Just in case our comparatively
brief overview of the
D5000 wasn't enough to sway you either way, why not have a gander at
DPReview's astonishing 33 page critique of Nikon's first-ever
DSLR with an articulating display? Within, you'll find oodles of sample shots, comparison to rival cameras and enough analysis to make you feel like a bona fide expert upon leaving. If you're looking for the long and short of it, however, you'll find a conclusion that essentially matches up word-for-word with our own summary: the articulating display is a bit of a personal preference, but every other aspect is rock solid. If you're not down with ponying up for the marginally more expensive
D90 and you can't bear the thought of buying Canon glass, there's hardly a better option on the market right now. Dig in below if you still need more proof.
posted Jun 12th 2009 10:07AM
That's it, I'm getting this
Might as well write a thesis on it.
at 33 pages, its close to one
Apparently Engadget, et al, are not familiar with DPReview. 33 pages is standard.
Canon and iPhone FTW
I'll stick with my Lecia... oh wait, I don't have a Lecia... or $5,000.
D5000 FTW!
I'd go with the D90 (have a D80 and love it) The fact is the "in-body focus motor", viewfinder differences (Pentaprism mainly), and the higher FPS make up for the lack of... what "subject tracking" and a couple in-camera retouch options (which you'll never use)? I think you also lose a function wheel at the hand grip.
The D90 has a front and rear wheel the D5000 only seems to have a rear wheel. If you actually know how to shoot manual you'll know that this extra control is worth it's weight in gold.... ok the wheel probably doesn't weigh much so lets say "worth a million times it's weight in gold" LOL
Steph makes great points. It is worth spending a little more, if you can afford it, to get the D90 http://bit.ly/3VwGU . The ergonomics, controls and pentaprism make a huge difference.
Agreed - for most the D90 will just provide that extra bit of control and power. I love the heck out of mine.
Those DPReview kids are lunatics. Magnificent, beautiful lunatics.
Oddly, the D90 was cheaper than the D5000 when it came to buying a new camera so I went with the D90 (which, honestly, I'd have gone for anyway even if it was more expensive). There's a lot to like about the D5000 but the lack of an LCD top plate display and on-body button access to the major functions puts me off. However, I'd like to see that display making it onto other models since it will be useful on any that use Live View, even if it is just for low-level still shots rather than video.
uhm, all DPReview's reviews are that thorough (and long). That's what makes them awesome.
Yeah. I'm not sure what people are so surprised about. They've had at least one review that was 38 pages. Their reviews are quite thorough, which is why they're good.
Agreed. DPReview is THE site to go to if you are researching cameras. I need a whole pot of coffee to get through one of their reviews though. I just got the entry level D60 SLR (my first Nikon - always had Canon before) factory refurbished at a local store in trade for some of my Dad's old film gear. I practically fell asleep reading through the DPR review.
...except they still don't test performance with kit lenses like some other sites do, meaning lots of average Joes wonder why their images are soft...
I just ordered D5000 in replacement for Canon XSi which is about $40 less. I love the specs for D5000 and you can only really compare it to Canon T1i
Found also nice review about it D5000 vs D90 vs Canon T1i
http://www.livecrunch.com/2009/05/14/canon-eos-rebel-t1i-review-vs-nikon-d5000/
it's a good thing that you didn't invest in the lens...
I'm curious, in all of this, what happened to DSLRs from Pentax, Olympus and Sony? They aren't worth even considering?
Of course they are worth considering. No camera is better in all areas. Every single camera compromises in different areas.
it's DPR man, with them it's NIKON and CANON or nothing. Woo do u think pays them?
The new Pentax K-7 looks very promising. Gives the Canon 50D and Nikon D300/D90 a run for their money.
but unfortunately there aren't a lot lens out there for the pentax...
"I'm curious, in all of this, what happened to DSLRs from Pentax, Olympus and Sony? They aren't worth even considering?"
In this day and age with such good DSLRs, I reckon it either comes down to price, features, ergonomics or brand loyalty. Certainly not outright quality, with Photoshop or RAW converters being able to do a fair bit of enhancing.
I'm personally a Canon man for their ergonomics. I look at Nikon bodies and see lots of buttons all over it and as a manual shooter, I like Canon's lack of buttons better. With my 20D, it's just a case of setting exposure, aperture and focus and my right hand can do the adjustments, the left hand can do the focusing. I don't need quick access to features, so the extra buttons I perceive on Nikon to be quick access ones aren't needed.
