Foreword:

The Nikon D5000 is a new breed of DSLR camera. It features a 12.3 megapixel sensor working in tandem with the EXPEED image processing system. It can also record HD movies at 1280×720 pixels with the D-Movie function. The camera has a 2.7 inch vari-angle LCD display that makes it easier for you to compose shots from difficult angles. The extensive ISO range of 100-6400 should be enough for most lighting conditions. There are a lot more amazing shooting features to help you get beautiful images including a 4fps burst shooting mode, 100,000-cycle shutter unit, quiet shooting mode, an 11-point autofocus system with 3D Focus Tracking, and Active D-Lighting.

+Ves:

• Comfortable mid-size body with pivoting LCD screen
• Very good color accuracy and long exposure results
• Outperformed all cameras in our comparison group; noise reduction filter unusually effective
• Low distortion with kit lens; wide dynamic range
• Extensive selection of presets including multiple fluorescent options
• Articulated LCD allows shooting from varied angles using Live View
• Highly customizable Picture Controls; lots of scene modes; sophisticated autofocus system
• Nice combination of comfort and portability; extensive online tutorials. Few buttons to access shooting settings directly
• Very low noise levels
• Natively progressive 24p frame rate limits trailing and blur
• Good low light color, decent low light sensitivity, excellent low light noise results
• Multi-angle LCD is a lifesaver for shooting video

-Ves:

• Not many buttons for direct access to settings
• Plastic feel
• Some color shifting with reds and oranges
• Image sharpness is disappointing
• Less accurate than others in our test group
• Rudimentary slideshow capability
• No autofocus motor in camera
• No depth of field preview
• Few buttons to access shooting settings directly
• Color accuracy was only average, overall image was too bright
• Sharpness is limited by 1280 x 720 maximum image resolution
• ISO adjustment isn’t available for video
• Many controls don’t work with video mode

Final Word:

The Nikon D5000 DSLR is a great camera that makes possible a wonderful blend of simplicity and fun, plus beautiful image quality. If you are upgrading from your old camera and you can spend that extra cash, this camera is definitely worth it. It has a very easy and simple to use interface with the buttons very well placed. The D5000 can be said as a scaled-down D90 squeezed into a smaller and lighter body. It is not as powerful though but it has additional editing tools and scene modes that are both useful and fun to learn.