Why I bought the Nikon D5000 and sold off my Nikon D90
I've had a few people email me about my decision to sell off my Nikon D90 to finance the purchase of a brand new Nikon D5000.
Update: Nikon D5000 vs Nikon D90 Compared.
Here are just some of the reasons I did what I did:
- I wanted a smaller camera and lighter camera.
- I wanted to have the convenience of the articulating LCD on the D5000. Very often, I photograph close-ups of subjects near the ground or above my head, and the flip-out LCD makes it so much more easier to perform the task. The D5000 reminds me of how I used to shoot with my Nikon Coolpix 45000.
- I liked that the D5000 has more scene modes than the D90.
I'd often heard about how quiet the shutter and mirror mechanisms were on the Nikon D40 and Nikon D60. The D5000 has the same mechanisms, and it's pure joy to be shooting with a camera that is so very silent.
But here's the caveat: the D5000 won't be suitable for photographers who desire a camera that's easy to shoot events, weddings and fast-paced action with. Some reasons for this follow:
- The D90 makes it so much easier to fine-tune white balance. With the press of a button and a turn of the front dial, you can quickly dial in a warmer (amber, A1 to A6) or cooler (blue, B1 to B6) temperature.
- The D90's pop-up flash is able to wirelessly trigger up to two different groups of CLS-compatible (CLS stands for Nikon's Creative Lighting System wireless flash technology) Nikon flash units such as the Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight Flash, SB-800 and SB-600.
- Most of the critical shooting functions such as the ISO and metering mode can be accessed more directly and quicker on the D90 via buttons and / or dials. You can even program the FUNC (Fn) button on the D90 to quickly bring you to your customized My Menu where you can change, for instance, the amount of Active D-Lighting, High ISO Noise Reduction and other settings that you might have added to the My Menu. This is vital if your shooting conditions change by the minute, if not seconds.
- The brighter and bigger pentaprism viewfinder on the D90 (the D5000 has a pentamirror VF) means you get a clearer image in the VF and will experience less eye fatigue. This is especially important if you have to look through the VF continuously for extended periods of time, exactly the kind of conditions shooting fast-paced weddings will put you in.
- The surer handgrip on the D90 gives greater confidence for shooting the camera handheld while viewing and composing the scene through the viewfinder.
Another big difference between the D90 and D5000 is the D90 has a built-in focus motor that allows you to AF (autofocus) with popular, non AF-S lenses such as the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor and Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor lenses.
You would have to manually focus these lenses on the D5000, but the D5000 makes it slightly easier on you by providing an electronic rangefinder function, a feature that's not available on the D90. This function makes use of the exposure meter in the viewfinder to indicate whether the current focus is in front of, or behind the subject, or whether the focus is spot on.
Given the way I use my own 50/1.8D AF-D lens, which is to take the occasional portrait or product shot, I don't really miss not having the built-in AF motor. Most of the lenses that I've used recently (Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor, Nikon 60mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Micro-Nikkor and Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor lenses), or currently own (Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G VR and Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens), are AF-S lenses anyway.
On the LCD specifications, yes – the LCD on the D90 trumps the D5000's based on the specs. Unlike the very noticeable difference in the viewfinders though, it's extremely difficult to discern any quality variation in the image displayed on the LCDs of the D90 and D5000.
There are a number of individuals, most of them who don't even own or use a D5000, who insist that you'll see jaggies on the D5000's LCD image, and the resolution is so low as to not allow you to judge critical focus in Live View mode, or that you cannot tell if the image is in focus or not in playback mode.
Holding the LCD at normal viewing distances, LCD color, clarity and contrast are, frankly, visually the same between the two cameras. The live image on the D5000's LCD is sharp and detailed enough to allow me to manually focus a Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP A/M 1:1 Macro lens (Nikon mount) on my D5000 on the buttons of my Nikon D90. The lint of the D90's LCD happened to be on approximately the same plane of focus as the buttons, and you can see how sharp the buttons and the lint are.
I dare say that in a blind test, and with the exception of the different physical sizes, you won't be able to distinguish between images displayed in the two LCDs either. Analogies touting the superiority of 1080p LCD monitors or full HD (high-definition) TV over CRT screens cannot be applied here, I'm afraid.
Image quality (even when comparing high ISO photos) from both cameras is the same, as far as I can tell, so should not be a factor in your decision.
Conclusion
In summary, buy the D5000 if you shoot photographs at a leisurely pace (see Note 1), and would enjoy the extremely quiet shutter and find the scene modes to be a great convenience.
