Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 11 x 9 inches ; 2.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00267S7TQ
• Item model number: D5000 18-55mm Kit
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)

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  Camera & Photo > Digital SLRs

• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 13, 2009

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer

A remarkable blend of simplicity and highly-advanced DSLR capabilities, the compact and powerful D5000 offers breathtaking 12.3-megapixel image quality, along with a flexible, Vari-angle, Live View monitor for fresh picture-taking perspectives. Nikon’s EXPEED image processing further enhances performance, contributing to split-second shutter response and continuous shooting at up to 4 frames-per-second to capture fast action and precise moments perfectly.

The D5000’s 24-fps HD D-Movie mode with sound captures video clips with amazing clarity--offering new and exciting creative opportunities. Fast, accurate 11-point autofocus with 3D Tracking, teamed with famous NIKKOR optics, assures incredible image sharpness, while active image sensor cleaning combats annoying dust automatically. Featuring a convenient built-in flash, 19 automatic exposure Scene Modes to make the impossible easy and 23 Custom Setting options to fit your preferences, as well as 14 in-camera image retouching functions, the D5000 is the perfect DSLR, beginning with performance to meet your picture-taking tomorrows.

Outfit includes the 3x AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens with image stabilization and legendary NIKKOR optical quality.

Nikon D5000 Highlights

12.3-megapixel DX-format CMOS image sensor
Coupled with Nikon's EXPEED image processing and NIKKOR optics, breathtaking picture quality is assured.

3x Zoom AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens included
Legendary NIKKOR optical quality features Nikon VR image stabilization for added sharpness.

D-Movie Mode with sound
Record 720p HD movie clips enhanced by NIKKOR interchangeable lens quality and versatility.

Vari-angle color LCD monitor
Position the 2.7-inch monitor freely for fresh shooting perspectives. Screen flips inward for safe keeping.

19 Auto-exposure Scene Modes
Capture stunning photos in challenging picture-taking situations including Sunsets, Candlelight, Silhouette, Portrait, Landscape, Beach/Snow, and more.

One-button Live View
Easy Live View access offers 4 autofocus modes, including Face Priority AF.

Continuous shooting as fast as 4 frames-per-second
Combined with fast power-up and split-second shutter response, decisive moments are captured easily without annoying shooting lag.

Low noise ISO sensitivity from 200 to 3200
Engineered for exceptional low-light shooting.

Built-in image sensor cleaning
Effective 4-frequency, ultrasonic sensor cleaning keeps images spot free.

11-point autofocus system with 3D Focus Tracking
Fast and accurate autofocus delivers razor sharpness.

Auto Active D-Lighting
Restores lost shadow and highlight detail in high contrast exposures—Selectable and Auto modes available.

In-camera Retouch image editing
Creative in-camera image editing, featuring Soft Filter, Straighten, Color Outline Effect, Perspective Control, Red-eye Correction, Image Overlay, Monochrome and more—all without a PC.

Picture Control Settings for personal image control
Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape and 9 customizable settings.

Nikon 3D Color Matrix Metering II
Nikon’s renowned 420-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix Metering II, teamed with the exclusive Scene Recognition System, evaluates each scene for unmatched exposure accuracy.

Durable, high precision shutter
Testing to over 100,000 cycles assures precision and long shutter life.

GPS geo-tagging
GP-1 GPS unit (optional) automatically identifies and records every image’s latitude, longitude and altitude, with satellite time-of-day.

Product Description

A remarkable blend of simplicity and highly advanced D-SLR capabilities, the compact and powerful D5000 offers breathtaking 12.3-megapixel image quality, along with a flexible, Vari-angle, Live View monitor for fresh picture-taking perspectives. Nikon's EXPEED image processing further enhances performance, contributing to split-second shutter response and continuous shooting at up to 4 frames-per-second to capture fast action and precise moments perfectly.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Camera, May 7, 2009

By	E. Sumner (CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Great Camera. If you are new to the DSLR game (like myself) or you are upgrading and you can fork up the cash, it is definitely worth it. It has a very concise, simple, and easy to use interface, the buttons are very well placed, and the swivel LCD is very nice and useful in certain situations (I really like how it folds inwards to protect the screen). My main purpose for this camera is still photos so the video is a cool bonus and is surprisingly better than I thought (though if you are looking to do serious HD video, I'd go for an HD camcorder or something else instead).