I need some suggestions/advice. I am looking for a dSLR and I'm confused on Nikon's D90 or D5000. Is it worth spending a grand and buying D90 or saving a few benjamins and buying the D5000. Would the Canon's more expensive XTi or D50 do any good?
If you go for the kit, the D90 has a much better 18-105 lens.
For me, the difference between the D90 kit and the D5000 was about 150 bucks. Its well worth it just for that lens.
But if you want something more portable, the D5000 is smaller and lighter.
I think the answer to your question depends on your answer to this question: how important is video to you? If the answer is "quite important" then the D5000 is probably a better solution since that screen will really help (if your answer is "very important" then you probably should look at a dedicated video camera). If your primary focus is still images then I'd go for the D90 because it's simply a better photographer's camera with things like easy access to key functions on the body where on the D5000 you'll be hunting in on-screen menus. And, as Ruben said, if you go with the kit then the lens is better and that's always very important. You'll also find that you'll have access to more lenses with the D90 and still be able to use auto-focus since the D5000 (like the D40, D40X and D60) does not have an auto-focus motor in the body of the camera.
The D90 will also do video but it's not great, which is pretty much what you'd expect for a product that does something new first - this is something that is being improved upon constantly now.
"you can't bear the thought of buying Canon glass"
Yeah, I mean after all who would want better glass for a lower price?
actually the canon and nikon pro glass are on par, but the canon entry level glass is not. So....
Fanboy much?
@ Joseph: indeed. I only ever buy L glass...
ya youre right. why buy a thousand dollar L lens when you can get a takumar for almost nothing.
DPReview usual anti-Canon pro-Nikon review style made it hard for them to compare the two because clearly the Canon 500D/t1i has a better feature set, better resolution and just better pictures overall. Pretty much par for the course for them...
I don't get this Canon versus Nikon thing.
The absolute #1 most important thing about a camera is the lens. If you've spend thousands of dollars on quality lenses, no way would you switch manufacturer.
I went through most of the review early in the morning when it was posted, and extensively through the sample images.
Although the camera's megapixel count is nice and it offers live-view, it's unfortunate that the images are fuzzy smooth, as in, not real sharp. In some cases, I know it's because of the lousy zoom lens used, but in other cases of a fixed 35 mm, it still looked not-sharp. I'm still probably going to buy it though, because I think my lenses will produce better results than those samples.
Yes, I've become used to poor samples on websites whilst trying to decide wether to take a punt on a G10.
It wasn't until I found a review site with pictures taken in Yosemite - as opposed to the bland Thames like on DPReview - that I realised the G10 is capable of inspirational images if inspirational subjects are sampled.
While 33 pages may be an overkill, when the reviewed device is of great interest to many of the readers, the review should be really in-depth. I'm mostly referring to the 3-part Palm Pre review here. I was very glad that it provided so much detail and I really hope you'll do a good follow-up after a few weeks of use, maybe with top new app pics?
pics => picks
What do you mean by the comment "and you can't bear the thought of buying Canon glass" - Are Canon lenses generally more expensive than Nikon? Are they not as good quality? ???
Sounds like Nikon D5000 generates as much buzz as iPhone 3G S. There are a lot of posts regarding Nikon versus Canon, versus Pentax and (even!) versus Sony. As a professional shooter for 25 years I have chosen my brand religion very early : Nikon. Why ? because my best friend and competitor in life, school, girls and photography had a Canon ! Then I have bought a lot of lenses for a lot of monies. I have kept all my lenses. I switched my cameras every 2-3 years. I now have a D300 for DX-format and a D3x for FX...and for customers who think size and money matter... My loyalty for Nikon is based upon three factors : my laziness (my fingers find themselves all the buttons...), my so-expensive but wonderful lenses and... my lenses.
So, please don't brainstorm on figures, blog technical tests, magazine reviews and so on but prefer to go to your preferred store and take the D5000 (or whatever) in your hands, point, shoot, grab the stuff, and so on. It's like a woman ; if your eyes, your fingers and your hands appreciate, forget the pedigree and the friend's reviews and get it !
By the way, I wrote some less dumb words about my first contact with Nikon D5000 :
http://www.brucekinokian.com/?p=44
Nikon India put up a D5000 picture gallery by professional photographer Mr.Adarsh Anand on their site...www.nikon.co.in...Unlike most photographers making larger than life pix this guy has made very down to earth , simple pictures and this prompted me to try out the camera...it is awesome in that it is very compact and so well designed with brilliant ergonomics that it fits my tiny hands like a glove. ...my initial testing at Adorama was impressive . Ever since I bought it I just dont want to stop shooting....it gives fantastic results ...keep it up Nikon.