Nikon D5000

[gregg dudley]

I am considering the purchase of this camera.  I will be using it for wildlife photography, family vacations/events, and whatever else I can think of.  

It is significantly more camera than I have ever had.  What are your opinions of this camera for a novice user?

[mdel747]

hi Gregg the 5000 is a very good cameras in the  line  , it will have the typical dial settings auto sports exc,, with i believe ( correction )  11 focus points V 3 on the D40x  , it will last you a very long time  , just remember  the lens combination is what will give you the photos you want ,

 I'm working on up grading from my D40x to a D300S  , i run a sigma 50-500 with a 2x  on it for deer bear exc,,  
 few photos  on my flickr page ( just by pass the miss USA gals ,,page 5 has a few bucks )
just goggle (flickr mdel747) to see what the D40x
will do  ,
and multiply that by 3 for the 5000

what i don't like about it is the tilt screen on the back seems like it could be broken out in the Field ,  i use camera armor  on the camera body to help protect it wile banging  around out in the Field ,

[gregg dudley]

Thanks for the thorough response.  I will check out your page.  I might devote a few minutes to the Miss UsA gals though!  Thanks.

[mdel747]

thought i would add  the 5000 will be better in lower light than the d40x

 and the 5000 is close to the d90  and it also has video  in it and at only 600-700 for price  i think i seen  looks more tempting

[JL]

Hey Gregg,

I own a D70 and D200. In the past, I also owned the D50 and D60. What I found is with the D60, I had to go with the AF-S line of lens because the body does not have the lens motor gear to run the other line of lens. I think the D5000 is in the same boat. I have quite a few lens that would not work on the D60 body in auto focus mode. I personally learned my leason about paying attention to that slight detail so I have full use of the battery of lens I already own. Just something to keep in mind when shopping for a body.

JL

[gregg dudley]

You are right about the D5000 not having a lens motor.  Since I do not have anything at all (lenses) to start with I didn't see this as a drawback.  Am I wrong?

[JL]

No, not really. I just prefer to keep my options open when it comes to lens'. You never know when you'll fall into a great deal on a prime lens just to realize it won't work on your body. Just something to keep in mind when buying a camera. Keep a look in the used market also. You can save some serious $$$ on a "as new" camera. People are always chasing the newest thing on the market and unloading claen equipment at huge savings.

JL

[canshooter]

I looked at the the D5000 and for just a few bucks more ended up getting the D90. Same great video feature, but the the lack of a lens moter was one difference, I didnt like the swing out display either. I seem to remember something about it not being a true slr. If I remember correctly with the 5000 you were looking at an lcd display even through the eyelevel finder. I may be wrong on that point as it was some time ago that I compared the 2.

[Chris Surtees]

Gregg,

Here is a link you might find useful.

 http://reviews.cnet.com/best-prosumer-dslr-cameras/?tag=rb_content;contentNav

[dragon rider]

Gregg,

I have, and still use, the same combination as JL, the D70 and the D200.  I think his point about lenses is a really good one; I lucked into a Nikon 500mm lens on this site last year.  It's not AF, but I still think the ability to use anything you can get your hands on is important.

[vermonster13]

I like the Pentax DSLs. Any Pentax K-Mount lens will work on them. I have a K20D I really enjoy.

[gregg dudley]

Thanks guys.  The more I learn the less I know.    :rolleyes:    Still trying to decide.

Gregg

[Grant Sutherland]

I'm personally a Canon shooter but have used the D300 extensively at work (it's what they provided me)  The 5000 is a great camera but the 300s I feel is better.  It runs everything, works flawlessly and is exceptional in low light settings.

My most humble suggestion (from experience) is to pick a body that is more than you ever need. You will grow into it (trust me) and that will prevent you from having to upgrade in 6 months time (also from experience)......

Also, and this is a hard concept to swallow: Save up, wait, and buy the best lens you can afford.  Get the fastest, sharpest lens you can find.  Once you get proficient with it, you'll be able to use it to it's full potential.  If you settle on a lens, you'll outgrow it and want a new one.  I have a number of middle range lenses I kick myself for buying because now I have to upgrade again.

If I may make one last suggestion, spend the money and buy a great tripod.  You want one with stable collapsable legs (for easy carrying), light weight and strong.  When you shoot out with a 500mm and 2x converter, that's alot of weight on the tripod and you will get shake... Plus, wind will push the camera on a light tripod blurring your photographs.

I know it's a lot and I must sound like a saleman, but I hope this helps in getting you off on the right foot and gives you many years of trouble free photography.

Cheers,
Grant

[Hud]

For some of the best reviews and most thorough, check out
 http://www.dpreview.com/

[Lone archer]

For some of the best reviews and most thorough, check out
 www.KenRockwell.com

[Jay Campbell JD]

Hey Gregg:

I bought a D5000 for my daughter. I run 2 D300s, and a D200, and still have a D70. First, everything is the lens, once you are working with D300 technology and newer. The D300, D90, D5000, D700, and D3 (and 3x) all use processors that have better low light resolution than the earlier models. If price is important, I'd buy the D5000 and spend the rest of my money on lenses. If you read Ken Rockwell, he'd convince you to buy a D40 and good lenses. He's not neccessarily wrong.

Lenses, lenses, lenses.  FAST lenses.

My f2.8 300mm VR AF is spectacular. Still, too big for many applications. My f4 600 (manual focus)is outstanding, but so heavy and big, requiring a monster tripod and gimbaled head, that it is only good for shooting out of blinds in pre-set situations. I love the 2.8 80-200 AF, etc, etc. But, even though these fast lenses give the best results (often dramatically superior) all of them are extremely expensive and heavy. I lugged the 300 on a monopod all over the Australian Northest Territories with my bow in the other hand. Loved the pictures, but it cut into the experience a bit.

You might try the 18-200 Nikon AF VR and the 70-300 AF VR as your go to lenses. They are good, small, and serviceable. They are NOT capable of giving the same kinds of images acccross the board the pro-level 2.8 lenses do, but the trade offs may be worth it for a hunting camera.

As an example, Karen and I are going to Venezuela Fly Fishing in March. I'm taking the 18-200, the 70-300, and a great Tokina 11-16mm AF. For a lot of reasons - corruption and theft, space, weight, water - I'm not risking my best lenses. But I'm going to take my D-300 Nikon body for sure. Plus a Panasonic waterproof 12 megapixel HD video pocket camera as a backup.

There's no free lunch, everything has trade-offs - Just like archery. :-) - Jay Campbell, JD

[gregg dudley]

Jay,

THanks for spending the time on this reply. It is helpful.  I still haven't committed to a camera platform, but hope to do so soon.  Missed you at the March shoot.

Gregg

[2Knives]

I'm a Canon shooter (just got a T1i) and they say that mine and the D5000 are pretty close to the same.
2 guys at work have the D5000 and love it.
I'm still a newbie with the DSLR thing, only had mine a month so far, but I love it.
I think you'll be happy with the Nikon.
I think talent, vision and knowing the camera will make up ALOT of good shots....I don't know squat about mine!