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Nikon D5000 In Depth Review

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Posted by Patrick on Oct 5, 2009 in Cameras, Featured Content, Reviews

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Design

The Nikon D5000 carries on the now reliable Nikon tradition of terrific ergonomics and intuitive design. Though fairly small, the D5000 has a relatively big grip that’s comfortable enough to hold for longer durations. Button layout is smart and organized, with most of the expected camera settings within easy reach. I say most because oddly, there is no dedicated ISO button, but given Nikon has wisely included a programmable Function button, users could opt to use it for ISO duties if that fits their particular shooting style.


Nikon is pretty good at making cameras that excel ergonomically and work intuitively, and those efforts continue with the D5000.	Button, dial, and shutter placements are well laid out, even under the somewhat confined real estate of a small DSLR camera.

The D5000 doesn't have a dedicated ISO button, but this Function button can be programmed to perform as one (or any number of other settings)	Dedicated Live View button means quick access without having to dive into menus.

Buttons are nicely sized for a good tactile feel and both the Command Dial and Mode Dial offer nicely textured surfaces and click solidly through their turning motions. Overall build quality is quite solid, even though the exterior is overwhelmingly plastic with only a small textured area around the grip and an even smaller patch on the camera reverse no bigger than the thumb pad meant to rest on it.


Build quality is quite good for an entry level offering. Dials like the Command Dial offer tactile surface and click solidly when turned.	Buttons are big enough to be easy to press, with large and legible labeling.

On the aesthetic front, the D5000 boasts any number of strange protrusions and comes of looking oddly tall for a DSLR camera. That said, the look grows on you fairly quickly, and I suspect the various contoured and concave surfaces go towards making the D5000 the great handling camera that it is. One little bit I didn’t like was the connector cover, whose somewhat shiny and plastic surface comes off looking cheap compared to the more traditional matte rubber coverings.


All sorts of contours dominated the look of the D5000. It's a strange little beast, but the look grows on you.	Seen from another angle, the D5000 has a fairly contemporary look.

Finally, one of the more interesting aspects of the D5000 is its 2.7 inch LCD that flips down instead of out to the side. I’ll admit that before receiving the D5000 I was more than skeptical of the wisdom of this design, but my concerns have turned out to be unfounded. In actual use the flip down LCD comes in very handy from simply examining camera settings, to creative compositions, and yes for shooting video. Further, while it is true that when mounted on a tripod the LCD won’t be able to rotate, it still is incredibly useful to just have LCD in the flipped out position, which allows for a simple look down to compose your pictures and control the camera. Finally, while the LCD is not the hi-res 920,000 dot display we’re now seeing trickle down to other models in this price range, this particular display is an adept performer, offering a surprising level of clarity and brightness, and another pleasant surprise.


I ended up really liking this bottom down designed hinge for the LCD. The position has multiple benefits from better viewing angles to self portraits, to eliminating facial oils from the LCD.	The Nikkor 18-55mm VR lens is the basic kit lens that comes with the Nikon D5000. Like the D5000 it offers sturdy build and above average performance.

Input covering in the open and close position. The shiny surface of the cover is the only (small) blemish in an otherwise consistent design.	The memory card cover. The D5000 uses SD memory cards for storage.

The inconspicuous microphone which could get easily covered, depending on your hand placement when shooting.	In addition to losing the D90's top side LCD, the D5000 also sheds a depth of field preview button.

Support this site by purchasing the Nikon D5000 at B&H Photo Video. Check the following links for the best prices on the Nikon D5000 camera body and kit lens configurations.

Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera (Camera Body)
Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm VR Lens
Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm & 55-200mm VR Lens

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