InfoSync reviews the most highly anticipated DSLR of the year. Read the full Nikon D5000 review here, complete with image samples from Coney Island.
Review summary of the Nikon D5000:
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 The Nikon D5000 proceeded to kick ass in every category we tested it in, so it was no mystery that this was the entry-level DSLR to beat for 2009 after our journey. We loved the D5000's advanced interface and external controls were plentiful. This is a DSLR that has a little something for every shooter, though the heavy artillery was there when we wanted to pull out the big guns. The flip-down LCD was a major help in tight shooting environments, though the camera was a bit bulky. Image quality was top notch, and even the Pentax K2000 couldn't keep up with the D5000 on that front. HD video recording was okay, but the D5000's overall RAW performance made us forget the camera was even capable of shooting video. The D5000 is also offered in two different lens kits available at B&H, so there's no excuse not to buy this camera. If you're serious about photography but can't justify the financial long jump to a D300, get this camera. If the Nikon D5000 is too much, then go for a Pentax K2000. That's the bottom line and we're sticking to it. Release: June 2009. Price: $730.
Pros: Great overall image quality. Excellent Interface. Oodles ‘o manual controls.
Cons: Mediocre HD video performance. Limited Shutter Speed. Heavy.
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Full Nikon D5000 Review:
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Design – Very Good
We've been anxiously awaiting the Nikon D5000's arrival since its initial announcement and after a hasty and rabid unboxing session we can honestly say that a lot of thought was funneled into this beast's design. We knew we were dealing with an unruly black sheep based solely on the D5000's eccentric model name. Why jump right up to the quadruple digits while the majority of Nikon's DSLR fleet hovers within the more subdued double digits? The D5000 felt like it emerged from left field, but that's quite alright with us. We like the odd and peculiar, and the D5000's adjustable flip-down LCD was the first feature that lured us in. Only a handful of manufacturers are dabbling with swivel or tilt LCD configurations in this price range, including the Sony A380 and Olympus E-620, yet the Canon EOS 500D and Pentax K2000 are saddled with fixed monitors.
Any premonitions that the Nikon D5000 would be a lightweight DSLR were immediately vanquished the second we grabbed a hold of this hulking tank. The D5000 does not necessarily occupy a large amount of space, but it's certainly not as travel-friendly as the Pentax K2000 or Canon EOS 500D. The killer 18-55mm DX AFS-Nikkor lens contributed to some of the mass, but the body itself was mostly to blame for the extra junk in the trunk. We had no major issues with the D5000's bulk, especially when we pondered the camera from the perspective of the semi-professional photographer on a budget who can't quite scrape up enough dough for a D3X. But those looking for a lightweight tourist-geared package right out of the box would be best suited for a Pentax K2000, which ships with two different lenses. The D5000 is offered in a dual lens kit as well, but it requires a little more love from the wallet. If you can swing it, we strongly recommend picking up a D5000 because you simply can't beat this animal.
Stylistically, the Nikon D5000 brought a little attitude to the party, primarily due to its convex grip side and beveled flash design. The D5000 felt a lot more rugged than its competitors and the speckled texture finish attributed to a solid grip. However, the D5000 was not one of those Cadillac-inspired DSLRs that melded into our hands like a velvet gauntlet. The thumb rest resided on the wee side of life and the right hand finger ridge lacked the ergonomic comfort we experienced on the K2000. Nevertheless, buttons and controls were bountiful and ports and terminals were adequately shrouded. One hang-up we had was the D5000's smaller Lithium Ion battery. Even the D50 supports a larger pack. The viewfinder's eyecup was easy to remove and clean, though we could have used a little more rubber to burn. Incidentals aside, the Nikon D5000 was one of the most solid and architecturally intuitive models we've seen in this class all year.
Interface – Excellent
Prior to the release of the Nikon D5000, Canon had been smoking the competition with its aesthetically advanced menus and interface setups that succeeded in dominating the digital camera and camcorder league. But we spotted a wavering white flag over in Canon Land after our initial firing up of the D5000. What was the first visual treat to greet our eyes? A digital aperture that opened and closed, coinciding with manual or auto adjustment. We know advanced photographers could care less because they see fluctuating apertures in their sleep, but a majority of the D5000's intended audience will find this to be one of the most kickass features on the camera. It was certainly one of the most memorable traits in our eyes, but Nikon didn't stop there.
The entire menu system was given a swanky graphics sprucing and much needed structural overhaul. Options were intuitively arranged and easy to access, and Nikon's Function menu allowed us to surpass the bulk of the Administrative menu and cut to the chase for manual control in a flash. Speaking of speed, the D5000's menu was highly responsive, and we were able to fly through options like a squirrel on Red Bull. It's worth mentioning that the D5000's LCD had the tendency to accumulate a significant spectrum of miniature icons, so a manual read will be required for beginners. On the plus side, the D5000 features sample thumbnails for several features like Picture Control, Active D-Lighting and AE Bracketing so shooters can get an idea of what each setting will look like after a press of the shutter button.
