Nikon's D5000 DSLR unboxed ahead of schedule
By Darren Murph 
posted Apr 26th 2009 11:41AM
posted Apr 26th 2009 11:41AM
[Thanks, Sam]
Please note: If you're a current Engadget commenter, you do not need to re-register. Simply login and you will be prompted to select a username.
not a FF, not really attractive to upgrade
You must be crazy, no company sells a full frame at this price point. I want a Ferrari for the price of a Hyundai but that is not going to happen either.
They actually do, and with professional build quality and features too - it's called film.
It is stupid to help company defending the product selling price when you are not the shareholder, and it is very stupid to assist them delaying the roadmap whoever you are.
What's stupid is what you just wrote.
Im glad this thing didn't make me second guess my D90.
Nice camera, but i'm not sure they need a camera between the D60 and the D90.
Exactly, there's no need to have something between those two.
You're assuming the d60 is going to stick around a lot longer. Maybe, maybe not.
I do expect to see a d90x or equivalent in the next few months with a display like this
I wonder what the replacement for the d90 will be - it can't be called a d100.
I doubt they would call it a D100. I mean, they skipped what should have been the D70 name here with the D5000, I would imagine they will do the same with the D90 if it came to it, but I don't see a D90x version coming out. The D40 was an exception, but it otherwise seems reserved to the FFs with an integrated vertical grip.
The other thing that kind of bugs me with these lower cameras is the absence of the LCD display on the top of the body, that would drive me nuts.
you get used to it. I have a sony a700 and dont even really wish i had a top LCD. I've used cameras with them, but with such a nice screen, and the ability to change all the settings right on it, its kind of a non-issue. (sony's menu system is really intuitive though, on nikon, maybe i'd agree with you)
no screw-motor AF = no buy. sorry, Nikon, I'll just get a used/refurb D90 so I can keep using my good lenses.
... and because of people like you, Nikon doesn't make AF motor in low end cameras.
The D5000 is at the Chico, CA Best Buy. Just unboxed it 2 days ago.
That's awesome, got my D90 2 or 3 days before street date at the Chico Best Buy.
we have them in Best Buy stores with the 18-50mm lens kit. Let me tell you something that lens is extremely slow to Auto Focus (3 seconds to focus at times) . But put any other lens (I tried 55-200mm and 24-120mm) and bam you got yourself a Nikon. It's also a small camera, smaller than the Canon Rebels. It does the video at 720p at 24fps but its a pain to focus and it saves in AVI format. for me its not worth it especially if the kit lens sucks with it.
Yeah, I have that lens. It's actually decent for the price, but it's no good for action shots - it's just to damn slow.
I am in agreement that the 18-55mm VR lens is very slow to auto focus, I think it has more to do with the body than the lens. I tried it out with the 70-300mm VR, and it was unusable. There is not only a delay in auto-focus, but a delay after the lens is focused but before the focus indicator lights show up.
Kudos Nikon, for making your D90 stand out even more... even if it means entry level users go with a Canon.
Maybe I just don't get it because I've never used one. But can someone explain to me why anyone would really need an articulating display? I mean really? Maybe it's cuz I'm a canon guy and have never used one...
it helps you when you want to get a certain shot without having the camera in front of your face. I could see it being useful when you want to take a picture up high.
deferring angles. You can take a photo on the floor and still see what the picture looks like.
It would be nice to have for really low shots, like previously mentioned. A decent right angle eyepiece can be 100-150 bucks.
The fact that you're a canon guy, doesn't give you the right for such an ignorance (especially considering that Canon pioneered the articulating display with their G-series in the beginning of this century).
But here are all the scenarios.
1. Holding the camera from the above
2. Holding the camera from the below
3. Holding the camera to the left
4. Holding the camera to the right
Articulating LCDs have only bveen in video cameras and selected still cameras for the past 10 years or so. Hopefully you'll head out to a store or know someone who has one by 2012.
Seriously, I can't believe you asked this. If this was some sort of joke, well done :)
why would anyone buy this.... get the Canon T1i if you want image quality and HD movies. The pros uses Canon for all their photographic needs, because they have "L" lenses which stands for luxury. They also make broadcast video equipment too, unlike Nikon.
You're a douche.
well sony has carl zeiss...
CARL FUCKING ZEISS
but nobody seems to care about the a700 or a900. both of which are best in class by miles.
