Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD by Nikon
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Digital camera reviews of Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD
Digital camera Review: D5000 - Fantastic Camera for the Price
Summary: 4 Stars
I did a good deal of review before buying the D5000 and it has lived up to everything that I have read about. (dpreview.com had the most comprehensive info). It¡¦s easy to use, great high iso, great picture quality, 4 frames per sec etc.. I¡¦ve had the camera for about 2 months and have shot over 2000 pics. There will always be better DSLRs, but for the price at Amazon, it¡¦s fantastic. I got the camera for $645 including the 18-55 VR lens, and the 55-200 VR lens for $120 more. This is with tax and shipping included so this is equivalent to $700 + tax. Show me a retailer or just about any online place that will give you both items for $700.
One thing that everyone should do before buying is tryout the competition. I tried out 2 Canons (XS, XSi) and 2 Nikons (D3000 and D5000). I think both companies make great cameras. The wonderful thing about major retailers like Best Buy and Sears, is that they will let you take them home and try them out and if you don't like them you can return them at no cost. So I did. I chose these camera since my ceiling on spending was about $750-$800 with tax for body and 2 lens so the D90 and T1i were out.
So I tested each of these models and really preferred the Nikons for usability. I¡¦m moving up from a super zoom Panasonic Lumix (a great camera for outdoors, but suffer badly inside with low light) and the Nikons seemed to be more like the Panasonic. Additionally, most of my photography is of my kids sports (volleyball, basketball, swimming both indoors and out) so I needed something that performed good indoors as well as outdoors without using the flash. The Nikons were more responsive on the shutter and at 4 frame / sec the D5000 was the best. The higher ISO on the D5000 is great and much better than any of the other 3 I tested. I really liked the D3000 as well but the higher ISO was something I really need for indoor sports. Of course you could get any of the these cameras and buy a fast professional lens for a couple thousand dollars and shoot some great photos º
I covered value, ease of use, and photo quality so here are some other comments on the ratings:
Features/Display/Portability/Video ¡V great metering and autofocus choices. The Video is ok, but I have only used it a couple of times. Easy to use menuing system with help on any screen. A programmable button, live motion, flip out LCD screen. It¡¦s lightweight for an SLR but bigger than a large point and shoot.
Battery Life has been excellent. I¡¦ve only changed it twice since the initial charge and I¡¦m at 2000 pics. I don¡¦t use the display much and almost always shoot with the viewfinder. Plus a lot of my shots are in burst so it¡¦s not using the much per shot.
Storage capacity ¡V for an SLR I assume this is talking about the in camera buffer. At the high JPG setting I have a buffer of over 20 pics so continuous shooting is no problem. I¡¦m using and old Ultra 2 card (10 MB/sec) and that is plenty fast. Even if when shooting RAW + JPG, I¡¦ve got a buffer of about 12 photos so its not an issue. I love continuous shooting for sports but rarely need to capture more than 10 in row. That¡¦s nearly 3 seconds of photos and eternity in sports shooting.
Software ¡V They ship a simple editor that does some RAW processing but I¡¦m fairly new to this so I can¡¦t say much. If you are big on Photoshop, I¡¦ve used it on pics form this and can do some neat things. You just need to get a plug in for this camera model. No big deal.
I love this camera.
Digital camera Review: D5000 failed after 3 months - no power
Summary: 1 Stars
Bought D5000 in Aug 2010. Camera failed in Nov 2010, just a little over three months. No power, even with fully charged battery. Nikon claims the serial number is outside the range of the Service Advisory, but it's pretty frustrating to have a camera fail after such a short period of time. I've used Nikon products for a number of years, but my experience with the D5000 is making Canon look more interesting.Digital camera Review: D5000 is Great
Summary: 5 Stars
Great camera, absolutely love it. Love the LCD screen versatility and post picture processing capability within the camera!
Highly recomend
Digital camera Review: D5000 recall
Summary: 1 Stars
Well, it's crunch-time in Nikonville. We get to see what Nikon management is made of. So far, I have to say, it hasn't been all that pretty. For those of you who haven't noticed, Nikon is recalling D5000s for a problem with the power control chip. On the internet, this has come to be known as "Sudden Death Syndrome" or SDS. Based on the anecdotal public evidence available, it appears that the vast majority of affected units are not showing the symptoms (at the moment, at least), but that Nikon is taking the conservative path of replacing all the power chips. So far, so good. Beyond that, things are pretty bad.
One major problem is that Nikon is being very close-lipped, and therefore not allowing customers to know the extent of the problem. Based on the publicly available information, I SPECULATE that there are about 120,000 units affected. Further, I guess that roughly 80k units have been sold to customers, and 40k units are in various stages of the inventory pipeline.
So, retailers are going to take a bath. I'm sure that those retailers with generous return policies are seeing *a lot* of D5000s bounce back. I, for one, am very curious what will happen to those units.
