Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD
Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD
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- 12.3-megapixel DX-format CMOS image sensor
- Outfit includes the 3x AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens with image stabilization
- D-Movie Mode with sound; record 720p HD movie clips
- Vari-angle color 2.7-inch LCD monitor; one-button Live View
- Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
Brand : Nikon
Category : Electronics,Camera & Photo,Digital Cameras,DSLR Cameras
Rating : 4.4
Review Count : 337
Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD
- I bought a D5000 with the 18-55 VR lens from Amazon last Friday (Black Friday). I paid about $200 less than a friend who bought the same camera a few months ago. AND... It is NOT part of the recall! My biggest initial concern was getting caught up in the recall. I am very happy to say that Amazon seems to be beyond those serial numbers - at least with the kit (camera and 18-55 VR lens).I\'m upgrading from a D50 I bought 4 or more years ago. There are a number of reasons why I chose THIS camera. First, I like Nikon over other brands because they are easier to use/better menus for those of us who aren\'t experts. I also think that Nikon makes the best lenses. Even their cheapest kit lenses have great optics and take great pictures. Not all manufacturers can say that.The second thing I want to address is this camera\'s lack of an internal motor to auto focus a lens. In other words, you need Nikon\'s AF-S lenses with this camera. (Note: almost all of Nikon\'s lenses work with this camera and auto focus.) I would only think it is a concern for someone who has really old lenses, a non-Nikon lens like Sigma or Tamron without an auto focus motor built-in, or possibly some specialty lens that won\'t auto focus on its own. For me, I have purchased 4 different lenses over the last 4-5 years. They all work just fine. While it is something to be aware of, I think most people who are looking at this camera will be fine too. The lack of an internal motor means the D5000 is slightly smaller and lighter than the next step up - cheaper too. This makes the D5000 easier to hang around your neck and carry around all day. This camera is not targeted at a pro, though it is very capable of taking pro pictures. Pros are more likely to opt for the D90 or above.Third - My D50, the D40, D60, D70 and D80 are all Generation 1 cameras. (Actually the D40 & D60, may be called Generation 2, but are more Generation 1.5) Nikon\'s current lineup, the D3000, D5000, D90 and D300s, are all Generation 2 cameras. What the reviews say is that the Generation 2 cameras take better pictures. They see things more the way the human eye sees things. I am at that point where I am trying to learn more about photography and take better pictures. I did my research. The D3000 is a light camera that you can carry around all day without getting neck cramp. The problem with the D3000 for me was that all the reviews said how much noise (little purple dots that look like film grain) showed up in photos at the higher ISOs. The D90 is a great camera with numerous features that appeal to someone who has some idea what ISO and F stops mean and how they affect the quality of the photo. The D5000\'s problem, until recently, has been that it was too closely priced to the D90. There was just no reason not to take the extra step up to the D90. Now that Nikon and Amazon have dropped the price of the D5000, it is a much better value. The D90 with the same 18-55 VR lens is about $300 more expensive than the D5000 as of this writing. The D5000 uses the same sensor (and some other parts) as the much more expensive D90 and D300s. It is a newer camera than the D90. I would think, but don\'t have actual knowledge, that this would have a positive effect on some of the advanced features in the D5000. I say this because the software in the D5000 is newer. It does NOT have the noise problems of the D3000. If you cannot afford the D5000, I suggest you consider the D40 (while supplies last) over the D3000. The D40 takes better pictures and costs less.Video - Do NOT buy a DSLR to shoot videos. NO DSLR from any manufacturer does this really well. The technology is too new. Video on a DSLR is a goof, something neat/fun to play with and not something to take too seriously. DSLRs are designed to take really good photographs. If you need good video, buy a camcorder!In my opinion, the D5000 is THE camera for folks new to DSLRs who need something simple, but with great capabilities and those, like me, who want to take a step up in features/capabilities without having to spend over $900 dollars for the D90 and a lens. While Live View has its limitations, the articulating screen (it swivels - very cool feature) on the D5000 will make it easier for me to take those occasional hard to get photos.I really think I made the right choice and got what I feel is a heck of a deal! I hope this information is useful to those of you who are still trying to decide which camera is best for you.One last thought... Nikons seem to hold their value. I plan to sell my D50 - AND - there seems to be a market for it. Once I learn what ISO and F stops are (I have some idea, but am still learning.), I will likely sell my D5000 and buy whatever the next step up is. I think this is a great added value to buying a good name brand camera like Nikon. All the best...