Nikon D5000 *Review* I love it! I use it!

I grew up in a home where my dad was deeply in to photography. He had an eye that truly made anyone’s heart skip a beat. With that said, I do feel that I caught that photography bug. I think I have always had the same eye as he had. It was in 2005, after the birth of my son, that I truly started to get in to the world of photography. I had a camera, but it wasn’t anything like what I truly wanted. It was a simple, yet bulky, point and shoot camera that took decent pictures, but I had the heart to get to learn more about the world of photography so I invested in my first Nikon. I bought myself a Nikon D50 with a few lenses. Later came another lens (that I call my baby), then I started to get in to backdrops, studio lighting, photo sessions with strangers, then I upgraded to the Nikon D80. I had the Nikon D80 for a good 2 years, then I saw the Nikon D5000, so I had to try it out. While the technical sources would consider the Nikon D5000 a ‘downgrade’ from the D80, this is one bad boy that has so much power, so much capability, just so much!

Compact and powerful, the D5000 is a remarkable blend of simplicity and advanced D-SLR capabilities with breathtaking 12.3-megapixel image quality

Now: $629.95 *ESP (Body Only, lenses sold separately)

• 12.3-megapixel DX-format CMOS image sensor
  Coupled with Nikon’s EXPEED image processing and NIKKOR optics, breathtaking picture quality is assured.
• D-Movie Mode with sound
  Record 720p HD movie clips enhanced by NIKKOR interchangeable lens quality and versatility.
• Vari-angle color LCD monitor
  Position the 2.7-inch monitor freely for fresh shooting perspectives. Screen flips inward for safe keeping.
• 19 Auto-exposure Scene Modes
  Capture stunning photos in challenging picture-taking situations including Sunsets, Candlelight, Silhouette, Portrait, Landscape, Beach/Snow, and more.
• One-button Live View
  Easy Live View access offers 4 autofocus modes, including Face-priority AF.
• Continuous shooting as fast as 4 frames per second
  Combined with fast power-up and split-second shutter response, decisive moments are captured easily without annoying shooting lag.
• Low noise ISO sensitivity from 200 to 3200
  Engineered for exceptional low-light shooting.
• Built-in image sensor cleaning
  Effective 4-frequency, ultrasonic sensor cleaning keeps images spot free.
• 11-point Autofocus System with 3D Focus Tracking
  Fast and accurate autofocus delivers razor sharpness.
• Auto Active D-Lighting
  Restores lost shadow and highlight detail in high contrast exposures—Selectable and Auto modes available.
• In-camera Retouch image editing
  Creative in-camera image editing, featuring Soft Filter, Straighten, Color Outline Effect, Perspective Control, Red-eye Correction, Image Overlay, Monochrome and more—all without a computer.
• Picture Control Settings for personal image control
  Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape and 9 customizable settings.
• Nikon 3D Color Matrix Metering II
  Nikon’s renowned 420-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix Metering II, teamed with the exclusive Scene Recognition System, evaluates each scene for unmatched exposure accuracy.
• Durable, high precision shutter
  Testing to over 100,000 cycles assures precision and long shutter life.
• GPS Geo-tagging
  GP-1 GPS unit (optional) automatically identifies and records every image’s latitude, longitude and altitude, with satellite time-of-day.

You can see even more details specs here.

I have been a Nikon girl for 5 years now. I can honestly say that I don’t see myself owning another brand DSLR camera. I love the quality. I love the feel of the camera. I love the options. I can use the camera in auto mode or in manual settings, which I love to use! I am able to use the Nikon D5000 with my SB6000 External Flash, as well as my studio lighting – or standalone. The camera body, itself, is smaller than the D80. To be honest, I kind of like the feel of the D5000 more. While the D80 is obsolete, the next step up would be the D90. I chose to check out the D5000 because it is newer on the market and all of it’s features really appealed to me. So far, after using the D5000 for about 3 weeks now, I am in love.

Here are a few pictures and videos (yes, the D5000 is able to take videos!) that I took to show you. The videos are uploaded to YouTube, so they are unedited to show you the actual video.

This is using the on camera flash. I am really impressed that it didn’t ‘blow’ out Kambry in the pictures. If you use “Scene” on the camera, then the flash is basically delayed, causing the subject to not be as ‘bright’ from the flash.

