D40 vs D5000 in low-light situations

[lets_get_digital]

Posted a thread yesterday regarding finding the best dslr for concert photography, I think I got a little too in-depth and nobody took the time to read it though haha. You can find it HERE if you'd care to know specifics regarding my situation.

After many hours of reading up on current DSLRs, I think I have it narrowed down to two - the D40 and D5000. Saving all that cash on the D40 would be nice, and I've been reading that it can actually be beneficial to have less MP when shooting at high ISO settings - which would be the usual since this cam will be used mainly for concert photography. If it doesn't make a difference in my situation though, I think it might be beneficial to spend the extra cash getting the 5k for live-view/tilt screen and movie recording capabilities.

Lemme know what y'all think, and thanks in advance!

 

[TJ K]

I would probably have to say the d5000 because it has the newer CMOS sensor while the d40 still uses the CCD sensor. The CMOS is better with noise and they would be better for low light situations. Hope that helped.
TJ

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Both will do fine in low light, but i'd go for the 5000 simply because it has a swivel screen, has live view for shooting up high and also shoots video.

 

[schumionbike]

The d5000 will perform better in low light, while the D40 does give decent photos at 1600 ISO especially with some noise reduction, its sensor is quite old and simply cannot be compare to today sensor. Here is a shot at 1600 ISO from a D40 a while back, the room was dark as heck, no window or anything, just a couple of little lamps, I reduce the noise in post and it print out fine. Not as sharp as it could be though.