**Update 1/3/10** Well, I\'ve had a chance to shoot a few hundred photos with my new D5000. I did a direct comparison with about 150 photos between my old D50 and the new D5000. The output of my old D50 and the new D5000 are remarkably close. These side by side comparisons were shot with the same lens (Nikkor 16-85mm VR and Nikon NC filter), the built in flash and the Nikon SB 800 flash. I took some shots in \"Auto\" and many shots in \"P\". I used every ISO and color controll the D5000 had and tried to tweak them up and down (sharpness, saturation and hue). I\'ve decided to return the D5000, and then decided to keep it, and here\'s why.The added megapixels of the D5000 seem to have very little effect in the amount of detail in the photos as compared to my D50. The D50 has a 6 megapixel sensor. (I DID tweak the settings of my D50 to get better output. I will tweak the settings of the D5000 too.) And, the D50 seemed to have a slightly more reliable/consistent meter when shooting in auto white balance. All this really surprised me. I guess I was expecting more of a difference between the two cameras. The D50 probably has one of the most accurate meters in any Nikon digital camera - better than the D40 and D60. In the thousands of photos I took over 4-5 years, it got the white balance spot on every time.In defense of the D5000, it does have features far beyond those of the D50. It is these features that have made me decide to keep the D5000. The software in the D5000 allows you to adjust many more aspects of how the camera operates and takes pictures than what my D50 had. This allowed me to tweak any settings that I was not completely happy with. It also has numerous preset scene modes for those who want to treat the D5000 more as a really good point and shoot. I guess this camera gives the user enough features where even prosumers could be happy with the creative flexibility the controls give.The D5000 has a number of other advantages over the D50. The first is a time saver for me. Its auto distortion controll seems to handle lens distortion \"in camera\" when the pictures are taken. Having the camera address lens distortion saves me from having to fix it after the photos are taken. I shoot quite a bit with a 12-24mm lens that tends to twist things some. I also took several test photos of a very square surface with a 70-300mm lens at different focal lengths. You could see the lens distortion through the view finder. Big bonus... The auto distortion control really seems to work! Additional features include much better low light performance (The D50 and many other cameras will never touch the D5000\'s low light performance.), ADR (it will capture detail inside shadows rather than just turning the shadow black.), a larger-articulating screen that is much easier to see and read (the D5000 displays the camera settings on the rear screen instead of an LCD on top of the camera.), live view (I recommend using this only for those hard to get photos when you just can\'t use the view finder. It can take 3 to 8 seconds to focus in live view.) auto focus with 3D tracking for photographing subjects that are moving, and a smaller and lighter form factor than the D50.The bottom line for me was that my old D50 took really good photos in good conditions. The D5000 takes only slightly better pictures than my D50 in good conditions. In less than perfect conditions, the D5000 seems to take much better photos than my D50. If you\'re upgrading like me and none of these added features mean anything to you, keep your current camera. Otherwise, while not completely perfect, the D5000 can be a good upgrade or a very capable first dslr that is easy to use AND will give you the room and controls to expand your skills and your creativity as you learn.I did play with a variety of settings in my new D5000. The \"One Change\" that seemed to make the biggest improvement in the quality of the photos was to adjust the sharpness settings in the Picture Controls menu. I have turned the sharpness settings way up over the factory defaults. The factory settings ranged from 2 to 4 (on a scale of 1 to 9). I greatly prefer setting the sharpness more in the 5 to 8 range. You can adjust the sharpness for the different modes - 5 for images you want to be softer like portraits, and 6, 7 or 8 for everything else. If you shoot in \"auto mode\", these changes won\'t work. You will need to move to \"P\" or some other setting to take advantage of this. If you try it, I think you will be pleased at how much sharper and how much more detail you get in your photos over the factory settings.The information I share comes in part from personal experience and in part from reading reviews and information all over the web - not because I\'m some pro photographer. For anyone who cares to read more, I recommend checking out Ken Rockwell. You can Google him. He rates ALL of these cameras and provides useful information like tips on how to setup your D5000 once you buy it. Note: The guide to setting up the D5000 is burried in the site. If you click the \"Nikon\" link, then go down to \"Plain English User Guides\", you will find it. His guide to setting the camera up is separate from the review of the D5000 on his site. If you follow his suggestions when adjusting the saturation levels (color), you should know that you CAN really get some wild colors - colors that are not natural. I