Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera (18-55 mm VR Lens Kit)
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Review by M. Arscott for Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera (18-55 mm VR Lens Kit)
(5 / 5)
Rating:
With a holiday to southern Ireland coming up that’ll probably be the last family holiday before my eldest wants to start going away with friends instead, I wanted to be sure I come back with some great photos. My 8 year old Nikon Coolpix & much older still F601 just don’t cut it anymore and I’ve fancied getting back into photography with a decent digital SLR for some time now.
Many evenings of trawling through reviews, spec sheets and sample photos, and I settled on the D5000. I chose it over the D60 because of some significantly better features (such as the 11 area Auto Focus and more flexible D-Lighting), and in preference to the D90 because I wanted some spare cash for accessories like a graduated ND filter kit. Other makes such as the Canon 500D just didn’t match the Nikon for picture quality and that’s the prime criteria for me.
I’m absolutely over the moon with my choice. Although the almost absurd array of features and settings was daunting when I first switched it on, after reading the manual (all 200 pages of it, I made a rare exception in this instance and it proved to be time well worth spending) I very soon found the D5000 to be surprisingly quick and easy to use. Changing any setting such as the ISO, metering, exposure compensation or AF area etc takes a split second. All of the key settings are displayed on the LCD during normal operation and a quick press of the “i” button lets you tab through them and make adjustments (it even remembers the last one you accessed which is really handy if, say, you want to change to spot metering for 1 photo then back to centre weighted afterwards) so it’s rarely necessary to go into the menu itself.
I’ve always found Nikons to be solidly built, my Coolpix was dropped onto a solid floor on a couple of occasions with not even the barest hint of a scratch let alone significant damage, and the D5000 feels equally robust (not that I’m intending on doing a drop-test on it !)
Power up is instantaneous and there’s no noticeable shutter lag, it’s just as quick as my old non-digital F601 when it comes to grabbing it off the table and taking a quick snap (in fact the AF is vastly quicker and more reliable on the D5000 with the 18-55 VR lens than my old F601 was), and with a SanDisk 20MB/s SDHC memory card it rattles off continuous RAW shots at a rate faster than I’ll probably ever need it to
Picture quality is fantastic, razor sharp detail and bright vivid colours. I just wish computer monitors came in 4288 x 2848 native resolutions because the camera produces way more detail than even my 27″ 1920 x 1200 monitor can display and I have to zoom out to 44% to fit a whole photo on screen !
At it’s default setting exposure was a tad dark for my liking, but a quick adjustment to the exposure compensation sorted that, in fact there’s more than enough scope to tweak just about anything to suit your own individual taste. After going through all of the menus to familiarise myself with what was available I was staggered at the range of features crammed in to this camera. To give just 1 example – I used to have an 8 point star filter for an old camera, you don’t need one for the D5000, it’s available as one of the in-built filter effects called “cross screen”, not only that but you can choose from 4,6 or 8 points, 3 different filtering amounts, 3 different angle settings, and 3 different point lengths. It produces a very effective result too.
Only very slight downside I have found is a bit of blooming creeping in to shots that are fairly over-exposed, but I doubt it would have been noticeable printed at A4 size and I’m sure a bit more care with exposures would eliminate that.
I’ve read that pictures are even sharper and more detailed still with the Nikon 50mm F1.4 prime lens, that’s something I just have to see so it’s been added to my future shopping list
I can’t comment on its video capability because I haven’t tried it and don’t intend to (it doesn’t auto focus in video mode for starters which makes it pretty much pointless in my view). That’s my only real gripe actually – I have a Camcorder that takes excellent HD video with the added ability to take photos that are ok but not fantastic (so I don’t take photos with it), and now a camera that takes excellent photos with limited video facilities bolted on. I really wish manufacturers would leave these pointless gimics off because no doubt we’re paying extra for it. Please just concentrate on the specific area that the thing’s designed for !!