Here is a feature that is on the camera that I had a lot of fun with! You can take a picture, and turn it in to a sketch.

I took a picture of Dad & I together. I LOVE the Nikon D5000 because you can use the viewfinder, or you can use the screen, but in addition to being able to use the LCD display, you have the ability (very cool one, I might add!) to turn the LCD display so that you can see yourself when you are taking a self portrait or a picture with someone else. (See below for what the D5000 looks like when you swivel the LCD display) This screen swivels down so that you can see the screen in 2 ways from behind the camera, but you can also turn the LCD screen towards the front of the camera so that you can see yourself, if you are taking an image of yourself. Maybe you are the one that is always taking pictures of yourself and friends while out? I do that. I admit it. It is so fun to be able to see the view while you take the picture, instead of taking 20 shots and pray that you have one decent one out of the bunch.

How often are we out and take pictures of ourselves? A lot! Well, with this picture, I took a picture of myself with my dad and I went in to the menu settings and was able to play around with the picture. Here is what we came up with.

How fun is that?!

While this feature is mostly used to (example) take a picture of a large building area, you have the ability to make it look as if you had a fisheye lens on your camera. Walah – instant savings from not having to buy that lens. I have one, but I can tell you that the effect that this feature (in the menu sector) is so realistic and so much fun for anything from self portraits, buildings, pets, you name it.

Here are a couple of non-edited videos from the Nikon D5000 to show you what we captured. I usually edit the video in Adobe Elements and add directly TO my website, but I uploaded these to YouTube direct from the SD memory card.

If you are looking to make the jump from a point and shoot camera to a DSLR, the Nikon D3000 might be a better fit for you to get started, as well as the D90 or even D5000. All are fantastic cameras!

I will be blunt with you and tell you that if you are looking for a camera strictly for photography, these are not for you, but Nikon has many other fab cameras that do the job and get the job done well! Yes, these cameras (D90, D3000, D5000) take great images, but photographers do not need the video ability. While I love it because I can take videos and pictures, if you are looking for a ‘video camera’, then you might want to seek out a Vado, Flip or a regular video camera. I do still use my Flip or Vado to take long videos of the kids, but if you are out and about and just have the D5000, this is great to capture just what you need for that moment.

I love that this takes the same memory card as my D80 did, as well as the same type of memory card reader that my computer and printer have on them. It uses a SD Memory card. This is probably the most common memory card in digital cameras and the most common that is found on laptops, desktops, printers and even in digital picture frames. Huge kudos to Nikon for thinking about this!

The D5000 takes several sizes of images, the largest being 12.3. Do you really need 12.3? Not really. Most of the time I shoot in small image quality. You really only ‘need’ the 12.3 megapixel if you are going to be printing large images on formats such as posters or large prints. I love that you have the option to choose what you want to shoot in. Around the house, I will shoot in the smaller format just because it’s easier to share via email and website, but if we are going to be doing things like family pictures, I will shoot in a larger format just in case I want to print larger for our walls, gifts, larger prints, etc.

What is the different between the D3000 and the D5000 and D90?

The Nikon D3000 is an entry-level D-SLR camera created for individuals looking to make the jump from point-and-shoot photographer to D-SLR photography. The Nikon D3000 comes with user-friendly modes like Guide Mode that actually can suggest what modes and controls a user should make when trying to capture a specific photo.

The D90 and D5000 are very similar. I am excited to be able to interchange my current lenses that I have invested in over the last 5 years with this model. Here are some comparison links for you to check out.

• Nikon D5000
• Nikon D3000
• Nikon D90

All in all…. what do we think about the D5000? I adore it! I love LOVE it! Being that I came from a D50, D80 and now the D5000, I am very impressed with the additions, upgrades and overall feel of this camera.

Click here for more information about Nikon and their other amazing products, accessories, point and shoot cameras and DSLR’s. www.nikonusa.com

Be on the look out for more posts about this, as I am still learning more about what this bad boy is capable of!

The product in this post was provided to me on a loan basis. I often do loan reviews because it may be something that I, or my family, may be on the market for. All opinions in this posting are 100% my own. If I didn’t like the product mentioned above, I wouldn’t take the time to write about it. I, as a consumer, am letting you know my personal thoughts on this camera & showing you some of our experiences with it. I had an option to purchase this unit once my review was over. I took full advantage of it! Once a Nikon girl, always a Nikon girl.