didn\'t get this the first time and got some really crazy output from the camera. I decided to leave most of the color settings set at the factory defaults. I saved two custom settings with the saturation level turned up one notch for pictures taken outside and in good sunlight. If you screw up the settings on the camera, it is easy to restore the factory default settings. So, don\'t be affraid to try different things. Ken recommends setting the sharpness settings to 5. As I said before, I prefer to go even sharper and use settings that range from 5 to 8. Ken\'s only beef with the D5000 was that Nikon started with it too closely priced to the D90. The D5000 shares the same sensor and A LOT of other parts from the more expensive D90. This makes the D5000 a fantastic camera and a great value at its current price point. Amazon lists the link to the DPReview review on the D5000 page or you can Google it. People may want to read the DPReview of the D5000 before reading Ken Rockwells Guide to setting up the D5000. DPReview tells you whats wrong with the factory default settings on the D5000. Ken Rockwell tells you how to adjust the factory settings to get even better photos! I know I\'m rambling a bit here. I\'m going to so much effort here only because the reviews on Amazon have provided me so much helpful information in the past. I am just trying to give something back. Oh, I DID sell my D50 for $350! I was very happy to get this kind of money for a camera that was 4 or 5 years old. All the best...**End of Update**
- The announcement of Nikon D5000 in April 2009 is quite unexpected for many people. D5000 is quite different than other Nikon beginner cameras (D40, D60), and it also does not resemble Nikon D90, a mid-range Nikon DSLR line.Nikon D5000 is an unique camera in Nikon line. It has swivel LCD screen (None of other Nikon DSLR has this feature), and it has movie mode (the second camera that has this feature in Nikon line after D90). Along with Nikon D3000, Nikon hopes that D5000 will be a huge success in this holiday season. D5000 will compete against Canon T1i / 500D.BODY & HANDLINGNikon D5000 weights 588g (with card and battery). The dimension is 127 x 104 x 80 mm which is a bit bigger and taller than D3000. From the top, Nikon D5000 looks exactly the same as Nikon D3000. It has info button, exposure compensation, shutter button and shooting mode ring.Nikon D5000 has a thumb dial which you can use to change aperture or other settings. It also has AE-AF lock button, live view button, four-way controller button, playback button, menu button, trash bin button, magnifying buttons (+ and -) and info button. On the left side, you have self timer (function) button which could be customized. I usually customized it to ISO setting.The layout and available buttons are very similar to Nikon D3000. If you are coming from higher end Nikon D80-D90 line, you might miss the image quality button, ISO button, AF release mode button, and White Balance button.BUILT QUALITY & ERGONOMICD5000 like all other Nikon beginner camera up to Nikon D90 has rugged plastic interior with textured \"rough\" finish. I like the textured finish more than smooth finish (like in Canon T1i camera).Ergonomically, it is good to hold, but the space between lens mount and the grip is pretty tight. If you mount bigger lens or if you have big hands, then you might not feel comfortable. However, I feel D5000 has slightly better ergonomic because it has a taller grip than D3000 or D60, so all of my fingers can rest on the grip, instead of hanging loose.LCD SCREEND5000 has unique vari-angle LCD screen. This swivel LCD is a little bit awkward because it swivel to the bottom not to the side like many other digital cameras. You can swivel the lcd screen down to 90 degree and then rotate it to left o right up to 270 degree. It is quite versatile for overhead or low angle shot. It is also very helpful when you are in live view mode or movie recording mode. However, I personally prefer if the lcd swivel to the side rather to the bottom, but I can understand why Nikon design it that way. Nikon tries to keep the layout / body interface as similar as other Nikon beginner cameras.Unfortunately, unlike D90, the LCD screen resolution is limited to 230k (the same as D3000). So you will be never able to check if your photos are in focus or not. Additionally, there is no top LCD screen like Nikon D90.LENS COMPATIBILITYNikon D5000 comes with Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens. This lens has a plastic mount, but the image quality and the light is recommendable. It never get super sharp like pro grade lens, but pro grade lens might costs more than ten times, so 18-55mm VR is one of the best value lens out in the market.The lens has image stabilization feature which is called Vibration Reduction (VR). It works well and quietly up to 3 stops. If you hold the camera tight and still, you can shoot up to a quarter second without motion blur.Unfortunately, D5000 does not have built in focus motor in the camera. Therefore, it can\'t auto focus older lenses such as the venerable Nikon 50mm f/1.8 or the legendary Nikon 85mm f/1.4D. If you need AF function, you need lens that has auto focus motor in it (AF-S lenses). If you are looking at third party lenses, look for HSM (Sigma lens) or motorized Tamron lenses.IMAGE QUALITY & ISONikon D5000 employs 12 megapixel sensor which is very similar to the one with