All in all, I’d recommend the D5000 to anyone looking for a decent dSLR for under a grand, if it proves as reliable as my Coolpix has been then I’ll be getting plenty of enjoyment out of it for many years to come.
Review by My Stephen Russell for Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera (18-55 mm VR Lens Kit)
(4 / 5)
) and the images are crisp and beautifully toned. For instance, the landlord/ladies’ son (3 years old) was playing with my iPhone and the colouring in the picture clearly depicted the white glow of the iPhone on his face without losing any of the natural colour and tone from the other lighting (fireplace, tungsten) in the pub
Rating:
I bought this camera with great reservations. I was told by the reviews that it was designed in part, for people likely coming over from a compact digital camera, however. It’s a very usable camera for enthusiasts as well. It is a little menu driven which does create a learning bottleneck when you first get started but it’s actually quite easy to learn and certainly not simply for people that are looking for a quality point and click upgrade. The most impressive thing so far is the photo quality. Mainly at high ISO which is very impressive… I took the camera to my local pub, which is quite dark (open fireplace etc…) and set it to 3200 ISO. When I got home and dumped them in to my computer I was quite taken aback at how clear and detailed the shots were. Yep, some grain when you zoomed in but at full frame many people would hardly have noticed a loss in quality from a compact, outside at 100 ISO. I did a few at 1600 ISO (in the brighter parts of the pub) and the quality was so similar to ISO 200 it was amazing. Zoom in and you’ll notice some issues but at full frame the pictures are very clean. I shoot in RAW so a little processing (with iPhoto, read on..
At this time of writing (December 16th 2009) the software you get in the box (ViewNX and Nikon transfer) will NOT work with an Apple Mac running OSX 10.6 (Snow leopard). The Nikon website claims that by the end of Jan 2010 the software will be compatible (Capture NX DOES NOT WORK either, suggested as a December 09 release). Nikon have obviously dragged their heals on this which is poor considering many proper photographers, and the rest of us, use Mac’s day to day. There is simply no excuse for this delay despite the fact it’s supposedly on the way apparently so hoorah, or something… iPhoto will suffice until, but it’s a little frustrating to have to wait to something you thought you’d paid for but wasn’t made clear wouldn’t work.
If you are trying to decide on whether to get an EOS 500D (which is where my head was at for at least a couple of months) then whatever you choose between the D5000 or the 500D, you will surely get very good photos from either, when you figure out how they work in your world. If you’re leaning towards the Canon based on the pixel increase then I would say to forget that comparison. The higher res screen would be nice but it simply doesn’t take photos quite as well. If you disagree, then i’ll agree to disagree but my point remains that the lower pixel count doesn’t actually make any real world differences. If anything, the proven Nikon sensor as well as the kit lens on the Nikon is clearly better than the average kit lens (18-55) on the Canon. I bought body only and went with a Sigma 18-250 which is very good. The kit lens isn’t as good as the Sigma and miles better than the kit lens on the Canon (don’t buy it if you can help it. Upgrade from ‘body only’ at the point of purchase). Overall (other than the heavy use of the menu system) very highly recommended.
So, why the four stars? Nothing is perfect…
Review by K. S. Bell for Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera (18-55 mm VR Lens Kit)
(5 / 5)
Rating:
I upgraded to the D5000 from a Nikon D40, and I am very glad I did so! The design appealed to me, with its swivel screen (I must admit, I really liked that idea and it swayed it for me) and just the look of it is nice. It’s solid feeling, whilst not too heavy (although it is heavier than the D40), sturdy, and easy to hold whilst taking photos. I bought it with the 18-55mm lens kit, and I also had the 55-200mm lens from my old camera, which works on it.
The photos are of fantastic quality, and I haven’t even read the manual yet, I’m just going on my knowledge from the D40 (it is very similar but has more features), so I am certain once I have read that, I will be getting even more fantastic results. The video is also a nice feature, a bonus in DSLR’s, and I was told not to expect much when I bought it. However I am pleased with it. You do really need to have it on a tripod, and if you are taking a video of something moving, it can go a bit blurry if the object comes any closer, but that is to be expected. The sound on is is good quality.