Most importantly, it currently *appears* that Nikon is Stonewalling, refusing to publish the range of serial numbers affected. Instead, at least thusfar, Nikon appears to be trying to force this flawed inventory to be sold as "new" (which it is) and "good" (which it is not) and then shipped by the customer back to repair centers for chip replacement when the customer discovers that he bought a lemon. Whatever the ethical arguments, I consider this to be very poor customer relations strategy, in that Nikon is attempting to dupe the customer into becoming an unpaid member of their value delivery system, taking on at least some liability for a product which is bad enough to have provoked a recall.
Beyond that, this process will produce an enormous number of units which are for all practical purposes "refurbs", i.e. customer returns which have been reworked. It is one thing for a customer to buy a unit and then suffer a random failure. In such case, a warranty repair loads the majority of the burden on the manufacturer. But, the customer is still left with a reworked and repaired unit, and the quality and life expectancy of such a unit is simply not as high as that of a good, "factory fresh" unit. In the case of a random failure, this is the luck of the draw. So be it.
In the current case, the wave of returns will result in a huge number of "gray" units, which will either be sold (correctly) as refurbs, or palmed off as new units.
I have some (fairly small) amount of sympathy for Nikon. I personally have been in the business of chip design and vertically integrated electronics manufacturing for 35 years. This problem is probably a subtle one generated either in a subcontracting design house or an Asian wafer fab. If you're Nikon, you've just been screwed. But, of all the people NOT to blame, the customer is highest on the list. I, the customer, didn't do anything wrong, other than the (apparent) mistake of buying a Nikon.
In the long run, such behavior will only erode a leadership image that has taken decades to create. Such behavior will cost Nikon in the long run, compared to taking the path of shielding the customer from Nikon's internal mistakes. In the long run, the only beneficiary of the decisions will be Canon.
***Update Aug 31, 2009. It appears that the to-do regarding the recall is over, and that defect-free product is hitting the shelves. Personally, I would make very sure that any D5000 I bought is over ser # 3168***, but that's just me. Assuming you're just now starting to shop, I think the D5000 is an excellent entry-level dSLR. Having owned both a D5000 and now a Canon T1i, I can say that they both take excellent pix. Nikon strengths: the kit lens is a bit better optical quality than the Canon, I think. Reviewers claim the D5000's low light performance is better. The digital signal processing feature set is richer (more options on exposure bracketing, for example...) I have the impression that the Nikon is aimed at a younger crowd with less SLR history and more inclination to text. The Nikon is laid out to have both thumbs pounding away at the menu choices. Nikon weaknesses: the articulating LCD is a mixed blessing. It is good for taking that odd shot with camera held over your head or between your legs, but, seriously, how often do you want to do that? With the hinge on the bottom, you can't use it tripod-mounted for self-portraits. And I fear that the LCD electrical connection through the hinge is one more delicate piece to quickly break. I also thought the mini-usb connector was delicate. Canon strengths: again excellent pix. Canon has "dumbed-down" the interface and tried to make it more like a classical SLR. You can still do almost all the "gee-whiz" stuff, but it is segregated into a "creative zone" setting. The Canon LCD is much nicer looking. No hinge. To me, this is a plus. The usb and battery connector and covers seem more robust. The Canon bundled software is much, much better. The Nikon requires you to spend $130 extra to buy these features a la carte.
In the end, discounting the whole recall fiasco, I could be very happy with either model. One last word to old SLR geezers like myself who think they're upgrading. Both cameras have fairly dim "penta-mirror" viewfinders. Manual focus is a chore at best. To me this is the strongest argument to toss another $300 and get the D90. Also, both cameras have approx 16mmx24mm sensors, meaning you're throwing away half the image compared to 35mm slide film. Both kits lenses are a serious compromise. Both sensors are much better than the kit lenses. If you're upgrading from point and shoot, you will be deliriously happy. If you've ever owned a real SLR or a Hasselblad, you'll still be happy, but you will constantly be aware that these are "entry-level" cameras.
Digital camera Review: D5000 wrt D90
Summary: 4 Stars
My husband has D90 so I can compare my D5000 with his SLR. Although, I am a new user and he is kind a serious into this digital photography thing; I can take really good pics with the implemented auto modes. (I love the blossom one, it makes the colors vivid, etc.)
However, regarding the display, both the size and the quality is really moderate (it is not so good) when I compare it to D90. We take our "together" pics a lot, however we could not use "tinted" display for that purpose. We still need to ask someone to take our pics.
Besides that, the picture quality is very well. And other than that, I guess everything depends on the lens you use. My husband also says he would be glad if I do not use my D5000 a lot, so he can use it as his second body.
PROs;
Price wrt D90
Picture quality (nearly) same as D90
Lighter than D90 (easy to carry especially if you a new DSLR user)
Auto modes (for starters again)
CONs;
The Display (small in size, worse in quality wrt D90)