We were very pleased with the Nikon D5000's external control landscape, and there were plenty of quick adjust functions like Exposure Compensation that worked in tandem with the thumb dial. The D5000's 2.7-inch flip-down LCD came in handy in numerous shooting environments that required tight angles. The Live View option was a great feature to have, especially coupled with the adjustable LCD. We could even toggle the Live View display so that the Function menu appeared alongside the live image, which was the ultimate interface tool. Unfortunately, the D5000's 230,000-pixel LCD resolution did not knock our socks off, but the step-up D90 features a killer 920,000-dot screen for those who crave the best Live View experience. Still, not many higher end DSLRs have even touched the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1's screen resolution, which was one of the best performances we've seen to date.
Playback was as intuitive and simple as we could have experienced on a camera in this class, but we could have used quick functions on the four-way directional pad. The d-pad was the only lackluster portion of our D5000 interface romp, but, it offered the best interface out of all of its competition thus far so we're not complaining.
Features – Very Good
Based on the Nikon D5000's semi-professional external appearance and advanced interface, it's easy to envision an extensive tool belt chock full of manual control rocket launchers that would send any unsuspecting consumer running for the hills. However, we have to remember that the Nikon D5000 is still an entry-level DSLR with 19 different Scene modes and a slew of Picture Control filters. The D5000 is still capable of an impressive level of manual control, but the camera also enables those without much experience to take the reins and work their way up to independent Shutter Speed and Aperture adjustment. Auto mode is also available for that particular reason, as well as a handful of Scene presets readily available on the Mode dial for instant access. But the D5000 was a lot more fun to operate in the manual modes.
Luckily, our lens allowed us to reach an f/36 aperture for incredible depth, but the Nikon D5000's 30-second shutter speed max was not as impressive. Of course we could have used the Bulb setting, but for shots that required a frozen solid grip, even with a tripod, we couldn't use the Self Timer. A 60-second Shutter Speed cap would have done the trick, and there are even a few consumer compacts on the market that possess that ability, such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580. The D5000's onscreen light meter was extremely helpful, and it was available in the viewfinder screen as well, along with a cluster of additional image information such as Remaining Shots, Battery Life and Exposure Compensation. The Nikon D5000 let us choose from three different Auto Focus modes that suited Landscape or Closeup shooting environments with the third being an Auto selection. We could set the Focus point via the four-way directional pad, though it was easy to inadvertently toggle the Focus point map on the LCD. However, with a little meticulous practice, the selectable Focus points soon became our best friends.
ISO sensitivity was extensive, and the D5000 featured three Lo and Hi modes for polar opposite luminance levels. However, the lowest and highest ISO settings are equivalent to 100 and 6400 levels, so don't be duped by all of the fancy Lo and Hi talk. The standard ISO settings ranged from 200 to 3200, which was a fairly broad spectrum. We were also impressed with the D5000's White Balance control because a color grid accompanied every preset, allowing us to fine-tune the color temperature to the T. The Picture Controls were also impressive, offering individual Sharpening, Contrast, Brightness, Saturation and Hue slider bars for intricate adjustment. Active D-Lighting ensured a more even exposure and better dynamic range, and there were several intensity levels to choose from.
Perhaps the most anticipated feature was the D5000's D-Movie 720p video mode. HD video quality was good, but not anything to hold a Gala event for. Footage was noisy in dim and low light shooting environments, and we really had to watch our lighting in order to snag the perfect clip. The Canon Eos 500D performed better in bright light, but it fell flat on its lens barrel when it came to low light. We really admired the D5000's exposure in low light, but couldn't Auto Focus and had to do it manually. Despite this, we'd opt for the D5000's 720p over the EOS 500D's 1080p any day.
Hardware – Very Good
The Nikon D5000 is equipped with a 12-megapixel 15.8 x 23.6mm APS-C sized CMOS sensor that utilizes Nikon's DX format. This is the same sensor stuffed inside the D90, so we knew good things were to abound from the get go. To top it all off, the D5000's new CMOS chip uses Nikon's Expeed processing. JPEG and RAW images are captured to SD/SDHC cards in 4288 x 2848, 3216 x 2136 and 2144 x 1424 resolutions. The D5000 records 1280 x 720 video at 24fps and is capable of VGA 640 x 424/24 fps and QVGA 320 x 216/24 fps resolutions as well.
