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"A Great Time" on by tvslater
Pros: Quality Quality Quality
Speedy
Ease of UseCons: The look of it, I suppose. I think I just like Canon's look a little more.
Summary: I was nervous about this camera when I got it. Though everything I'd heard about the image quality turns out to be true, the articulated LCD is nice but I wasn't sold on the flip DOWN, versus to-the-side that I'm used to on the point and click that I use. As it turns out, when you hold the camera as you should, with left hand supporting the lens from underneath, the flip-down is much much better than the side-flip. Additionally, how often do you shoot from the side, versus top or bottom? For the times in which an articulated screen helps, I say the flip-down is a better configuration than the side-flip.
Honestly, though, what really sells me, though, is the combination of speed and quality. D90 quality in a smaller form for less money? AND it's faster? Done.
What many reviewers don't talk about much is low-light shooting. The d5000 EXCELS in darkness; I do an odd combination of architectural and party photography (not professional yet). Both require shooting in low-light, or even near-dark settings, one with quality, the other with speed. For the architecture, I wanted shadows to be rich, gradients to be subtle, and highlights to be dramatic without blowing out. It's great for all that. And for the party photos, they're great quality, low noise, get a good amount of the surroundings without having to use a flash and still capture speed and energy of the setting.
I'm very happy with this camera and am excited to see how far I can push it. -
"Watch where you purchase" on by gmogoody
Pros: With correct lenses great entry to intermediate DSLR
Cons: Where you buy the kit may alter perception of product
Summary: This is a great camera. Just do your research before purchase. Some retailers are selling the Kit with just the 18 - 55 mm DX lens and not the better 18 - 55 mm VR DX Lens that is reviewed here. I ran into this and ended up purchasing the 18 - 105 mm VR Lens instead
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"DIWA and DXO Lab test helped me a lot" on by dr_ratansinghdeo
Pros: Excellent image quality at any ISO without chromatic or peripheral distortin.Easy user interface.Good for beginer as well enthusiast.Creative Options are quite good.In camera editing is just awsome,no need to PC editing.
Cons: Low resolution LCD monitor.But it helps to increase battery life to very good extent.Otherwise with high resolution LCD drain battery like monster
Summary: 1.Picture quality excellent
2.Absolutely no noise at high ISO.Great for all type of photography.
3.Fast performance.Altough live view mode is slow,but for me its effective with this price[3-D tracking and 11-point focus like high end DSLR]
4.Easy user interface and all executions are perfect.
5.Scene modes can be used as examples for manual ,A,S,P mode for beginers.Scene modes show the specifications for different situations which helped me a lot to know advanced creativity and settings
6.Picture creative mode is present for advanced user.So this camera can be used by a beginer as well as enthusiast.
7.No chromatic aberations or peripheral distortion.Optic quality of kit lens is quite good.
8.Incamera image processing,in my view its complete,no need for recomposition or editing by PC
9.D-light is quite effective
10.Colours are perfect
11.Last word--If you really need awsome image quality at this price just go for Nikon D5000.I have gone through DIWA test and other good test lab report which proved to be correct.Regarding service issue my suggestion is just you check the body number through the NIKON service advisory online before purchase.But this issue has been handled quite nicely by NIKON[rather honestly].Easy to start a DSLR,but still option packed for enthusiast.Just buy it,love to use.Picture quality in real life and lab test are both excellent.Look to DXO Lab test and DIWA test helped a lot. -
"Great entry level DSLR with limitations for expansion" on by raychenc
Pros: The main comparison is choosing between the D40/D3000 vs. D90, which the D5000 sits right between. It has the same chip as the D90 and D300, and great low ISO capabilities. It is lighter than the D90.
Cons: Two HUGE deficits, which makes me want to upgrade: no in-body motor, no commander mode to activate Nikon wireless flash. No motor means you cannot use excellent and less expensive lenses.
Summary: Great for beginners who are upgrading from point and shoot, but severe limitations (no in-body motor and lack of commander flash built in) make the D90 a better choice if you have an inkling of taking on photography as a hobby and if you can afford the extra cost. For instance if you want a 50 mm lens that autofocuses, it will cost about $400 compared to a $130 version, which works on the D5000, but you'll have to manually focus. Still, there are many flashes (dozens) that work perfectly on the D5000.
For the wireless flash, a Speedlight SB-900 allows the D5000 to control other slave flashes, but the SB-900 costs $450, and you would still have to buy a slave flash like the SB-600 which costs $220.
In contrast if you had a D90, you can buy the slave flash alone for $220, and the built in flash acts like a commander.
Essentially, the D5000 doesn't allow you to take advantage of the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) without considerable cost.
The extra cost of one autofocus lens and the upgraded flashes would more than pay for the cost of upgrading to the D90.
However, if you are new to D-SLR, it will take you some time to maximize your skills, and when you are ready to upgrade, a new camera body will be available, and you can carry all of your lenses and flashes. -
"Great Value" on by jconroy110464
Pros: Excellent Image Quality...nice balance between the mega-pixels and CMOS chip area.
Well defined and logical interface.
User definable / customizable settings which can be saved.
Flip & Swivel LCD
3D Focus with Tracking
RAW + 3 levels of JPEGCons: Plastic construction...
Super slow focus in LIveViewSummary: The image quality for this camera is quite exceptional. If you post process your photos in Adobe (or some type of RAW editing program), then you really can achieve outstanding results which rival the D300. I especially like the user interface via the LCD. It is soooo well defined and logical. And it enables you to save custom settings for specific conditions; e.g. landscape-cloudy. This neat feature reduces the need or the time to post process the RAW. In some cases you can use the JPEG direct without any post processing!
The flip and swivel LCD is another good feature in the design. This enables you to (1) shoot photos from awkward positions where the best shot requires the camera to be at arms length from your face. And (2), the LCD can be flipped around having the "glass" side of the LCD face the camera body. This is especially good for me, when I am outdoors hiking and the camera body is exposed to bumps and scrapes.
The 11-point AF with 3D tracking, along with the 420-pixel metering, and the multiple options for F.O.V. area focus (center, wide, face, etc), provide you with excellent performance and the ability to be creative. And with RAW+ 3 JPEG choices (and your presets), this becomes a very fun and functional camera.
I really see this camera being lens limited rather than sensor (CMOS) limited. Use the money you save with buying the D5000 and invest it into a higher-end wide angle lens. After getting familiar and proficient with this camera, your results could challenge the pro's (at least on stills).
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