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 travelD5000 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 lensD5000 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 onlyDetailed 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 lensThe 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, automaticallyThe 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 beginnerOne 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 shotsA 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.

If you're looking at this camera, my guess is you've done your home work and figured out that if you want a good DSLR on a budget, your choice is pretty much down to D5000 or Rebel. I came to that conclusion fairly quickly but making that decision was not easy. On paper Canon had better specs for the price but both cameras looked close ...There are numerous reviews comparing those cameras. Most of them are long, detailed and come to the same conclusion - both cameras are good - not really helping much at the end. So here I'll try to keep it focused and tell about the key differences which helped me to set my mind.1. Low light shooting. Recently I went to a party and a friend of mine gave me his Rebel. What I didn't realize before is in order to autofocus the Rebel needs to pop up flash and fire it a few times. Of course, it's not at full power, but still it ruins everything because you can't take a picture without distracting people. You catch some interesting face, point, shoot and those few flashes totally distract the person. Nikon has a white lamp, it's enough to focus but most people won't get distracted. So if you plan to take pictures of people in party like set up - Nikon gives you an advantage. (well, to be fair you can get an external flash which has a lamp for autofocus assist, but we are talking about the cameras here)2. Tilting LCD. Rebel has bigger and better LCD. However, I'm not a paparazzi, but time to time i need to shoot over a line of people in front of me (parades, street performance, small crowded room etc). With the tilting LCD you can raise the camera above your head and still be able to frame the picture. I found that very useful and Nikon has an advantage.3. Extra preset modes. Probably like the most people I used to keep the dial on "Auto" most of the time. And it worked ok most of the time. But I never could quickly figure out how to take a picture of my daughter blowing birthday candles or perfect sunset or something white on white etc. So when I tried the extra "Scene" preset modes on Nikon, I was really surprised how much better can those pictures be comparing to the "Auto". Try them out and keep in mind Rebel doesn't have many of those modes.4. Feel. Nikon has very solid feel in your hands. Maybe it's subjective, but I do like this feeling.So overall, Rebel does have a lot of specs slightly better than Nikon. It's smaller, lighter, the screen is bigger and has better resolution, it has more megapixels. Yes, it's all nice to have but this is a choice between good and even better. However Nikon offers some things Rebel just doesn't have (see above). So I bought Nikon and feel happy about it.A few side notes. The cameras are getting better and better and in a couple years you'll be able to buy a much better camera for the same price. The lenses and flashes on the other side are not changing much and hold value really well. So if you have a choice, try to buy the best lense (and for an expensive lense don't forget to buy a protective filter) and flash you can afford and maybe save some money on the body and upgrade it in a couple years if some new cool technology pops up.Hopefully my review will help you to decide one way or another.

I bought this as an astrophotography camera. I sent it off to be modified to see more red, like in the Orion nebula. I like it because it is relatively inexpensive but is light and performs well. This camera is made for lenses with built-in motors, so the body is light. But it accepts older Nikon lenses with some loss of functionality. It has the live view and magnification for focusing, the screen tilts and turns, and it has a 1-sec delay option to reduce mirror slap vibration. I have a remote shutter release with timer and let it shoot all night. Not the most sensitive, but you can't beat it for the money.

Love this photo tool. Even the learning curve is fun.just have to remeber to be careful to buy the right lenses.

For the price if you want a good DSLR and you're not concerned about have 20 to 40 megapixels, then this is a great camera to learn the basic fundamentals of photography. Once you learn how to use this camera, you can go on to more expensive gear. If you're new to this camera, I recommend getting the DVD Magic Lantern Guide for the Nikon D5000. I'm this testing the camera to make sure it works properly, because the camera arrived very dirty. I wish Amazon would make it mandatory that 3rd party sellers post pictures of the actual camera or item being sold.

Good deal from one camera man to the next camera man.