Just over six months after launching the D90 - the first DSLR to offer video capture - Nikon has released a second video-enabled model, the D5000. Positioned between the D60 and D90 models, this new DSLR combines features of them both. It's priced $200 below the D90 and has the same 12.3-megapixel (effective) resolution but lacks many of the refinements of the higher-priced model. Click here for a table showing the main differences between the three models.
In almost every way, the D5000 is an 'in-betweener' model. The main factor that distinguishes the D5000 from Nikon's the entry-level models is that its shutter unit is rated for 100,000 cycles. Entry-level models' shutter units aren't rated and professional shutters are usually rated for at least 150,000 cycles so the D5000's rating serves as a positioning statement as much as any other feature.
Nikon has introduced a new Quiet Shooting mode which subdues the sound of the shutter release and other internal mechanisms when a shot is taken. Designed for use in situations like wedding ceremonies, concerts and for photographing sleeping children, it is also ideal for candid photography when you don't wish to attract attention.
Physically the D5000 could be classed as a small-sized DSLR. Although it's larger and 65 grams heavier than the D60, it's marginally smaller and 60 grams lighter than the D90. Build quality is similar to the D60 - and pretty good for its target market - although much of the camera is made from polycarbonate. However, like the D60, the D5000's body lacks a built-in autofocusing motor, which won't suit owners of older Nikkor lenses who would like to use them on the new body.
Front view of the Nikon D5000 with the 18-55mm kit lens. (Source: Nikon.)
Rear view showing the articulating LCD monitor. (Source: Nikon.)
The most obvious advantage the D5000 has is its articulating 2.7-inch monitor, which swings down through 180 degrees and swivels through 360 degrees, allowing it to be reversed on the rear panel. This adjustability is great for shots where you want to hold the camera above your head or below your waist. However, the display is smaller than the D90's 3-inch screen and significantly lower in resolution (only 230,000 dots, compared with 920,000 dots on the D90).
Despite its slightly chunky appearance, the camera body will fit comfortably in most hands; the grip is reasonably user-friendly and key controls lie within easy reach. The viewfinder is a step up from Nikon's entry-level models - although smaller and more cramped than the D90's.
The top panel is pretty standard, with the pop-up flash covering roughly half the area. A hot shoe allows accessory flash units to be fitted - and will also accept the optional GP-1 GPS unit (RRP $499). Right of the flash are the mode dial, Info and exposure compensation buttons. The shutter button sits well forward on the grip, surrounded by the on/off lever. Behind the shutter button at the interface between the top and rear panels sits the single control dial with the AE/AF lock button to its left. The delete button lies at the opposite end of the panel.
The top panel of the D5000 showing the location of the key controls. (Source: Nikon.)
The pop-up flash lifts to approximately 80 mm above the lens axis and has a guide number of 17-18 (metres at ISO 200). It's raised automatically in the auto and some scene modes but otherwise can be lifted by pressing a button just left of the flash head. The flash can be used with lenses with focal lengths of 18-300 mm but, with a minimum range of 60 cm, it's unsuitable for use with macro lenses. The camera supports the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) and can be used with the CLS-compatible SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, SB-400 and SB-R200 flash units.
The D5000's battery has the same form factor (and charger) as the D40 and D60 but its 1080 mAh capacity allows it to support a few more shots/charge, although nowhere near as many as the D90's battery. Like most recently-released Nikon DSLRs, the D5000 uses SD (including high-capacity SDHC) cards for image storage. The card compartment is located in the right side panel and has a sliding, non-lockable door.
A metal-lined tripod socket is located in the base plate, in line with the lens axis. The D5000 also carries a socket for connecting the GP-1 GPS data logger, along with an HDMI multimedia interface.
Interestingly, instead of targeting photo enthusiasts, Nikon is pitching its advertising for this model at families who want a camera they can 'grow with' and makes the addition of video an important feature. This is probably a good strategy, since there are a number of things the D5000 lacks that most enthusiasts will require (see below).
Fortunately, as a first DSLR for anybody moving up from a compact digicam, the new model has a lot going for it. Like the D90, it offers Live View shooting, but with four autofocusing options instead of three: normal, wide area, face priority and a new subject tracking mode. The autofocusing system switches to contrast detection in Live View mode and is, therefore, noticeably slower than using the viewfinder.
