Confused Newbie needs advice

Tazu · Jan 16, 2010

Hello,

I am new to the world of Digital photography but not new to photography. I was a fervent amateur photograph many years ago and had a Nikon F and Nikon F2 which I have no more. I am considering to chose between a Nikon D90 or a Nikon D5000.

Reading several reviews l would pick D90 but reading others the D5000 suddenly looks like a better choice. The few hundred dollars more for the D90 are not a problem but on the other hand I don't want to throw away my money if there is no need. Some people say that the D90 is maybe more expensive but that it will let me grow as a photographer and give me more freedom and among its main advantages of the D90 they name :

On-board Flash Commander function
Built-in mechanical focus motor
Larger LCD screen with 4 times more resolution
Accepts the MB-D80 batter grip
Dual-scroll wheel controls (vs the single wheel)
Larger, brighter viewfinder
Faster continuous shooting.
Better high ISO performance
Pentaprism finder instead of pentamirror finder (brighter finder with slightly more frame coverage with more magnification

On the other hand many others say that the picture quality of both cameras is the same and I won't do anything with D90 that can do with the D5000 and for less money + lighter body, swivel screen, better video possibility and that Nikon have upgraded many of the older AF lenses to AFS and Sigma, Tamron and Tokina are offering AF-compatible lens lines for a competitive price.

Can you give some good reasons why I should pick the D90 over the D5000 or the D5000 over the D90? What are the real advantages of each (apart the price which is not an issue)

Thank you in advance

FinerWorks · Jan 16, 2010

Here is a side by side comparison. I post this because I was thinking of getting another backup camera for our event photography business.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond5000/

It is suppose to falls somewhere between the D90 and the D60. I am not sure if the body is the same as far as material construction is concerned but if is a less durable body I would get the D90 just for that reason. I would possibly visit your local camera store and see if one feels better than the other. The dimensions are similar but you might find one fits your hand better. Otherwise if you don't mind a slighter smaller LCD screen then there probably is no reason to spend the extra couple hundred dollars. In summary it is really the d90 so you won't be missing out.

jdag · Jan 16, 2010

I would strongly suggest the D90 over the D5000 for many of the reasons you outlined. They are more than just niceties, they are really usable advantages of the D90 over the D5000:

On-board Flash Commander function -Once you get a flash unit such as an SB-600, you can use it wirelessly with the D90.

Built-in mechanical focus motor - Any lens autofocuses.

Larger LCD screen with 4 times more resolution - To me a huge advantage in both size and clarity.

Dual-scroll wheel controls (vs the single wheel) - My son has the D3000 and having 1 wheel is much less convenient than 2.

You did not mention the top-mounted display screen. This is huge to me. It provides all info without forcing you to use the back LCD. Much more convenient in my opinion.

Thanks, John

Dwig · Jan 16, 2010

Tazu said:
...
On-board Flash Commander function

Nice feature for those using multiple flashes, but of little or no use for "snapshot" class flash work.

Built-in mechanical focus motor

Primarly an advantage for those using old-style AF lenses, either their own from older cameras or ones purchased used. Nikon does still have some old style AF lenses in their lens line, but they seem be be working to replace them with new versions with built in motor. All recent new lenses have their own motors and there is no reason to expect Nikon to release any new lens without its own motor. If you are starting from scratch with no existing inventory of AF lenses this may prove to be a very, very minor point for you.

Since your existing experience has been with manual focus cameras having to manually focus some old-style AF lens you pick up used won't seem so onerous as it does to those who came to SLR photography after the dominance of AF. It is true, though, that virtually all modern DSLR focusing screens are optimized as viewing screens (bright) rather than as focusing screens (crisp distinction between in forcus and out of focus) making manual focus more difficult that with premium MF VFs from the days of olde (read: F, F2, F3).

Larger LCD screen with 4 times more resolution

NIce. Excellent for reviewing images but since it isn't articulated, it's substantially inferior to the D5000's as a viewfinder for video.

Accepts the MB-D80 batter grip

Very minor feature unless you are shooting sports or, perhaps, very active wildlife and don't mind a substantially larger and heavier camera.

Dual-scroll wheel controls (vs the single wheel)

This does improve handling, particularily in manual.

Larger, brighter viewfinder

For many, this is one of the D90's biggest advantages over the D5000

Faster continuous shooting.

Not a big deal for most users.

Better high ISO performance

Totally false. The D5000 and D90 use essentially the same sensor system and have nearly identical image performance. In fact, several of the more technical test reports show trivially higher performance in the D5000.