Brilliant out of the box then it keeps getting better

Since I got my D5000 3 weeks ago I have taken shots of horse trials, a music festival and 2 weeks holiday in Scotland photographing wildlife and scenery. I have taken around 800 shots and am getting familiar with its abilities. I have the 18-55 and the 55-200 lenses, sky filters and a polarizer. I found that out of the box it takes great pictures on auto where it does a lot of your thinking for you, but tweaking the jpeg settings can make your results look even better. The horse trials had me relying on auto everything because of the speed that things occur at these events plus I had only just taken delivery of the camera. The music festival demanded good results from poor light with high shutter speeds so the 3200 ASA setting came into its own. The holiday was where I could take my time though, playing with the camera and learning to use its great set of features including long exposure (e.g. waterfalls and sunsets), fast shutter speeds (wildlife) and aperture priority (scenery, wildlife and flowers). Compared to its main rival, the Canon 500 the lcd monitor on the D5000 lacks resolution and I prefer the way the Canon sits in my hand - the Nikon feels just a little lumpy. However, after that, at this price, I feel that the Nikon begins to leave the Canon behind. Its kit lenses are better built and better performers, its low light performance is excellent and the lcd screen swivels and tilts, (thus making it possible for me to take a picture of a fawn from ground level - I couldn't get that low with a Canon without lying down in the mud). Movies are a little clunky on both but I am happy with the movie quality on the Nikon. I would have liked an external mic input as the inbuilt mic is rubbish, but there isn't a camera at this price with that facility. I have come to like the D5000 more and more as I learn my way around it and I believe it is the best all rounder at this price. The Olympus 640 is good, as is the Panasonic, but neither do movies. The Canon is potentially better if you spend a lot of money on lenses. But if you have the kind of money to buy really expensive lenses you would probably be better off buying a better body than the 500.

At around £600, I think the Nikon has a clear edge over its rivals for what I want from a camera - good auto, good lenses, versatility and movies. But if you think its a bit bulky, then perhaps the Panasonic is for you, or the Olympus. If you want a big screen and intend to spend a lot of money on lenses in the future, the Canon could be the one for you. I doubt any of them will let you down, but for me the Nikon does it.

Good because it's a Nikon... But could be better

The Nikon D5000 is a fantastic camera. For most people this will take care of all your photo needs. Some of the BEST advice I heard was, DON'T SPEND YOUR MONEY ON CAMERAS! Buy a decent camera body that will fit your needs, but save your money for lenses. Lenses are what will make your camera great and able to do everything you want to. Most camera bodies today are very similar. The reason you are buying a Nikon is because of the amazing lenses that they make. Trust me on this one... SAVE YOUR MONEY FOR LENSES NOT CAMERAS.

Ok, I think you get the point. Now back to the D5000 itself. In my title I said it's good because it's a Nikon, but could be better. Nikon makes arguably the best DSLRs. Canon is great as well, but I personally love the feel and ergonomics of Nikons. The D5000 is relatively easy to use, so if your beginning, don't be afraid of this camera. It is a great introductory DSLR. If you're an advanced amateur, advanced hobbyist, semi-pro, or just demand more from your camera, make the jump to at least the D90.

In my opinion, the D90 is much better camera for not all that much more money. The D5000 lacks the focusing motor that the D90 has. Which means that all those fantastic lenses that Nikon made 10 or more years ago will not autofocus on the D5000. Only AF-S lenses, or other lenses with internal focusing motors, will autofocus on the D5000. The D90 has an autofocus motor on it. Not a deal-breaker, because Nikon makes many amazing AF-S lenses now.

The D5000 has a smaller LCD screen than the D90, but does have the vari-angle. I personally am somewhat torn by this. The problem is that to use the vari-angle, you have to use LiveView, which pretty much sucks, so I wouldn't use the var-angle anyway. If you think that this is something that you need, then by all means do it. But the D90 has a much larger and more color accurate LCD screen that will allow to you to make better determinations about color rendition, focus, and sharpness. This sounds minor, but it is actually a very BIG deal. If you want good pictures, you better be able to tell whether they are in focus or not, how sharp they are, or what your color looks like on that little LCD screen. Because on a smaller LCD you might miss something and then take your pictures home and blow them up on your computer screen and realize that it doesn't look anything like you thought when you checked it on your camera LCD.