The Nikon D5000 ships in two different lens kits, one with an 18-55mm VR and another with both the 18-55mm VR and 55-200mm VR lenses. We loved the 18-55mm VR lens, especially since due to its responsive Auto focus. There are a few other Nikon lenses that will fasten onto the metal Nikon F bayonet mount. However, the D5000 will not be capable of supporting certain features on certain lenses. The AF-S or AF-I models are the only lenses that will function 100% with the D5000. The popup flash has a fairly decent spread, but serious shooters will want to take advantage of the accessory shoe mounted on top.
The D5000 can fire off a shot within 1.2 seconds of initial power up, which is very impressive. We were able to just flick the beast on and snap away. The D5000 supports a GPS module that enables shooters to track the latitude and longitude of each individual shot. Eventually GPS will be a built-in feature, but for now it's an add-on. The D5000 also features Eye-Fi support, which enables shooters to upload their photos and video directly from the camera to their computer or various online photo and video sharing sites. The new Eye-Fi Pro card was just announced, and it's certainly worth investigating. A rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack provides the D5000's juice and the camera features a built-in sensor cleaning unit.
Image Quality – Very Good
The Nikon D5000 cranked out the best image performance in its class, and we can safely deliver this news after putting a good flogging to the Pentax K2000, Canon Eos 500D and Olympus E-620. We strained to find any faults with the D5000's showing, but came up short, which is a very good thing. Of course, we had the advantage of the Nikon DX 18-55mm lens, so we recommend going with a kit lens. Why drop over $700 on a great camera body and settle for a cheap aftermarket lens? We recommend spending a little extra in order to experience exactly what the D5000 is capable of. Colors, detail, dynamic range, low light, you name it. The Nikon D5000 is an excellent entry-level DSLR, and one that will produce professional quality images within the right hands. All images were captured in RAW + JPEG mode and converted to the highest quality JPEGs. We couldn't believe the quality of the RAW images, and the converted JPEGs were just as impressive. We took a ride out to Coney Island to really see what the D5000 could do.
Scene Test – Trabant
Edge Test – Tickets
Sharpness Test – The Headless Woman
Detail, color and sharpness are spot on in all three images. We were highly impressed with our Nikon D5000 review unit's resistance to fringing, and the first two images pose a formidable scenario for any camera. We know the Canon Eos 500D could not do the first two images justice, for it exhibited a boatload of fringing across the board. The detail is what snags us in the second image, especially along the chain link fence and braided cable. And what do all three images have in common? A great dynamic range. The grey sky was not very cooperative at all, but there were only a few instances where we saw a few patches of the sky to peak the 255 levels. The text in the third image is as sharp as sharp can be without stepping or blocking. Outdoors, the Nikon D5000 is a killer.
Motion Test – The Cyclone in Sports Mode
Macro Test – Here Kitty, Kitty
Contrast Test – Fire - Eater
Indoor Portrait Test – Vinnie and Mario
We tested the Nikon D5000's Sports mode on the Cyclone and the results were not too shabby. Exposure dipped, due to the high shutter speed and the boosted ISO led to increased noise, but the roller coaster cars are stopped dead in their tracks. Colors were still rich, despite the drop in brightness, and the image looks like it was captured in the 1970's. The D5000 rendered Macro and close-up subjects brilliantly, as we can see in the second image, and contrast was not an issue in the third image. It's amazing how well the Nikon D5000 staved off fringing and noise, yet retained an excellent color balance and level of contrast in the Fire – Easter image. Vinnie and Mario were back to their usual hijinks and we snapped the last image in Program AE without the flash with great results. There wasn't much the D5000 couldn't do, even if it meant a little extra tinkering now and again.
Night Test – Times Square
Night Exposure Test – Doomed Marquee
Night Exposure Test – That's Better
Low Light Test – The Manhattan Bridge
Night shooting is the ultimate test for any camera, but the Nikon D5000 surpassed the Pentax K2000 when the lights went down. Finally! A camera that could dish it out at low shutter speeds. We witnessed marvelous things at night, but we'll start with our classic tourist shot of Times Square. As to be expected, we experienced a little blowing out within the billboards, but the overall exposure is clutch.
We tested the D5000's dynamic range at night by shooting at a high shutter speed (second image) and a slower shutter speed (third image). Though we lost a lot of exposure in the second image, the sky is definitely discernable amongst the buildings and most cameras would have bled them together in a darkened mishmash. The third image shows just how night exposure should be done, and we actually like the blurred bars of the stock reports because it washes away the evil.
Lastly, we took a ride back to our favorite night testing spot and the results were mystical. Between the starburst bridge lights, rolling shore mist and well defined Empire State building looming in the background, we had no doubt that the Nikon D5000 would be the entry-level DSLR to beat this year.
Price and availability
The Nikon D5000 is available online and retails for $730, body only. Lens kits are also available for $850 (single 18-55mm VR lens), and $1,010 (dual 18-55mm VR and 55-200mm VR lenses).
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