Buy the D90 for its far better viewfinder, quicker access to settings and CLS-capable internal flash.
Notes
Note 1: When I said "leisurely pace", I meant that the D5000 is suited to photographers who don't have the requirement to look through the viewfinder for long, uninterrupted periods of time, perhaps to grab that "money shot" of a fast-paced event in progress. For such photographers, the D90 is the better camera simply because you'll get less eye fatigue, as I mentioned, due to its bigger and brighter viewfinder. For those who don't mind waiting for, thinking of and setting up the shot, the D5000 with its tilt LCS would be preferable, in my opinion.
In no way should my use of the word "leisurely" be taken to suggest that the D5000 isn't capable of being used to shoot fast-paced subjects in motion, as I find its AF acquisition speed (and accuracy), and shot-to-shot briskness is the equal of the D90's performance. But don't just take my word for it. Read "muzzy996"'s acount of using the Nikon D5000 plus Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor lens at his son's relay race at school.
May 10th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Hi David,
Glad you're enjoying using the new D5000. Great and fair comparison in your blog above. The articulating LCD is really a joy to use. I've yet to see the digital rangefinder via exposure in action. Maybe you can share how it works.
Regards.
Wesley
May 12th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Great article! I'm thinking of buying one or the other, but now I'm leaning more towards the D5000. Still not totally convinced, though.
Also, I think your site would be much nicer looking and easier to use if you got rid of about 3/4 of the Amazon affiliate links. Just my two cents…
June 6th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Not sure if you mentioned ( i dont think you did) but the d5000 lacks the info screen on the top of the camera which is very useful while shooting and generally as it holds a lot of information.
Very good decription – although i'll be keeping my d90 for now!
thanks
November 9th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
[...] articulating LCD was one of the main reasons I switched from the D90 to the D5000. In my case, shooting video has become a much more comfortable affair since I can hold the camera [...]
January 16th, 2010 at 6:57 am
lovely .
absolutely devine ,
Thank you for taking the efforts of sharing ur Xperience with us .
your article has just saved me big bucks .
January 20th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Hi D90 comes with a rangefinder. Its that little green dot at the bottom left of the VF
Half-press and manual focus the lens. It works for f5.6 and brighter lenses
January 20th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Sorry forgot to add, i like ur article
I would have gotten the d5000 if not for the speed and accessibility of the d90
January 29th, 2010 at 4:55 am
what is the best nikon camera, D90, D3000 or D5000? coz i don't know which one i need to buy…
tnx!
February 6th, 2010 at 11:48 pm
Hi,
thx a lot for sharing your expierience. i cureently own a D60 and in the process to change either to a D5000 or D90
hence your article has gven me a great insight
cheers
Albert
April 9th, 2010 at 7:34 am
Hello, my name is raquel anguiano and your article almost had me convinced to buy a d5000. but im still unsure. i am a beginner at photography and don't own a camera of my own but i have worked a little with the d50 (a friend of mines) and it noticed it was a little slow and the low lighting on it was bad.
hahaha
i am a person that wants a camera that i can do everything with. i want to go to the mountains and take pictures of the flowers and be able to be ready to take a fast pic of a sudden mountain animal that pops up. i want to be able to go on a road trip and be the passenger and pull out my camera quickly to take a picture while the car is motion and get a good shot. i also would like to be a wedding photographer and capture the special details of wedding, which may be tie consuming pics as well as fast paced pics such as when the bouquet is being thrown, and also take awesome pics before the ceremony begins. i want to be able to travel and pull out my camera to take fast pics at any time, on foot or in a vehicle. im also very much interested in taking head shots and close ups of persons and animals such as moving birds etc. Which camera and lens should i get? the d90 or the d5000 or which one? please help!!!!! thank you.
raquel the do it all!!!!
April 9th, 2010 at 11:03 am
Raquel, in your case, I'd recommend the D90 as it's the more suitable camera for action photography. Good luck!
April 9th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
thank you very much for your advice….as the day went by today and i researched and researched more and more, i decided on the d90. and your reply has helped me all the more…
thank you for your time!
Raquel
April 14th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Hey nice article:-)
can u tell of the use of top lcd in dslr i am just 14 and interested in both cameras
April 14th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Sav – the top LCD allows you to quickly glance several key pieces of information such as the ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc.
If you're shooting a lot of fast-paced events and need to quickly know what the value for key settings are, the top LCD is extremely useful.
April 16th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Thanks for rlp,
basically i am interested in landscape photography and both nikon d90 and d5000 have same sensor so the results may be same. So should i buy d5000 or go for d90.