In the normal and wide area modes you can use the multi-selector to move the focus point around the frame. In face priority mode, a double yellow border will be displayed when the camera detects a face in the frame. For up to five faces (the maximum detectable), the camera will focus on the closest subject.
With subject tracking, the camera will track the subject nearest the centre of the frame when shooting is initiated. The focus point will turn yellow when the subject is sharp and the camera will start tracking the subject as it moves through the frame.
The system is reasonably effective, although it can take a while for the camera to initiate focus and tracking won't take place if subjects are small, moving quickly or indistinguishable from the background. Tracking can also fail in very bright or very dark situations or when subjects move quickly towards or away from the camera.
Shooting data can be overlaid on the Live View image in both D-Movie and still capture modes. (Source: Nikon.)
The graphic data display inherited from the D40, which shows users the effects of different camera settings, will also be useful for DSLR novices, as will the illustrated scene modes that show users what camera settings match typical subject types. Simply being aware of this information can help users to learn more about picture-taking. The auto rotation of the display to match the camera's orientation will also be welcomed by some.
The graphic display on the D5000 shows the effect of changing aperture settings. (Source: Nikon.)
Auto rotation turns the display when the camera is held vertically for portrait format shots. (Source: Nikon.)
The classic display showing full shooting data. (Source: Nikon.)
Although photographers looking to upgrade from a D60 may be attracted by the Live View and video functions, these potential purchasers should think seriously about whether the D5000 will truly meet their needs or if they should spend a little more for the more sophisticated D90 (RRP $1699 for body only). Here's a list of D90 features that are much better than their equivalents on the D5000.
1. Autofocusing with non-AFS lenses (which means most of Nikon's prime lenses and older Nikkor lenses). Without an internal autofocus motor, these lenses can only be used with manual focusing. If you're stepping up to digital from a film-based system this could mean purchasing a new suite of lenses.
2. A larger, higher resolution monitor. Sure, the D5000's monitor is highly adjustable; but for checking focus and exposure and seeing image details, a 230,000-dot display is no match for one with more than three times the resolution.
3. Two command dials. The D5000 has only one and this adds complexity to adjusting some controls. You have to change settings using the menu or Fn button and, depending on how (or whether) you've set up the Custom Functions, this will probably mean you end up rarely adjusting the shooting parameters - or simply use the auto and scene mode settings. (And you will probably miss shots and you won't master the basic tools of successful photography if you rely entirely on these modes.)
4. High battery capacity. At 510 shots/charge, the D5000 doesn't do much better than the D60 in this respect and is well behind the D90's 850 shots per charge.
5. The ability to fit the optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10.
Movie Capture
The D5000's video recording capabilities are essentially the same as the D90's. Movies can be recorded at 24 fps in Live View mode and the capture sequence is identical to the D90. Before embarking on video capture you must select the desired recording mode from the Movie Settings sub-menu in the shooting menu. Three options are provided: 1280 x 720 (16:9), 640 x 424 (3:2) and 320 x 216 (3:2). You can also turn the sound recording on or off (the default setting is ON).
A typical video shooting sequence operates as follows:
1. Set the camera to Live View mode by pressing the LV button.
2. Focus on the subject by half-pressing the shutter button if you're in autofocus mode; otherwise focus manually. Shooting can't begin until the camera has focused and the focus is locked at the start of the recording. Once recording begins, you can only focus manually.
3. Press the OK button in the centre of the arrow pad to start recording.
4. To stop recording, press OK again.
Most shooting modes can be used for recording video clips and a recording indicator and the remaining time available are displayed in the monitor. Exposure can be locked by pressing the AE-L/AF-L button or adjusted by up to ±3 EV in steps of 1/3 EV in P, S, and A modes with the exposure compensation control. Pressing the shutter release takes a still picture (at the pre-set stills resolution) while the video is being recorded.
Each movie file can be up to 2 GB in size. The maximum clip length is five minutes for movies with a frame size of 1280 × 720 or 20 minutes for other movies.