The GOODS about this camera:
-It's a NIKON! Which means you have a great list of lenses to choose from
-Reasonably priced
-Vari-anlge LCD, although not as large or color accurate as some would like
-Easy to shoot

The BADS about this camera:
-Smaller LCD than most newer DSLRs
-No focusing motor on the body (Not a big deal if you just shoot AF-S lenses)
-Not as many customizable features as other cameras in the price range
-Vari-angle LCD only used in LiveView, which isn't very good

Overall, the D5000 is a good camera for amateurs, hobbyist, or just for someone who wants to make the next jump from a point and shoot to a DSLR. If you are thinking about seriously doing any photography more than just shooting casually, I would highly recommend you make the the jump to the D90. The D5000 can give you incredible pictures either way though. There is much more to photography than just a camera. A hammer can't build a house, it's just a tool. A camera can't make fantastic images by itself, YOU have to make them!

Great Photos!

The Nikon D5000 was an upgrade to my D40. When I purchased my D40 it was my first DSLR and I really was not sure what to expect. I had been strictly a 35mm user for many years and transitioning to digital was a new experience for me. I soon became frustrated with the D40 because of the slow response time to take muliple shots of a subject.

The D5000 seemed (on paper) to meet my needs. I had compared it against the D90 (which was what I was wanting) and noticed many similarities of the two. There were some minor differences so I decided on the price tag. I was able to get the D5000 body at a remarkable price (I purchased a demo model).

Since using it now for a few months I have been extremely pleased with the results. The picture clarity is much better than my D40 (6MP vs 12.3MP)the colors are more vivid and the details are outstanding!

I like the LCD screen--you can fold it down, use it as a preview or keep it closed. Since I shoot a lot in the daylight it is hard to see details on the screen (as with most LCD's) so using it as a preview or review is not as important to me. when I am shooting indoors I do like to review the shot especially when using a flash.

The shutter response time is fantastic! I can shoot mulitple shots in a matter of seconds and not miss a thing. Really important if you are taking photos of animals or insects or other moving objects.

As for dislikes, right at this moment I have none. I had lenses from my D40 and they all work well with it. I really love the fields of focus (I think 11 or so) so framing your shot is a breeze.

Again for the quality of the photos I am getting I am so happy I upgraded to this model. The D40 is definitely an entry level DSLR and I should have done my homework better before I purchased that camera. The D5000 is near as near to the D90 you can get without the hefty price tag. I love this camera!

Nikon D5000 Camera

I decided to upgrade from my Nikon D50 because of the many features offered by the D5000 compared to the D50, which has been a wonderful camera during the three years I have owned it.Moving up to 12 megapixels from 6 megapixels was the main reason but I could not afford to move up to the D90. Then I saw the newly released D5000 with many of the same features as the D90 for almost half the price.I decided to give it a try.I could not be happier with my decision.I don't know what more you could want from a camera than the ability to go from taking photos at 4 frames per second if you desire, and have each one perfectly exposed and sharp, or decide on the spot to shoot HD quality video by pushing 2 buttons, again perfectly exposed with sound!This D5000 also offers so much more by way of the many different choices from shooting landscape pictures,sunset,portrait,sport​s.etc.All of these choices can be changed in seconds after just a short time with the camera.And last but not least is the incredibley sharp 2.7" swivel monitor which can be used in many different shooting and viewing scenarios.I have really only scratched the surface of the picture taking possibilitys of this camera whether you are choosing your first digital camera or your 5th,( this is my 5th ) amatuer or professional,the D5000 will put a smile on your face when you see the photos or the videos you have taken.And it is easy and fun to use! Needless to say I am extremely happy to have chosen this camera even though the D90 may offer a few more features but certainly not enough to make me say I wish I had purchased it instead of the D5000. Again, I just don't know what more the average photographer would want in a camera, especially for the price.

Nikon D5000 Review

Have been using for 5 months. Image quality is superb for amature level. Tilting and rotating LCD screen is very useful and 2.7 inch size is more than sufficient. In-camara image editing such as D-lighting feature is great for fast touch-up. As for downside, is slow focusing speed and sometimes cannot fully rely on auto-focus to get really sharp image.