D5000 opinions please

[stroker]

Im looking into getting a Nikon D5000 refurb this winter but im still undecided. Im going to be shooting alot of low-light, high speed targets, and landscapes. Noise is a big concern for me, the exact reason im not looking at a D90. I have been coming up with a list of pros and cons, please correct me if im wrong.

PROS
1- uses the same sensor as the pro grade cameras with out much of a price difference.
2-not extremely heavy or bulky
3- should last me for years and years
4- remote control shutter
5- Flip down LCD. Should be great for when using the remote
6- live mode on the LCD. Every now and then i do some shots with a helmet on. extremely handy

CONS
1- At the limit of my price range. Not alot of money left for lenses.
2- known for a bit of a shutter speed delay
3- firmware defect
4- built in flash
5- So-So for crappy lighting. im not sure if dusk is considered in this.

If you have anything to add please do so.

 

[KmH]

Im looking into getting a Nikon D5000 refurb this winter but im still undecided. Im going to be shooting alot of low-light, high speed targets, and landscapes. Noise is a big concern for me, the exact reason im not looking at a D90. I have been coming up with a list of pros and cons, please correct me if im wrong.

PROS
1- uses the same sensor as the pro grade cameras with out much of a price difference.
2-not extremely heavy or bulky
3- should last me for years and years
4- remote control shutter
5- Flip down LCD. Should be great for when using the remote
6- live mode on the LCD. Every now and then i do some shots with a helmet on. extremely handy

CONS
1- At the limit of my price range. Not alot of money left for lenses.
2- known for a bit of a shutter speed delay
3- firmware defect
4- built in flash
5- So-So for crappy lighting. im not sure if dusk is considered in this.

If you have anything to add please do so.

The D5000 is short on high ISO performance for shooting low-light, fast-moving subjects, even with costly wide aperture, constant zoom lenses.

Pros
1. Sorry! But the D5000 doesn't use the same sensor as the pro cameras, but it has the same sensor as the D90 (entry-level) and D300s (prosumer). It has a lower quality (less expensive) low-pass filter in front of the sensor than the D90 and D300s have, which is part of the reason the D5000 has less ISO performance.

3. The shutter is rated at 100,000 actuations. If you shoot an average 1000 photos a month, you'll hit that rating in 8.33 years. 2000 average shots a month, 1/2 that or 4.15 years. To have a shutter replaced today runs about $300.

Cons
3. Update the firmware if it needs it..
4. All, except the 2 pro cameras the D3s and D3x, have built-in flash.

 

[TheFantasticG]

The D90 and D5000 have the exact same sensor. They have the exact same ISO performance. The D90 has more bells & whistles, like built in commander mode for instance, but can't meter with AI lenses.

Don't let the marketing terms of "consumer" "pro" "prosumer" and all that B.S. fool you. Thats just for people who get over analytical and hung up on specs and whatnot. Look at the options and functions each camera has. It's up to you to figure out which camera fits your needs the best. No one on this forum knows you better than you, so go figure that it is up to you to figure out which camera you need. There are plenty of "pros" out there using "consumer" cameras to make "money" so, there ya go.

With all that being said, take opinions and reviews with a grain of salt as most are written with some kind of built in biased.

 

[orb9220]

"Im going to be shooting alot of low-light, high speed targets, and landscapes. Noise is a big concern for me, the exact reason im not looking at a D90."

Yep total FUD as they have the same sensor. And would easily chose the D90 over the D5000 for a multitude of reasons. But main is more controls and features for the high demand changing environment that you describe.

D90 - 3200iso - Handheld - No Post or in-cam NR


Heading Home by orb9220, on Flickr

Would be more concerned with getting fast glass to maximize low light ability.
.

 

[stroker]

Thanks for clearing up the D90/D5000 thing. Maybe it was the D60 that i was thinking of. Both of you said that you liked the D90 for better ergonomics. What are the main differences? Is there anything about the D5000 controls that really set it back enough to where i should stay away? The D90 is a little out of my price range.

 

[KmH]

Thanks for clearing up the D90/D5000 thing. Maybe it was the D60 that i was thinking of. Both of you said that you liked the D90 for better ergonomics. What are the main differences? Is there anything about the D5000 controls that really set it back enough to where i should stay away? The D90 is a little out of my price range.

There are no financial adjustments you can make in your lifestyle, that would allow you save up enough to get a used or refurbished D90?

The D90 and the D5000 do not have the same low-pass filter in front of the image sensor, and they do not have identical ISO performance as seen here: DxOMark - Compare sensors

 

[stroker]

Thanks for clearing up the D90/D5000 thing. Maybe it was the D60 that i was thinking of. Both of you said that you liked the D90 for better ergonomics. What are the main differences? Is there anything about the D5000 controls that really set it back enough to where i should stay away? The D90 is a little out of my price range.

There are no financial adjustments you can make in your lifestyle, that would allow you save up enough to get a used or refurbished D90?

The D90 and the D5000 do not have the same low-pass filter in front of the image sensor, and they do not have identical ISO performance as seen here: DxOMark - Compare sensors

I might this winter when the shooting season is over. Right now im trying to keep good a avg. so i can get sponsored later on. When im not shooting at all this winter i will save around $30 a week. I should be able to save enough during the winter to get the camera i really want.