The D5000 is essentially a D90 squeezed into a smaller lighter body (of course it lacks the internal AF motor, doesn't have as good a grip, and has a slightly smaller pentamirror viewfinder instead of the pentaprism in the D90 - all of this amongst a few other things, but hey it's cheaper for a reason - also it is mentionable that the D5000 has an additional live view mode, a few more in camera editing tools, and more scene modes compared to the D90 - all useful for someone new to the DSLR in the sense that you can learn from them or just use them to make your life easier and your photos look great).

So far I love it. It is simple to use and great for those new to the DSLR realm, but it also packs enough punch for those looking to upgrade and will give newcomers much room to learn and grow with it.

121 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Liking it a lot so-far, April 28, 2009

By	Dave H (Portsmouth, NH USA) - See all my reviews

Out of the box, my first impression wasn't the best, as camera size and feel are more like my entry level D40 than I expected. Of course there's the movable LCD (which is more useful than I thought) and Live View button, but not too much more to separate the outer look and feel from D40 mode.
Then I spent some time setting things up and shooting - and all of a sudden I'm loving this thing.
- The menus, IMHO, are waaaay better than anything I seen on other Nikons (mostly D40 and D200 experience) ISO adjustments and AUTO decisions all in one place, the access to the Info parameters on screen is really clean, and the LCD clarity is great.
- The high ISO performance for low light is quite good for my purposes. Sure you get some noise, but you get the shot - and if you are getting material for web and simple uses - it's perfect.
- The wiggly LCD screen is helpful for reading the menus and changing settings with the camera, say, in your lap. Also helpful at odd angles to review what you just shot. I use it more for those purposes than the live view.

So what don't I like? The video isn't real useful. Zooming without autofocus isn't much fun. Moving, even a little, creates odd artifacts in the 24p video -so don't think of any zoomed hand-held shots. Tripod, basic static focal length maybe. I don't know whether video editing sw like Final Cut Pro is ready to ingest these video files.

Overall - I really enjoy shooting this camera - and the images are excellent.
I'll try to post a few.

46 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great upgrade from the D40, but Auto White Balance doesn't work reliably, June 10, 2009

By	New D5000 owner (Western NY) - See all my reviews

I bought a D5000 locally ten days ago and exchanged it for another one three days ago.

The first thing I did was get out in the early morning light and take some landscape photos with the D5000 and my D40. Over the next few days I continued taking dozens of photos testing various settins on the D5000. I used my old 18-55mm non-VR zoom lens and the new 35mm f/1.8 lens.

Right away, it was obvious that the D5000's image quality greatly exceeds the D40's. First, megapixels DO matter if you want to look at your photos on a big monitor, and they add texture to the details of landscapes. Second, I don't know what processing magic Nikon has rolled into the D5000, but it handles low light with more subtlety and predictability. Caveat: While Active D-Lighting is generally desirable, it may sacrifice contrast that you want to keep in strong lighting situations.

The one problem I have experienced is that many of the photos came with a strong yellow-ochre cast suggesting that the camera was pushing too much amber into the white balance. Green grass would turn chartreuse and blue skies would become pale. This occurred unpredictably, perhaps 75% of the time. The rest of the images would have what look to me like perfect colors--much better and more subtle than the D40, which is pretty good. (I am evaluating these photos on a calibrated color-accurate monitor.)

After fiddling with white balance settings, hue, WB bracketing, turning ADL on and off, etc., etc., I returned the first camera, only to find that the second one does the same thing. Yesterday, however, I stumbled across the fact that if you select "Direct Sunlight" WB instead of "Auto White Balance" (and you actually have sunlight) the problem goes away and the colors are perfect.

A little more research on the internet indicates that the unpredictable behavior of Auto White Balance is a well known problem on many digital cameras. Essentially the camera is trying to guess what lighting conditions apply, but most of the experts who came up in my search strongly recommended manually selecting and/or adjusting white balance. Now, I didn't think that my D40 or the other cameras I owned had this problem, but maybe the other issues they did have were related. For instance, the D40 often put a faint blue cast into shadow areas that wasn't there. A D60 that I briefly owned was worse in this regard.

Like the D40 before it, the D5000's manual recommends Auto White Balance for most situations, but you may want to question that. This is a bit a disappointment, because the way Nikon has intelligently automated so many menu choices is part of the D5000's excitement, but it seems that the Auto White Balance problem is common among DSLRs.