missed. The D5000 also includes a number of additional SCENE modes (a total of 19) for the beginner used to point-and-shoot simplicity. Everything from Night Landscape, Sunset, Food, Pet Portrait, Sports, and more. 4) Useful Live View and Vari-Angle Display for those hard-to-reach shots A first for Nikon, the D5000 includes a "vari-angle" articulated LCD. Despite the specs on paper (230,000 pixels vs the 920,000 pixels on the D90) the screen quality is outstanding - very bright and easy to see even in sunshine. Using the Live View mode, you can take pictures in hard-to-reach angles such as above a crowd, or looking up from a low angle, or taking a self-portrait. What doesnt work so well in Nikons implementation is that the hinge is on the bottom of the camera, so if youre using a tripod your choices are limited. New to the D5000 LiveView (not on the D90) is subject tracking, which keeps focus on a moving subject within the frame. As others have pointed out, the D5000 LiveView autofocus performance is very slow. The more that I have used it, I must say that LiveView performance is probably worse than your point-and-shoot camera. Some other owners on the Nikon forums have reported complete failure of LiveView autofocus, although on my D5000 it works. As it is, I compose 99% of my shots in the viewfinder, which gives you the super-fast response of a DSLR in the first place. For me the ability to use LiveView in hard-to-reach situations is a nice feature. What could be improved? - Well, first of all, the video is more of a marketing idea - the sound is monoral, you cant change auto-focus once you start recording, and the video has the infamous "jelly effect" when moving from side to side - Although the case is much smaller than the D90, its still over 1/4" taller than my D60, and doesnt feel nearly as comfortable in my hands. - The tilting screen is great, but the bottom-hinge design is of limited effectiveness when using a tripod. - Live View autofocus is very slow for a D-SLR (even worse in some situations than a compact digital camera) - Auto White Balance just doesnt get it right with certain lighting. But its easy enough to correct with a custom white balance (if you have the time when taking the shot) or post-processing the RAW image. I just dont understand why my $300 Canon SD870 does auto-white balance so much better. All in all, however, the outstanding image quality especially in low-light, and features offset the very minor areas that could be improved. For that, the D5000 gets my 5-star vote.

Show more

Comment

Im not into taking photos with any degree of regularity. Lets start there. In the past, Ive relied on point and shoots and cell phones to capture the moment so this giant leap into the D-SLR world was, for me, sailing into unchartered waters to put it mildly. If youre looking for all the technical jargon and in-depth analysis of the various features, it aint me Babe. I do appreciate the efforts of the more learned and their comments/reviews which actually convinced me this D5000 was the best camera value out there and so far, that feeling hasnt been compromised. I got the camera and quickly viewed the accompanying DVD from the Nikon school which helped me understand the cameras capabilities along with the basics of how it operated. The menu system is fairly straightforward and anyone with basic computer skills shouldnt have any problem in finding their way through the various modes although, at first, I found all the selections and options somewhat daunting so I left the main selector wheel on automatic and snapped off a few pictures to get a feel for the D5000. The first thing I noticed was the speed and accuracy of the act with no worries about vibration or causing the pictures to blur. Taking clear photos of fast moving objects was another new experience that caused me to warm to the unit. Through trial and error, mainly the latter, Ive also learned the basic skills of zooming in, focusing, and using the various modes for sports action, twilight and a few other modes. So, for a disinterested photo guy, the D5000 has delivered and actually made me want to search out more photo ops which was the purpose in getting this advanced (for me) camera in the first place. Im still trying to figure out the continuous photo mode where youre supposed to be able to take 3-4 pics in a row but that capability is buried somewhere in the various menu options which Ill sort out by reading the manual. A word about the actual choice of the camera over the competitors: I elected to go with Nikon because of its name recognition, reputation for technical excellence and because of the various reviews I read prior to the purchase. Maybe the other manufacturers are of similar, lesser or greater quality in this regard, but the Nikon name, to me, has been well worth the purchase price paid. To me, it was sort of like buying a Toyota car over a Kia if you know what I mean? At any rate, first time D-SLR buyers will be heartened to know that I made the plunge with the Nikon D-5000 and am glad I did with no buyers remorse and the D5000 has my recommendation.