Overall, I would recommend this to anyone. It’s just a shame it is so expensive, however, I did feel it was worth it. Also, when buying a NIkon DSLR, remember to have a memory card when you get the camera, as they have no internal memory at all.
Review by Louis Vallance for Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera (18-55 mm VR Lens Kit)
(5 / 5)
Rating:
The Nikon D5000 seems to be everything I wanted. Although having the same size 12.3MP sensor as in the D90 and D300, the APS-C CMOS upgrade with 1.5x focal magnification seems an ample improvement over its predecessors. As with all the Nikons I have used, the D5000 presents to the user a robust, compact and light-weight feel, whilst still offering some features you would expect to find in professional level cameras.
The D5000 has many great features with its high ISO range (100 to 6400), 11 area auto focus system and good tonal range. The anti dust system offers three stages of protection: CCD shake, ‘airflow’ (which pushes air out of the mirror box) and anti dust software for post editing. The camera also has live view as well as a tilting screen, however I question the practical applications of the screen as I have taken some 500 images with the camera so far and have yet to use the tilt function (admittedly I prefer the optical view finder over alternative means). All said and done, the crown jewel of the D5000 is without a doubt the HD movie capture feature, allowing not only for 24fps capturing but interval shooting which produces stop-motion action. However the AF system is disabled during filming, resulting in the need to use the focus wheel manually which the clumsy-handed like myself find quite tricky!
One of the things I have always loved about Nikons is their ability to perform excellently in low light conditions. Although not a criticism, my Sony Alpha A350 has always given me a fair bit of grief when taking evening shots at ISO 400 or above, resulting in the need for an extra pass of colour noise reduction after uploading. The dynamic range optimiser as ever is very effective in bringing out detail in the lower tones.
I feel that the D5000 is in a tight spot being that it is the ‘middle child’, making it harder to favour over similar models. Moreover it is difficult to say where it excels and falls short compared to the D90 and the D300. I should say however that, overall, the camera comes trumps in all areas except the price, which is slightly higher than I would have bargained for. Ultimately though I am very fond of this camera and would give it my highest of recommendations. Well worth buying!
Review by J. Barley for Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera (18-55 mm VR Lens Kit)
(5 / 5)
Rating:
I had been thinking of buying a DSLR for a while and had initially narrowed my shortlist down to the Canon 1000D, Nikon D3000 and Sony A350 (from what I had read the first generation of Sony DSLRs are better than the newest generation, so the A350 was in my price range!)
However, I was lucky enough to receive a little bonus from work which I thought I’d put towards the camera, and so expanded my thinking to include upper-entry level cameras, so started to research the Canon 450D and Nikon D5000.
Every review I read gave almost matching scores, with the Nikon coming out slightly on top regarding image quality. A couple of work colleagues who are in to photography quite seriously both then said they used Nikon, and so I went into a local camera shop to have a feel of the various cameras in my hands. The chap in the shop told me that the Nikon VR kit lenses were of a much higher quality than the Canon IS kit lenses, so that sealed the deal for me really.
I can safely say that I have made a fantastic decision. The D5000 is easy to use straight out of the box, and takes great photos on auto if all you want is to point and shoot. Where the camera excels though is when you start to take control, and the various scene modes and auto options allow you to do this at your own pace all the way through to fully manual.
Although not to everybody’s taste, I have used the tilt screen a few times so far with live-view to take shots on a tripod at funny angles, yes the auto-focus is almost prohibitively slow whilst using live-view, but if you only use it for a minority of specialist shots and you know it’s limitations it does the job well. I used mine for a couple of shots of scenic sunsets where the camera was too high to see through the viewfinder.
I can’t really fault the D5000, if you are looking for a true entry level camera the D3000 is probably the way to go, but for a high quality camera between entry level and professional which is compact enough to carry around on a daily basis, the D5000 is an excellent choice.