Playing back recorded video clips is simple. Press the LV button a second time to disengage Live View then press the review button. Use the arrow pad to select the clip you wish to play and press OK to start and stop the video playback.
Playback of video clips from the D5000 is supported by QuickTime and Windows Media Player.
Menu Customisation
In addition to 23 Custom functions, the D5000 offers a choice of two custom menus: a Recent Settings menu consisting of the 20 most recently used settings, added to the top of the menu in the order they are used, and My Menu, a customised list of options. The Recent Settings list (the default) is located on page six of the main menu (the sixth tag down from the top left side of the main page). A Choose Tab setting at the end of the Recent Settings menu takes you to the My Menu alternative.
Menu customisation options.
The Recent Settings list.
Add-items options in the My Menu mode.
In the My Menu mode you can create a list of up to 20 settings from the playback, shooting, Custom functions, setup, and retouch menus by selecting Add Items and them going to the menu pages and selecting new items. You can also rank items in order and delete those you use only infrequently.
Sensor and Image Processing
According to Nikon, the sensor in the D5000 is the same CMOS chip as in the D90, with a total photosite count of 12.9 million, of which 12.3 million are used in high-resolution images. Pixel pitch is approximately 5.5 microns, which is the same as the D90 and large enough to provide a wide dynamic range and good high-sensitivity performance. Nikon's Integrated Dust Reduction System is included.
The sensor unit for the Nikon D5000. (Source: Nikon.)
The EXPEED image processor is similar to the one used in the D90 and there's only one NEF.RAW option - with 12-bit colour depth and lossless compression. File sizes in the D5000 are slightly smaller than in the D90 but the same three image sizes are supported for JPEGs: 4288 x 2848 (L), 3216 x 2136 (M) and 2144 x 1424 (S). Both cameras claim JPEG compression ratios of 1:4 for the Fine setting, 1:8 for the Normal setting and 1:16 for the Basic setting. The table below shows typical file sizes for each of the resolution/quality settings provided.
|
Image quality |
Image size |
File size |
Buffer capacity |
|
NEF.RAW12-bit (4288 x 2848 pixels) |
- |
10.6MB |
11 shots |
|
NEF+JPEG Fine |
L |
16.7MB |
7 shots |
|
M |
14.0MB |
7 shots |
|
S |
12.1MB |
7 shots |
|
NEF+JPEG Normal |
L |
13.4MB |
7 shots |
|
M |
12.3MB |
7 shots |
|
S |
11.3MB |
7 shots |
|
NEF+JPEG Basic |
L |
12.0MB |
7 shots |
|
M |
11.5MB |
7 shots |
|
S |
10.6MB |
7 shots |
|
JPEG Fine (4288 x 2848 pixels) |
L |
5.9MB |
63 shots |
|
M |
3.3MB |
100 shots |
|
S |
1.5MB |
100 shots |
|
JPEG Normal (3216 x 2136 pixels) |
L |
3.0MB |
100 shots |
|
M |
1.7MB |
100 shots |
|
S |
0.8MB |
100 shots |
|
JPEG Basic (2144 x 1424 pixels) |
L |
1.5MB |
100 shots |
|
M |
0.9MB |
100 shots |
|
S |
0.4MB |
100 shots |
Two types of noise reduction processing are provided, separately covering long exposures and high ISO settings. When Long Exp. NR is turned on, all exposures longer than eight seconds are processed by default. Dark-frame subtraction appears to be involved in this mode as image processing times are roughly doubled.
High ISO NR suppression can be set to High, Normal or Low levels or switched off. Processing kicks in at ISO 800 with the On setting and at HI 0.3 and above when Off is selected. We observed little or no effect on processing times with any of the levels selected.
Playback
Playback options for stills are pretty standard and include full-frame display, four- , nine- or 72-shot thumbnail index views or Calendar playback showing all images taken on selected days. By default, shooting data is shown below images displayed in full-frame playback and you can toggle through eight display options, which include brightness and RGB histograms, GPS data, highlight alert and three levels of shooting data overlaid on the image.
Playback zoom (up to 27x) is accessed via the third and fourth buttons left of the monitor. Turning the command dial lets you zoom in on faces (up to 10 can be detected). Slideshow playback is also supported and users can select shots for protection or deletion and apply DPOF tagging via the Print set function. The playback menu can also be used to switch auto rotation of vertical shots on or off.