Show more

Comment

Ive had my D5000 for almost a year. Ive shot several thousand pictures of a variety of subjects: landscape, family, sports, portrait, still life. I upgraded from film SLRs and compact digitals. This is a whole new world. It took me a little time to get all the features and settings where I want them, but Ive got the hang of it now. The D5000 is a compromise: its the sensor from the D90 and a user interface similar to a compact digital. Its right for me, because I wanted better pictures than a compact, taken over a wider range of lighting and action than a compact is capable of. The dynamic range is a huge improvement: no more treading the fine line between blowing out the highlights on one end and losing everything to noise on the other (sometimes doing both at once). I intended on using the articulating screen for taking candid shots of people, but it doesnt work for two reasons: shutter lag and the time to autofocus. In live view, I took pictures of a stopwatch and measured the shutter lag at 0.6 seconds. Thats with manual focus and exposure, so I dont see a way to get reduce it any farther. The source of the lag is the mirror flaps down and back up again before the pictures taken. It seems silly, but theres no way around it. At any rate, the delay is too long to capture the moment in street photography. Not in live view, looking through the viewfinder, the shutter lag is very low - too small to accurately measure this way. The other disadvantage to live view is the time it takes to autofocus. If the subject isnt stationary, you have to use manual focus, preset the focus (using either manual or the AEL button) and - this is important - put it in AF-C mode (Continuous Servo Autofocus), so the camera takes the picture BEFORE it decides that its focused. That last part is casually mentioned in the manual, but without it the camera cranks back and forth on the focus and you get a picture of your subjects hind end as they leave your field of view. One more thing: since it wont trigger flash remotely, this may not be what youd want for a studio camera. There are several ways to work around this: wired flash, Pocket Wizard, etc. but youd cut yourself off from being able to fully use CLS. If you think youre going to get serious about studio photography, you probably dont want to set that limitation for yourself right off the bat. All in all, I still like the camera. It takes great pictures, its flexible and pretty easy to use and it works for a lot of situations.

Show more

Comment

I did a lot of research before I decided to go with D5000 - including going to BestBuy and other camera stores and handling the camera to make sure it feels right. In the end I got the best deal through Amazon (even though a D5000 kit at Costco had an unbelievable deal). I choose not to buy a kit because I wanted specific lenses with the camera. I wanted one lens that I can travel with without the need to change lenses and another that I can use primarily in doors in low light conditions. I got the Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM IF Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras and Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras lenses. I also got a Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras and an Eye-Fi 4GB Pro SDHC Wireless Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-4PC to wirelessly upload pictures to my laptop (D5000 has built in support for Eye-Fi SDHC cards). Last week Eye-Fi came out with Eye-Fi 8GB Pro X2 SDHC Class 6 Wireless Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-8PC that has more features and almost the same price (bummer!). I also got UV filters for both lens to protect the expensive lens glass. The cameras I compared before buying were, Nikon D90, D60, Canon Rebel iTL, xTi, etc. I have used it for two weeks now with great results. Camera is very easy to use, I still have not looked through the manual and have been able to find advance setting easily. The auto-focus with both the lenses is very fast (faster if using the view-port than using LiveView). I still have not been able to find a camera case that I feel good with - that is compact enough to easily carry around and I can get my essential accessories in. One big factor for me for selecting this camera was the swivel lens. Being a big guy, I run into scenarios where I do not have clear line of sight to the subject I am capturing and have always wanted the ability to move the camera higher or away from my body to take great shots and the swivel LCD does a great job at it. My tipod mount has not had any problem with restricting the swivel movement, but I have seen it at a store, where the tripod mount was huge and restricted the LCD movement. Again - overall highly recommended camera.

