Nikon launched their second VSLR (video DSLR) attack a few weeks ago with the announcement of the 12-megapixel, 720p HD D5000. A D5000 review camera arrived on our doorstep this week and this preview is based on what we’ve learned from that camera. The Nikon D5000 has the same sensor as the D90 with a simplified set of controls. The standout feature on the new camera is the new 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD display – the first tilt-swivel LCD on a Nikon digital SLR. This isn’t a perfect analogy, but the new D5000 is sort of like D60 with a Vari-angle LCD and a D90 sensor. The suggested retail price is $730 without a lens and $850 in a kit with the AF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6G VR Nikkor lens.
Read The Final Nikon D5000 Pro Review >>
I’m not going to go into too much detail about the D5000 here. For some specs analysis and comparison to other cameras you can read my Nikon D5000 announcement article. But now that I’ve actually had my hands on the camera we have a complete set of high-res studio sample photos for the pixel peepers to go nuts on. I’ve also had a chance to do some quick and dirty tests of the D5000′s video quality. The D90 had a very noticeable problem with “rolling shutter.” When panning the video would often have a Jello-like quality (read more about the rolling shutter effect) My non-scientific D5000 video tests don’t appear to have any rolling shutter effect. I’m not going to say it’s completely gone but it looks like Nikon may have eliminated that problem. It’s important to point out that, like the Canon VSLRs, the Nikon D5000 doesn’t have any auto focus while you’re shooting video. So shooting video isn’t as simple as with a regular camcorder. Some planning is involved if you want your subjects to be in focus – especially if they’re active subjects. Getting focused video of my cats is pretty much impossible.
| Nikon D5000 Studio Test Photos | |
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ISO 100 (Lo 1) Sample >> ISO 200 Sample >> ISO 400 Sample >> ISO 800 Sample >> ISO 1600 Sample >> ISO 3200 Sample >> ISO 6400 (Hi 1) Sample >> |
I’m excited to have the Nikon D5000 this soon and we’ll do our best to hustle up a complete review for you as soon as possible. You can expect plenty of sample photos from in the field as well as sample videos. More important than the actual video quality is the experience of shooting and handling the video clips. My experience so far has been that the new video-enabled digital SLRs are less than user-friendly when it comes to actually making videos. We’ll make sure to let you know how the D5000 measures up. We know many of you couldn’t care less about shooting video with your digital SLR. Rest assured that the majority of the review will be about using the D5000 to capture still photos.
Read The Final Nikon D5000 Pro Review >>
Related Content:
Nikon D5000 Announcement Article
Nikon Digital SLR User Reviews
Nikon Cameras Forum
Nikon Review Page
All Nikon News And Articles
Nikon Camera Web Site
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