D-Movie clips are displayed on the camera's monitor when you press the OK button. This button also pauses and resumes playback. You can advance or rewind by pressing the horizontal button on the arrow pad and adjust the audio volume with the third and fourth buttons left of the monitor. Half-pressing the camera's shutter button exits playback and sets the camera to shooting mode.
In-camera 'retouching' facilities include a Quick Retouch setting that automatically creates a copy of the image with enhanced saturation and contrast - plus D-Lighting adjustment, if required to brighten dark or backlit subjects. These corrections are globally adjustable. Separate D-Lighting and red-eye corrections, trimming, straightening, perspective control, small picture conversion (for emailing) are also provided. You can also create copies with reduced peripheral distortion (useful with ultra-wide lenses) or simulate the effects of fish-eye lenses. A new colour outline function lets you create an outline of the subject that is similar to a pencil sketch.
NEF.RAW conversion lets you create JPEG copies with straightened horizons, adjusted colour balance and exposure compensation, while image overlay allows users to combine two NEF.RAW images to create a single image that is saved separately. It's handy for subjects with a high dynamic range.
Side-by-side comparison of two shots is also possible and you can also add monochrome or filter effects. The latter include simulating the effects of skylight filters, warm tone effects, red, green and blue intensifiers, softening filters and cross screen filters for starburst effects. You can also create small copies (VGA, QVGA or QQVGA size) of JPEG images for emailing. In all cases, the adjusted images are saved as separate files with the header changed to make them easy to identify.
Finally, selecting Stop-Motion Movie lets you create a stop-motion movie from photographs taken with the camera. These movies can include up to 100 photographs as long as the shots haven't been cropped or copied. In playback mode, the images appear at full frame size and users can set the frame rate, pause, rewind or fast-forward the movie via the arrow pad.
Output Options & Software
While providing the same USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, PictBridge and PAL/NTSC selectable video connections as its competitors, the D5000 comes with a Type C HDMI terminal that enables video clips to be played back from the camera on a suitably-equipped HD TV set. A separate Type C cable is required and users can select from auto connection (where the camera selects the appropriate format) to one of three progressive-scan format or 1080i (interlaced). The camera's monitor switches off when an HDMI device is connected.
The supplied software disk contains the same applications as other Nikon DSLRs offer: Apple Quicktime, Nikon Transfer, Nikon View NX, Picture Control Utility and DirectX 9, along with links to Nikon's website where buyers can download 30-day trials of Capture NX and Camera Control Pro 2. We've already covered these applications in reviews of the D300 and D60 (INSERT LINKS). D5000 owners can also take advantage of Nikon's my Picturetown online photo management service.
Performance
For our field shots using the camera body plus the supplied AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR and AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED lenses, we decided to see whether shooting with the camera set on the full auto mode would use the exposure parameters we would select under a range of different conditions. In most cases, the camera's 'choices' of lens aperture, shutter speed and ISO were close to the settings we would have used, although we noticed a tendency for the camera to select wider apertures than we would have chosen for some shots, particularly backlit subjects.
Photographs taken with the review camera showed most of the characteristics of Nikon's DSLRs. Exposures were well-positioned, colours looked natural and saturation was slightly elevated but not to the extent that pictures looked excessively colour-rich with the default standard Picture Control setting. The Active D-Lighting function ensured highlight and shadow details were recorded adequately in JPEG shots.
Imatest showed resolution to be up to expectations for a 12-megapixel camera - but only for NEF.RAW images (which were converted to TIFF format in Nikon View NX software). JPEG image files recorded resolution levels slightly below expectations in our Imatest tests. The default conversion settings in Nikon View NX emphasised the slight colour shifts in skin hues we found in JPEG files.
Lateral chromatic aberration was consistently negligible in all our Imatest tests and we found no evidence of coloured fringing in any test shots. Resolution remained high at all ISO settings and the gap between NEF.RAW and JPEG performance remained consistent. The graph below shows the results of our tests.