Show more

Comment

If youre looking at this camera, my guess is youve done your home work and figured out that if you want a good DSLR on a budget, your choice is pretty much down to D5000 or Rebel. I came to that conclusion fairly quickly but making that decision was not easy. On paper Canon had better specs for the price but both cameras looked close ... There are numerous reviews comparing those cameras. Most of them are long, detailed and come to the same conclusion - both cameras are good - not really helping much at the end. So here Ill try to keep it focused and tell about the key differences which helped me to set my mind. 1. Low light shooting. Recently I went to a party and a friend of mine gave me his Rebel. What I didnt realize before is in order to autofocus the Rebel needs to pop up flash and fire it a few times. Of course, its not at full power, but still it ruins everything because you cant take a picture without distracting people. You catch some interesting face, point, shoot and those few flashes totally distract the person. Nikon has a white lamp, its enough to focus but most people wont get distracted. So if you plan to take pictures of people in party like set up - Nikon gives you an advantage. (well, to be fair you can get an external flash which has a lamp for autofocus assist, but we are talking about the cameras here) 2. Tilting LCD. Rebel has bigger and better LCD. However, Im not a paparazzi, but time to time i need to shoot over a line of people in front of me (parades, street performance, small crowded room etc). With the tilting LCD you can raise the camera above your head and still be able to frame the picture. I found that very useful and Nikon has an advantage. 3. Extra preset modes. Probably like the most people I used to keep the dial on "Auto" most of the time. And it worked ok most of the time. But I never could quickly figure out how to take a picture of my daughter blowing birthday candles or perfect sunset or something white on white etc. So when I tried the extra "Scene" preset modes on Nikon, I was really surprised how much better can those pictures be comparing to the "Auto". Try them out and keep in mind Rebel doesnt have many of those modes. 4. Feel. Nikon has very solid feel in your hands. Maybe its subjective, but I do like this feeling. So overall, Rebel does have a lot of specs slightly better than Nikon. Its smaller, lighter, the screen is bigger and has better resolution, it has more megapixels. Yes, its all nice to have but this is a choice between good and even better. However Nikon offers some things Rebel just doesnt have (see above). So I bought Nikon and feel happy about it. A few side notes. The cameras are getting better and better and in a couple years youll be able to buy a much better camera for the same price. The lenses and flashes on the other side are not changing much and hold value really well. So if you have a choice, try to buy the best lense (and for an expensive lense dont forget to buy a protective filter) and flash you can afford and maybe save some money on the body and upgrade it in a couple years if some new cool technology pops up. Hopefully my review will help you to decide one way or another.

Show more

Comment

I screenshoted how many shutter actuations it had in their description and it says 3,789. When I got the camera the exif data from an imagesetters that I took, said the camera has 10,837 shutter count NOT 3,789. So basically if this is an entry level camera, then it’s already at 1/5 it’s shutter life yet this camera was rated at “very good quality”

Show more

Comment

This is a great camera . Its way better then the nikon d80 I have plus it has video that is pretty good. I have already made some short videos with music . One thing is I didnt research before I bought it so I didnt know it wouldnt auto-focus with my 50mm f1.8 lens. its hard to get manual focus shots clearly in focous from a distance unless I push the picture zoom in button then focus when it looks clear then take the picture but thats still difficult if the subject is moving around. But then again this will easily be fixed when I buy a newer nikon af-s lens next month. the pictures I have taken turn out good when they are in focus the ones that look dark I can use d-active lighting to brighten the picture. it works perfectly . I would recommend this camera especially if you are upgrading from a older camera like the nikon d80.

Show more

Comment

If you are the kind of person who leaves your DSLR locked up in the hotel room because its too heavy, get the D5000. At the end of the day, youll have more pictures and NO they wont be worse than the D80 / D90. If they are, then you need to improve your technique :D I am not going to review the tech specs ([...] has already done it, better than I can). Just want to re-affirm whats said about the high ISO performance - Simply stunning! I will recommend the DK-21M magnifier eyepiece as a must have accessory. Makes the otherwise average pentamirror viewfnder much better. Remember to remove the hard eyecup from the DK-21M and combine it with the camera supplied DK-24 eyecup instead. I bought the 35mm f/1.8 and 18-105mm VR lenses with this camera. Absolute joy to use. And so is the SB-400. Feels great not to be lugging around "pro" gear and a bagful of lenses and still making wonderful pictures with this little baby.

Show more

Comment

I really enjoy this camera, and it works well with all of my older Nikon lenses, I have to shoot full manual with the pre-digital era lenses. The uploaded images are from a pre-digital era 85mm lens.

Show more