Nikon D90. It produces better image quality than other Nikon beginner camera up to date.In low light situation, D5000 delivers clean image up to ISO 1600, and usable image at ISO 3200 if you expose it correctly. Image quality in high ISO setting is very satisfactory.Like other Nikon DSLR cameras, D5000 also has Auto ISO limiter. You can effectively limit the ISO and minimum shutter speed. The Auto ISO works very well and accurate most of the time. My favorite way to use this is to set the camera to Auto ISO, and then use Aperture mode and let the camera adjust the rest for me.AUTO FOCUS AND RELEASE MODED5000 has the same AF system as D3000 and D90. This AF system are quite reliable for everyday use. It comes with dynamic tracking and 3D tracking which is great for moving objects and sports. The auto focus is very fast and responsive. D3000 has 4 frame per second continuous shooting. It is neither fast or slow. For sports, dances or plays you might hope for faster burst.Quiet release mode: This is a new release mode unique to Nikon D5000 and later D300s. When you shoot in Q mode, you can full press and hold the shutter button to keep the mirror up. Then, when you release the shutter button, the mirror will flip down. I don\'t think this feature is quite useful because it does not really make the shutter release quieter, it just divides the shutter release into two steps. The beep sound that indicate the auto focus lock will be automatically turn off when you use this mode.INTERFACEDespite the lack of dedicated buttons for many important setting such as ISO, release mode, white balance etc, It is relatively easy and quick to change those setting. What you need to do is hit the INFO button twice and toggle to setting that you want to change and change it with the main thumb dial. It is not the most efficient interface around. (The best interface will be Olympus super control panel), but Nikon is showing some progress.MOVIE RECORDING MODEMovie recording in D5000 is quite basic and easy to activate but tough to handle. To activate, you need to press lv (live view) button once, and then after you focus (you can half press the shutter button or manual focus) then you pres OK button to start and end recording. Them, you can now record the movie up to 5 minutes. The countdown will be displayed in the screen.It is tough to handle because there is no built-in stabilization so in order to stabilized the video you need a tripod. You will need to focus manually too to keep track of moving object because live view contrast-based auto focus is very slow and unreliable.However, compare to a regular camcorder, the movie mode are excellent in low light condition and able to create a very shallow of depth of field. You can also switches lenses to create different effects.COMPETITORS Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Canon T1i is D5000\'s arch rival in 2009. It has high-res fixed LCD screen, 15 megapixel image resolution, compatible with all Canon EOS lenses, and bigger viewfinder. It can record movie up to 18 minutes. For direct comparison, check out [Canon T1i vs Nikon D5000] Pentax K-x 12.4 MP Digital SLR with 2.7-inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL Lens (Black) Pentax Kx is the best value camera in 2009. With only $550 this holiday season, you can get full featured beginner camera with movie recording mode, built-in image stabilization, and solid image quality. Check out our Pentax kx review and Pentax kx vs competitors. Sony Alpha A380L 14.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with Super SteadyShot INSIDE Image Stabilization and 18-55mm Lens Sony A380 has a very good image quality especially in bright light situation, fast AF in live view mode, tilt-able LCD screen and built-in image stabilization but no movie recording mode. Olympus Evolt E620 12.3MP Live MOS Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization and 2.7 inch Swivel LCD w/ 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Zuiko Lenses Olympus E-620 is the smallest beginner camera that has built-in image stabilization, swivel LCD screen, back-lit buttons but no movie recording mode, smaller image sensor and has smaller viewfinder. Check out our own Olympus E-620 review. Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens If you are interested in Nikon camera, you might want to consider D3000 too. It is cheaper, lighter and smaller, more user-friendly but has inferior image sensor, no live view and no movie recording mode. Check out our own Nikon D3000 review.CONCLUSIONNikon D5000 is a feature-packed Nikon beginner camera that sits in the middle between beginner and advanced Nikon camera. It is a solid product with excellent image quality. The swivel LCD screen could be helpful for many situations. From features and image quality stand point, it matches Nikon D90. What hold D5000 back is its body interface and lack of built-in AF motor. Overall it is a good camera for your money. But before you get one, you need to check out its limitations especially about its lens compatibility and movie mode.Subjective Rating - Relative to entry level DSLR cameras 2009Image Quality : 5/5Features : 5/5Performance : 5/5Body and Handling : 4/5Value for Money : 4/5For sample images, ISO comparison and camera body pictures, please visit my blog. You can find the link from my profile. Thanks for reading
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