Video quality was almost identical to the D90's with sharp, detailed pictures at the 1280 x 720 (16:9) setting but uninspiring sound quality. Best results were obtained when the camera was tripod-mounted and with slow-moving or stationary subjects, because then we could use the manual focus to keep the subject sharp. This is essential with subjects moving towards or away from the camera and when using the zoom control on any lenses.
The review camera's auto white balance performance was similar to the D90's. Shots taken under fluorescent lighting had a faint green colour cast, while subjects photographed under incandescent lighting showed a noticeable orange bias. Both in-camera pre-sets over-corrected slightly but manual measurement produced natural colour rendition under both types of lighting. Furthermore, it was easy to tune out colour casts with the in-camera controls before taking shots and also to correct colour casts with editing software.
The built-in flash on the review camera was able to illuminate an average-sized room at all ISO settings. Flash exposures were also consistent throughout the camera's ISO range. Colour noise became apparent at ISO 3200 but overall noise was low right up to ISO 1600.
Autofocusing was reasonably fast when the viewfinder was used for shot composition but fairly slow in Live View mode, where contrast-detection AF using the main imaging sensor is the only option. However, the Face Detection worked reasonably well notwithstanding, although the Subject Tracking function was hard pressed to keep up with anything moving faster than a moderate walking pace.
When you take a shot, the image remains on the monitor for approximately 5.5 seconds, although it disappears if you press the shutter button again. There's no setting in the Custom Function menu to change this and we feel it may add a little to the shot-to-shot delay time (which averaged 1.6 seconds in our tests). We measured an average capture lag of 0.5 seconds, which was eliminated with pre-focusing. It took 2.2 seconds on average to process each JPEG file, 3.1 seconds for each NEF.RAW file and 4.1 seconds for each RAW+JPEG pair.
In continuous shooting mode, the review camera recorded 10 high-resolution JPEGS in 2.6 seconds, slowing slightly after the sixth shot (which indicated some processing was taking place). It took 9.9 seconds to process this burst. When set to record NEF.RAW files, the camera captured six images in 1.2 seconds and took 13.1 seconds to process them. For RAW+JPEG pairs, the camera also recorded six shots in 1.2 seconds but took 19.9 seconds to process them.
Buy this camera if:
- You want to upgrade from a compact digicam and require a similar suite of shooting modes. - You'd really appreciate the articulating monitor and Live View capabilities.
- You want a wide range of post-capture, in-camera image adjustments.
- You want the option of shooting raw files - and RAW+JPEG.
- You require superior high-ISO performance.
Don't buy this camera if:
- You've out-grown scene modes and want a sophisticated suite of semi-professional camera controls. (The D90 will be a better investment).
- You have legacy lenses from Nikon film cameras that you'd like to use on a new DSLR body. (Autofocusing won't be possible with some older lenses.)
- You plan to make extensive use of the video recording facilities. (Video is a fun gimmick you'll spend a while playing with. But you'll soon tire of the novelty an rarely use it. Furthermore the relatively poor audio quality of this camera will soon disappoint.)
- You require fast autofocusing and focus tracking in Live View mode.
IMATEST GRAPHS
JPEG image files
Raw image files converted into 16-bit TIFF format with View NX.
SAMPLE IMAGES
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
Close-up shot with AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens (48mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/125 second at f/5.6.)
Flash exposure, ISO 200. (AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens; 55mm focal length 1/60 second)
Flash exposure, ISO 3200. (AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens; 55mm focal length 1/60 second)
Flash exposure, Hi 1 ISO setting (ISO 6400). (AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens; 55mm focal length 1/60 second)
30-second exposure at f/4; ISO 200. (AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens; 50mm focal length)
30-second exposure at f/22; ISO 3200 no noise reduction.
30-second exposure at f/22; ISO 3200 plus long exposure and high sensitivity noise reduction processing.
Mixed lighting: (AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens; ISO 400, 18mm focal length 1/80 second at f/4.5.)
Action shot with the AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED lens and the camera set for full auto exposure. (150mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/500 second at f/5.6.)
Note: See separate reviews for details of the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR and AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED lenses, which will be offered as options in the D5000 kits. Additional sample images can be found at the end of these reviews.