You're an idiot. A full 80% of the cameras used to photograph the Olympics were Nikons.
iKurt4 @ Apr 26th 2009 1:18PM
"why would anyone buy this.... get the Canon T1i if you want image quality and HD movies. The pros uses Canon for all their photographic needs, because they have "L" lenses which stands for luxury. They also make broadcast video equipment too, unlike Nikon."
----------
Thanks for your sage advice and well-reasoned commentary.
I will recommend Canon L series lenses to my mother and also mention how making broadcast video equipment is relevant to her purchase of quality DSLR. I will also add that Nikon has no Luxury lenses and how the pros use Canon for ALL their photographic needs because of said L lenses.
You are making a real difference keeping it real here in the comments and your advice is appreciated. I'll price up some L lenses and help my mum buy the right cam. She'll be glad I got the right advice here. Thanks again.
Also on sale already in Roseville, Calif., at the Best Buy there - saw it on display Saturday night.
(PS: Monster boycott still in progress. ;-)
How many non-significant zeros do they need in the name? I like how the model name doesn't fit on the side, and curves around the corner.
d5000? REALLY, Nikon?
just call it D 5 Bazzillion...
Are you just going to keep insulting people or what? Canon has the 1000D. Anyway, this camera seems pretty neat but it does seem a bit too close in functionality to the D90.
@chrisk1590
Make no mistake, the D90 is the overall superior camera. The only advantage this has over it is the swivel out screen (though even that comes at the price of a reduced resolution).
Canon is much better.
how many people buy these huge brick cameras anyway?
Anyone who wants more control than "face detection".
Oh nobody at all. They make em just for the hell of it
Mostly older guys who haven't discovered that camera phones are all the rage, I hear. Once they die off, there will be no need for these huge brick cameras. Engadget reports on this purely 'cause they still have to cater to the old geezer demographic, obviously.
well you can hardly take one of these on a trip with you, it looks like it weighs 10 kilos and takes up half of the backpack
in the next decade these will go extinct, i guarantee it.
To G:
522 grams, which is the equivalent to maybe a 20oz bottle of water.
Also, it's not like travel is the only reason to own one of these cameras. Or were you not aware that photography can be an art and a business?
Thanks for the linkage engadget! Before anyone gets confused let me add that that's my 18-200VR on those shots, the 18-55VR in the kit never made it past the unboxing. I'll probably sell that off down the road.
I have added a few short videos at www.navesink.net tho they arent very good. I will hopefully get a tripod stabilized Osprey shoot in tomorrow.
Put up a video of the camera shooting an Osprey and chick. I could only get the ‘82 Manual Focus Vivitar 400mm lens on the RRS head with this camera so it through off the metering. Will have to figure something else out.
Vimeo version is here:
http://www.vimeo.com/4367111
The vimeo version looks very washed out to me. So… Original file is here:
ftp://navesink.net/public_html/raw/OspreyAndChick.mov
i thought this would be the replacement for my d60 but maybe not... anyone know of a good site to side-by-side comparison of nikon dslr's? detailed with pic comparisons would be really helpful
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/nikond5000/
well theres a comparison...but not very visual like you mentioned.
But if I were you, I would just go for the D90 as well...
Why do people always have to say " because pros use it, so you should buy it ". I don't see what that has to do with anything. As if you carrying around a camera that says Canon or Nikon on it automatically makes you a professional or increases your skills.
Its funny because I also heard pros love getting done in the butt as well, but only with L dildoes. L which stands for luxury. You should go home and be a pro too.
You gotta keep the D60, its what Ashton shoots with.
Seriously, if you have a D60, there's no reason to consider the D5000, you might as well go up to the D90.
yeah, that was a poor decision on their part. You dont get rid of a feature that'll piss people off. I have a sony camera which uses all the old (autofocus) minolta lenses, and its compatable with newer HSM lenses made by sony and Sigma, but still has the screw motor. That way, you can have both types of lenses and actually use them on the same camera.
You can still use all of the older AF lenses on the D60. You just can't autofocus them. And even that isn't as much of an issue anymore, considering that Nikon has updated much of their lineup to AF-S.
From these comments, Do people here actually seen a camera?
that camera's got a fat ass.
"slrs will go extinct, i guarantee it!"
"L stands for luxury"
This camera felt weird in my hands, it seemed too small on the left side and alot thicker all around than my d40. The only thing I liked was the articulating screen even though it made the camera look cheap imo. I'm not sure this camera was Nikon's best idea but I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Put up a High ISO set shot in near darkness:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kadath/sets/72157617554774800/