April 16th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Sav, from my experience, the D5000 has the same image quality as the D90, so it should do as a good a job when it comes to landscapes.
I like the D5000's flip-out LCD which makes composing for landscapes easier in Live View mode.
April 16th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Even i love the flip out lcd concept, but i read several reviews on internet and and they are complaining about the dull resolution which may be effect the results because what we see or what we get their could be a difference…:)
April 17th, 2010 at 7:17 am
The LCD on the D5000 has a lower resolution, that's true, but it is not "dull" at all.
It's on par with the D90's as far as judging color and exposure is concerned.
April 22nd, 2010 at 10:17 am
I currently shoot with a Nikon D300 and have a variety of lenses from Tamron, Sigma and Nikon. Most of these lenses will AF with the D5000 with the exception of my nikkor 24-85, nikon 50 f/1.8, Tamron 90 f/2.8. I am looking at a D5000 or a D90 as a back up body. Price for the D5000 is $875, D90 $1200. My shooting preference is varied from action to portraits to landscapes to macro. The D300 obviously does this very well however as i have already mentioned i'm after a backup body. For the price of a D90 i could buy a D5000 and a 35 f/1.8. David does the D5000 sound like the best option?
April 22nd, 2010 at 10:39 am
Ross, if I were in your situation, I'd get the D90 as I'm quite sure I'd heavily use the 50/1.8 for portraits and Tamron 90/2.8 for macros (I use AF if I'm shooting bigger insects, or flowers), and autofocus with those lenses in those situations would be important for me.
For portraits, I still kinda prefer the 50/1.8 over the 35/1.8, especially is you're into head-and-shoulders or waist-above shots.
Of course, if you intend to use the 50/1.8 and Tamron 90/2.8 lenses primarily with the D300, then purchasing the D5000 plus 35/1.8 should be the better option.
Good luck!
April 22nd, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Thanks a lot David for your advice, i'm certainly considering my options. I've added my Flickr site and here's a link to my equipment.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosscampbell/4257433628/
I no longer have the D60 and to be honest i really enjoyed the smaller body. On a daily basis i would take the D60 with me everywhere, especially as i commute quite a long distance to work where there are plenty of opportunities to shoot photos.
As you can see i with my link above the sorts of lenses i would use with the D5000 would be the sigma 30, sigma 50-150, sigma 10-20, tamron 17-50, nikkon 70-300vr.
The one thing that may sway my decision to the D90 is i'm really getting into off camera flash and having wireless TTL built into the D300 is a very handy thing to have, something the D5000 just cant do.
I think the D5000 by a nose.
June 4th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Buy both lah
June 11th, 2010 at 11:57 pm
Good write-up on your perspective of the 2 cameras.
I recently picked up a D5000 to replace my D60 as a backup camera for my D90.(Always have at least 1 backup)
I had expected the D5000 to feel better in my hands than the D60, but for my hands, the D60 actually fits a tad better.
So far I love the image quality, the quiet shutter mode, and the super fast scrolling around a zoomed image; diagonally too! The Auto Lens Distortion Control is pretty cool as well.
My main gripes about the D5000 is that you cannot flip among images with the command wheel right after taking the shot unless you either use the 4-way controller first, or press the play button twice. Oddly enough, my D90 and D60, and I believe also the D40 will flip among images immediately with the command wheel, even if you zoom in on the image after it pops up. Does anyone know if this is an intentional design change or a firmware defect? So far I see no firmware updates.
Also, the 4-way controller button feels the worst among Nikons of recent years. Its just too small and not as well defined. Actually Nikon's cheapest D40/D60 cameras had the best 4-way buttons of all Nikons.
My last gripe is that the frame rate is either single or 4fps. I always keep my other cameras set at 3fps so that I can respond instantly to a need for multiple shots of a scene, and 3fps is easy to take a single shot any other time, whereas 4fps often fires off 2 shots unless you're very fast to release pressure; plus having to be ready to quickly release pressure can compromise your steadiness as the shutter opens. If I can't have the options of either 3 or 4fps, then I'd be happy if the max fps was left at only 3 as is the D60.
July 4th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Excellent Article. However, I wonder whether the Manual Lenses I have will work with the D5000 or will it be easier to just let the D90 motor handle the focussing.
However, the D90 is quite expensive here while the D5000 is a bargain buy.
August 14th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Nishant, the d5000 and d90 will NOT meter with MF lenses. However the D90 WILL AF older AF lenses. to meter with older AI lenses you would need the d300 body for $1,500.