Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera – A Very Good Digital SLR
The D5000 features the same 12.9 megapixel (12.3 million effective pixels) APS-C (or DX format, in Nikon’s nomenclature) sensor and Nikon’s latest generation EXPEED processor found in the D90. It also inherits the 11 point AF system with color and distance tracking as well as optional viewfinder gridlines from the D90. The viewfinder magnification is slightly smaller than the one in the D40X/D60, but the extra AF points and viewfinder gridlines make for quite a superior user experience.
The most noteworthy feature on the D5000 is the all new tilt and swivel LCD display used for a standard status display as well as live view and image/video playback. The only other new features of note are the new higher-capacity EN-EL9a battery and the optional MC-DC2 remote cord. Overall, the total package is pretty impressive for an advanced consumer camera like the D5000.
The D5000 shares the same 200 to 3200 nominal ISO range (with ISO 100 and 6400 options available), and the ability to use “Active D-Lighting” (Nikon’s proprietary feature that boosts shadow details and helps prevent overexposed highlights so you don’t have to spend as much time editing your photos after you take them).
There’s built-in image sensor cleaning, a continuous shooting rate of “up to” 4fps, and live-view with contrast-detection auto focus. In addition to the typical DSLR manual exposure modes, there are five advanced scene modes that can help ease the transition worries of folks coming into the camera from more fully automatic compact digitals. The D5000 also has automatic and selectable D-Lighting to provide a wider dynamic range, 3D Color Matrix Metering II with scene recognition exposure system, a built-in flash, and a shutter tested to more than 100,000 cycles.
The D5000 uses SD/SDHC memory media and Nikon includes a rechargeable li-ion battery, quick charger, eyepiece cap, rubber eyecup, USB and A/V cables, camera strap, monitor cover, body cap, accessory shoe cover, and CD-ROM of software with each camera.
With regard to the close up mode in the list of scene presets, this option adjusts camera settings and sets the AF point to the center of the image, but does not otherwise invest this camera with any particular close-up capability: it takes a lens to do that. Fortunately, many Nikon zoom lenses have quite impressive close focus capabilities, and the 18-55mm VR and 24-120mm VR lenses used during this review did a pretty impressive job … allowing me to get close enough for some simple flower shots.
The design of the D5000 looks very similar to the D40X/D60, but the D5000 is noticeably larger than the D40X (seen below) since the new camera has to make room for the tilt and swivel LCD. It’s not as large as the D90, but if you enjoy the size and weight of the D40X/D60 then you may find the D5000 just a little too big.
The D5000 is intended to replace the D60 on the consumer end of Nikon’s SLR offerings. That said, the D5000 features several performance improvements over the D60 that make the D5000 closer to the mid-level D90. Is the D5000 really great enough to challenge a “prosumer” camera like the D90? In the right hands … yes. The D5000 has most of the good features seen in the D90, and if you’re willing to use only AF-S lenses and can handle 4 fps burst shooting instead of 4.5 fps then the D5000 is essentially just a cheaper D90.
In fact, although the D5000 is limited to only 4 fps in continuous/burst mode, it can capture up to 63 JPEG images or 11 RAW files while the D90 is limited to just 25 JPEGs or 7 RAW files.
We were favorably impressed in our lab testing with the D5000′s continuous shooting capabilities. While it hovered just under the advertised 4 fps mark regardless of burst length, we were consistently able to exceed the stated buffer limit of 25 fine JPEG frames – getting a full 30 at all times with a fast card. It should be noted, though, that you’ll have to disable the built-in Distortion Control function to get more than five frames per burst.
Overall, the performance of the D5000 seems strikingly similar to the D90 and is a reasonable step up for D60 users.
When Nikon released the D90 consumers quickly fell in love with the video capability built into a full-featured DSLR. Unfortunately, the largest market interested in shooting video with a DSLR is the entry-level consumer market … and the D90 is just a little too large and expensive for entry-level enthusiasts. Considering that entry-level DSLRs make up about 80 percent of Nikon’s DSLR sales, the Nikon D5000 Digital SLR is an obvious evolution. That said, the minor size, weight, and price increase over the D60 might be enough to prevent potential Nikon D5000 owners from making a purchase.
The vast majority of entry-level DSLR owners use their DSLR like an advanced point-and-shoot camera with only one or two lenses, so making a larger, heavier, and more expensive camera probably isn’t ideal for the entry level market. That said, the Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera is essentially a cheaper version of the D90 … so if you can live with using only AF-S lenses and a smaller viewfinder then the D5000 is a great low-cost alternative to the D90.
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