d3000 or d5000

gregor182

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Hi
I'm new to the forum (1st post haha) and ive been looking at the options for my first dslr. i went to my local jessops for a feels of the camera's and have narrowed it down to the two nikons (d3000,d5000). what i really want to know is, is there much difference between the two camera and more to the point is the d5000 worth the extra £100ish over the d3000. i understand the d5000 has the bonus of video, but in reality is that i would probably only use it a handful of times.
any help would be brilliant
 
ive not really thought of second hand, one thing thing that drew me to buying new was the support of the shop i.e insurance, finance ect.
?
 
I looked at both of these before I went the 2nd hand route with a D70, although they are quite old now they do take fantastic pictures in my very limited experience.

So far I have spent about £350 and got a D70 and 3 different lenses

Also found both the 3000 and 5000 a little small for my shovel like hands :D
 
I had the same choice few weeks ago.

I decided to go D5000 basically more bang for my buck, and I'm vert fresh to photography, and I wanted something that could do more than the basics.

that was my thinking too, wasnt sure if anyone would say "no point in the d5000"ect. one comment i the shop was the assistant told me they are basically th same camera bar the video mode, true?
 
i was in the same boat weighing up between both those choices but after speaking to a few folk in the know they twisted my arm and i ended up saving for another few month until i could afford the D90. Boy im so glad i did, I just love my D90 so if you can stretch to it, you wouldn't be disapointed.

I was worried about spending this much on my 1st dslr but if your willing to spend the time and learn all it's functions it's a great camera to have as your first one.
 
i too faced a similar choice a little while ago & i went for a barely used D200!
i'm also a shovel handed user & the extra size & solid build of the D200 feels perfect to me :) i know the D200 isn't the "latest & greatest" but as a first step DSLR its way more capable than i am & gives me plenty to work/play with for now & i can always upgrade to a newer body should the need arise in the future

the mrs also bought a used D40x which she has been very happy with

used camera gear can be a wise buy as its nearly always exceptionally well looked after & does give genuine savings over new :thumbs:
 
If you are really choosing between the D3000 and D5000 get the D5000, it is in most parts a D90 in a comact body.

It does however, lack the auto-focus motor (as metioned) which means the lenses cost more (AF-S required with built in auto-focus motors).

For this reason alone get a D90 (D80 is a good stop gap, but only available second hand).

I have come to like the D5000, but it's size isn't great for big hands (D70 etc.. are much nicer to hold).

The live view is handy evey now and again, but the autofocus is slow in LV mode. Ultimately the twisty screen is pointless for everything other than live view or video. (not really used video a little to much of a gimick IMO).

for the best prices try

www.camerapricebuster.co.uk
 
Not all AF-S lenses cost "lots" In the consumer range there is quite a wide choice. from 18- 55 or 18-70 even upto the 70-300 VR
 
The D3000 has not had exactly glowing reviews so in a straight choice between the two I would say the D5000. However, as mentioned above, I would suggest going for a second hand D80 as this would give you some room to grow with the camera or even a D60, which I think is a fantastic little camera (I use one for my walk around), as long as you don't mind manually focusing with non AF-s Nikkor lenses. Incidentally, the D60 has focus confirmation with manual focus lenses, opening up 50 years worth of Nikon lenses.

I would then spend the money I saved on better lenses - always the best move in the long run. I have picked up good quality 2nd hand D60s and D80s from the classified section of these forums with no issues.
 
I have the D3000 and find it to be really good and easy to use and I was new to photography in September 2009 and I had never used an DSLR before.
 
is the running system on the d3000 the same as the d5000? i had a quick play on the d500 and the running system i.e the functions,controls ect seemed fairly simple and easy to use.
thanks for all the advise so far
 
I went for the Nikon D5000 over the D3000 basically because I believed the Nikon D5000 was a D90 in a smaller shell. A little bit more than the entry-level DSLR and not for a bad price either.
 
thanks for all the help, ive been having a look online and the hd movie does seem to be quick worth while, recon the d5000 is gunna be worth the extra £100ish pounds
im looking to buy from a local jessops but would i be best just getting the d5000 with the 18-55 lens or do u recon i should spend that bit more and take advantage of the twin lens bundle (70-3000? il be shooting lanscapes, and sports such as rugby.
thanks
 
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