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

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 don't 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 D90's 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 wasn't 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 I'm 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 I've 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. I've 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 D5000's ability to capture all details of an image, even at night, with areas of highly contrasting lighting is even more impressive than it's 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 I'm 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 doesn't work so well in Nikon's implementation is that the hinge is on the bottom of the camera, so if you're 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 can't 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, it's still over 1/4" taller than my D60, and doesn't 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 doesn't get it right with certain lighting. But it's 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 don't 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.

I bought D5000 from Amazon after Nikon announced the D5000 recall. When I received the camera and check with Nikon website, the camera matched the defect serical number. Therefore, I had to ship it to Nikon for repair the same day. Hope I get it back in one week. Then my D5000 will be a repaired model or refurbished model before I used it.

Two comments,
1. If I bought it from local store, I can return it right away and buy D90 instead. Sad things for online shopping.
2. If Amazon is really a responsible vendor, it should check the serial number and don't ship the defect models.
3. If Nikon is a responsible vendor, it should ask resellers to stop seling defect models and send them for repair first. Shame on Nikon!

Despite the fact that Amazon has sold recalled serial numbers in the past, I assumed I was safe to order it from Amazon since it has been a few months since the last problem order as noted on previous reviews. However, I was extremely disappointed to have received not only a recalled serial number product, but the box itself seemed to have been opened previously. Just a warning not to order it from Amazon if you believe that they no longer sell recalled products because clearly they still are.

I'm excited to own such a cute camera. The LCD moveable screen is a HUGE plus for me. I'm becoming VERY advanced in photography and the practice of checking after EVERY image is becoming a thing of the past for me. I like to focus on photography while I'm working so closing up that LCD screen helps me to concentrate on the job at hand. The resolution is blowing my mind. Simplicity is awesome. I love simplicity. The MAJOR reason I got this camera is for good low light performance and it REALLY stands out there. I don't see any noise in my images even at ISO 3200. I can't wait to create a few 20+ inch canvas prints from this camera's images.

I have been using Nikons for over thirty years. I am a great fan of Nikon although the price point of some of their products does not alway reflect actual quality compared to other vendors and Nikon has the same problems with production quality control as everyone else.
I knew this camera had a tiny, dim pentamirror viewing system but based on its size and sterling reviews of its D90-like auto-focus I purchased it anyway assuming I could rely on the autofocus.
The D90 is a nice size compared to larger body dSLRs and once you get used to the controls handles well. The video function is quite useful; I have never been a fan of live view. The low noise of the sensor is very impressive compared to just the prior generation of Nikon/Sony image capture devices.
Nikon now has the camera only in part because of the recall based on potential early failure of the on-off switch. I commend Nikon for taking pre-emptive action. However potential buyers of this camera should be aware of reports that virtually every D5000 currently in the reatil chain is subject to a recall for this problem.
I hope it is only my particular specimen but this camera could not reliably autofocus and systematically underexposes.
Exposure issues are partly a matter of taste and can be easily compensated.
However the execrable viewing system forces one to rely on autofocus and this particular unit needs bifocals.
As I said, your mileage may vary.