Nikon D5000 Review

Now let's delve into more details of our Nikon D5000 review by assessing its features and specs, as well as checking what pros and cons it has compared to other average products in this category.

Nikon D5000 comes with Expeed processor. This model also boasts of a resolution of 12.0 MP and is equipped with a APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sized CMOS sensor.

The base of Nikon D5000 has the following ISO range 200 - 3200 and it also comes with a possibility of extending this indicator to 6400.

Also, this model comes with the support of the RAW file. This gives you more opportunities in terms of further processing of your files as you can pick to save them in a RAW format.

Nikon D5000 features a 12.0 MP APS-C sensor, which is not a good pick for high-quality and detailed pictures. However, we have an alternative option for you if you were looking for higher resolution.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

DxOMark gives us a possibility to make a clear and scientific assessment of the quality of camera sensors’ image. Nikon D5000, in its turn, features a sensor that was already studied and assessed by DxO Mark. After a complete evaluation, this type of sensor has received a score of 72 for the image quality. If you are looking to see how DxO Mark has tested and evaluated the Nikon D5000’s sensor.

Anti-Aliasing Filter

Nikon D5000 is known for the lack of anti-alias (Low-pass) filter. It is one of its essential features of the sensor built in this model. The absence of this filter contributes to a higher level of details and sharpness in the pictures you take. Yet, the lack of an anti-alias filter also enhances the possibility of more occurring in certain conditions.

Now let’s check how we can compare the size of APS-C sensor featured in Nikon D5000 with other standard sensor sizes.

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LCD and ViewFinder

Nikon D5000 is equipped with a Fully Articulated 2.7" LCD screen. The resolution of this model’s screen reaches 230k dots.

In addition, this model comes with a built-in Optical (pentamirror) ViewFinder.

The ViewFinder in D5000 has quite nice characteristic. Its magnification ratio is 0.52x and it also provides a coverage of 95%.

Some of the main reasons why the OVF presented in this model is a handy tool are that it allows you to see a scene without any time lag or resolution limits. Besides, it also ensures the highest level of clarity that can be elaborated by the lens and the human eye. Who can benefit from this feature? The OVF is especially handy when shooting sports events. This smart system will allow photographers to see action instantly and figure out what is the right timing for capturing a specific moment.

Max Shutter speed

Some of the other highlights of Nikon D5000 are its 4.0 fps max speed and 1/4000 sec max shutter speed, which allow you to shoot continuously.

Flash

D5000 features both an embedded flash and a flash shoe, which means that you can use both built-in and external flashes depending on your needs.

Focusing

One more highlight that makes Nikon D5000 stand out is the fact that it features two smart AutoFocusing systems. One of these systems is called Phase Detection and the other one is Contrast Detection. Both features stand for higher accuracy and focus speed in different situations. With the smart AutoFocus system presented in this model, photographers can choose from 11 points.

In addition, D5000 has a Face detection AF feature that quickly finds the faces that appear within the frame range and locks the focus on them automatically.

Video Features

As for the video quality characteristics of Nikon D5000, it gives you a possibility to shoot videos at the highest resolution of 1280 x 720 You also have enough flexibility in terms of how you can save your files. Namely, Nikon D5000 allows you to save files in Motion JPEG formats.

Comparing the technical characteristics of this model with the modern standards, we have to admit that 1280 x 720 is a rather poor indicator of video resolution. However, if you are looking for a camera that has 4K video support, we recommend you to consider our Cheapest Camera with 4K video.

Nikon D5000 is not equipped with any ports that would allow you to connect external headphones and microphones to it.

Connectivity and Storage

You can connect D5000 to compatible devices via its USB 2.0 or HDMI ports.

Battery Life

In concordance with generally accepted CIPA standards, the battery featured in Nikon D5000 provides a shooting life of 510, while the average battery life of cameras in this class is 588 shots.

With the commonly accepted standards in mind, we can conclude that Nikon D5000 is above the average indicator of battery life. However, we believe it is still a great idea to grab a few extra batteries if you are planning long photo trips.

In this part of our review, we are going to focus on Nikon D5000’s performance in various fields of photography. Each sub-section stands for a specific photography area. In every part, we will review Nikon D5000’s name performance and give it an overall score. This first spider web graph indicates how we can compare the D5000 to the average DSLR camera.

Hover your mouse over the points to see the score details for each photography type.

Nikon D5000 for Portrait Photography

After carefully reviewing how well Nikon D5000 performs Portrait Photography, we gave it a score of 67. Compared to scores of other cameras from the same class, Nikon D5000 can be called a Strong model for this type of photography.

If the score of this model doesn’t impress you and you are still looking for a model that is better suited for Portrait Photography, we recommend you to check out our Top 10 Cameras for Portrait Photography.

Nikon D5000 for Street Photography

After carefully reviewing how well Nikon D5000 performs Street Photography, we gave it a score of 76. Compared to scores of other cameras from the same class, Nikon D5000 can be called a Strong model for this type of photography.

Nikon D5000 for Sports Photography

After carefully reviewing how well Nikon D5000 performs Sports Photography, we gave it a score of 72. Compared to scores of other cameras from the same class, Nikon D5000 can be called a 72 model for this type of photography.

Nikon D5000 for Daily Photography

After carefully reviewing how well Nikon D5000 performs Daily Photography, we gave it a score of 55. Compared to scores of other cameras from the same class, Nikon D5000 can be called a Strong model for this type of photography.

Nikon D5000 for Landscape Photography

After carefully reviewing how well Nikon D5000 performs Landscape Photography, we gave it a score of 85. Compared to scores of other cameras from the same class, Nikon D5000 can be called a 85 model for this type of photography.

If the score of this model doesn’t impress you and you are still looking for a model that is better suited for Landscape Photography, we recommend you to check out our Top 10 Cameras for Landscape Photography.