The main things i need in a DSLR are; Fast shutter speed( fast enough to capture a bullet with no blur), Good ISO for high contrast photos with minimal noise(black background with bright subject) and be able to shoot HDR. Some nice things to have would be a remote, light weight, for it to have live mode, and a sensor on par with the D3.

Nikon really isnt giving me any options that are under $1,000. Im going to look into cannon and sony. I have 3 lenses that will work on some sony DSLRs.

 

[TheFantasticG]

The D90 and the D5000 do not have the same low-pass filter in front of the image sensor, and they do not have identical ISO performance as seen here: DxOMark - Compare sensors

I didn't say anything about the low-pass filter. I said the same sensor. And according to the DxO the D90 did score overall slightly better than the D5000... by 1 point. In real world images, you are not going to see a difference between the images. Pixel peep at 500% magnification all you want, but for all intensive purposes, they produce the same image quality, ISO, and whatnot.

Besides, OP is going back to Sony or Canon

 

[orb9220]

Yep way too many scrutinize sensor and pixel peeping. When just as important and less considered is handling,controls and features. I even consider more dedicated controls and additional features as worthy upgrade in and itself . And the problem that many run into 6 months down the line is lack of controls or a feature they really need. I lasted 9 months before I NEEDED to upgrade. They find lack of in body motor or always having to dig in the menus to change a setting or needing bracketing,faster FPS,etc.. a real pita. I know I did.

So for anyone that says they want to learn photography as a serious hobby or end up planning to become a photographer. Then I tell them to start out right with a capable body they can grow into. And that is not the cheapest entry-level consumer models.
.

 

[Shane Anderson]

Im looking into getting a Nikon D5000 refurb this winter but im still undecided. Im going to be shooting alot of low-light, high speed targets, and landscapes. Noise is a big concern for me, the exact reason im not looking at a D90. I have been coming up with a list of pros and cons, please correct me if im wrong.

PROS
1- uses the same sensor as the pro grade cameras with out much of a price difference. If you mean the D90/D300 then yes.
2-not extremely heavy or bulky Yes
3- should last me for years and years Yes
4- remote control shutter Yes, have to purchase separately
5- Flip down LCD. Should be great for when using the remote Yes, depends a bit on what you're doing.
6- live mode on the LCD. Every now and then i do some shots with a helmet on. extremely handy Yes, but contrast detection autofocus used in liveview mode is VERY slow

CONS
1- At the limit of my price range. Not alot of money left for lenses.
2- known for a bit of a shutter speed delay Not sure what you're talking about
3- firmware defect I believe there were firmware bugs in some early batches, but anything from late 2008 onward should be OK
4- built in flash Not sure why this is a con?
5- So-So for crappy lighting. im not sure if dusk is considered in this. Probably depends more on the lens than the camera. I've got great images of indoor motorsport with a 70-200 2.8.

If you have anything to add please do so.

See my responses above.

It's the last iteration of that sensor from Nikon and from what I've seen it's about as good as the D90/D300 for noise/ISO. Certainly those higher end cameras won't be any worse, so you shouldn't discount them except if you are on a strict budget.

You mentioned high speed targets - max shutter speed is 1/4000 - the D300 and higher go to 1/8000. Also autofocus would be better on D300 or higher, and they go to higher frame rates 4/4.5 for D5000/D90, up to 7 or 8 with D300.

If you really are on a strict budget, I think the D5000 would be adequate. The D90 buys you some more features but probably not any image quality or performance.

 

[stroker]

Okay so i looked into sony and canon reviews last night. The options were even worse for my price range. Back to Nikon i guess.

How fast of an object will the D5000 capture without a blur? Im wanting to capture objects going up to and maybe over 2,000fps.

 

[KmH]

Okay so i looked into sony and canon reviews last night. The options were even worse for my price range. Back to Nikon i guess.

How fast of an object will the D5000 capture without a blur? Im wanting to capture objects going up to and maybe over 2,000fps.

You don't do that with shutter speed, you do it with strobed light (flash).

The Nikon SB-600 strobe light has a flash duration of approximately 1/25,000 of a second at 1/64th power output.
Do the math. Hint: 2000 fps = 24,000 ips (inches per second)

 

[KmH]

....according to the DxO the D90 did score overall slightly better than the D5000... by 1 point.

The low pass filter effects the ISO performance, the sharpness of each image, and in part, the cost of each camera.

DxoMark numbers for ISO are:

D90 - 977 ISO
D5000 - 868 ISO

The OP had a specific concern related to ISO performance.

 

[stroker]

KmH, What exactly does the strobe light have to do with speed? Is it for getting the needed light for exposure in such a short ammount of time or am i wayy off base?

 

[TheFantasticG]

Split hairs and pixel peep all you want Keith, but stroker isn't going to see a difference between the two in ISO, IQ, or anything else in his images taken outside of the lab conditions with a D90 and D5000.

Compare features side-by-side and decide which best fits your needs Stroker.