Would you start with a Nikkon D5000

M

mascott514

Suspended / Banned
Messages
36
Name
Mark
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi Everyone
I am a newbie! I have followed the advice I have read and gone to a couple of shops to pick up a few cameras. I am reading my newbies book to help me understand a bit more of the technical side of things. I am a keen point and shooter but I am itching to get started! Thought I better get your thoughts prior to money being available around January.!

I want to get the balance right between a really good camera that I can get to grips with, that wont need upgrading too soon and learn my craft and not paying over the odds for pro features or gimmicks that i dont need.

I love the feel of the nikkon bodies and was thinking of the d5000.
Any thoughts or alternatives?
Many thanks.
 
I am in the same boat, not yet taken the plunge but the d5000 looks really nice and the 500d canon, ive read all the reviews and i am more on the side of the Nikon. Best of luck,.
 
Welcome:)

As a Nikon user I would suggest you go and handle all the available makes within your budget. Buy the one that feels best in your hands and has the most intuitive (for you) control layout.
You should note that the D5000 does not have an in body motor for focussing , so, if you want to be able to AF you will need to look at Nikon AF-S lenses Sigma HSM etc. which are generally more exspensive.

If you don't mind manual focus then it's not a problem.
 
Snownation said:
What's your budget?
Click to expand...

not really an issue up to £1500.....I would save up for the right one if needed. I just want to make the right choice. However....would feel happy spending less and having more to build quality kit.
 
..............You should note that the D5000 does not have an in body motor for focussing , so, if you want to be able to AF you will need to look at Nikon AF-S lenses Sigma HSM etc. which are generally more exspensive...............

ok thanks something to think about. i would def want to use AF so i guess its weighing up if the cost of a better body out weighs lenses...
 
It's not too hard to get lenses with motors on the body, I have a D60 (sits somewhere below the 5000) and only one of mine (50mm 1.8 - the nifty fifty) won't autofocus. I also have the kit lens, Tamron 28-75 2.8 and Sigma 30mm 1.4.

Nikon wise I guess the next up would be a D90, which has a built in motor as well as a few other advantages. I believe (and I could be wrong here) that the sensor is the same, so IQ and low light performance should be quite similar.

It's only really recently that I've started to feel the need for anything better than my D60 (it's the low light performance and more AF points that I really want from the D90) if that's any help. Lenses will, on the whole, make much more difference than the body.
 
Since you're new to DSLRs, and you have £1500 as a budget. Get the D90 body for Nikon, and a decent lens.

The D90 has the inbody focus motor. Depending if you decide to go further in your route of photography, chances are you will be exposed to more useful AF lens, which don't have S motors in them. So a D5000 would not be ideal. I can't really think of any other Nikon body for a starter camera except the D80. But if you're splashing out, might as well get the D90. Higher tier models like the D300/s might be a bit too much for you if you're just starting out.

500D body and a decent lens if going Canon.
A Canon expert can tell you more. I'm a Nikonian.
 
get a second hand D300 £750 on this forum and plenty left for a nice lens :thumbs: if you buy an entry level camera you,ll be upgrading in 8 months i know :lol:
 
I am not against the idea of the D90....

I think a d300(s) might be a step too far.

its a good point that the D90 would give the opportunity to use more lenses.
 
Actually the 2nd hand D300 route is quite useful.

Should leave you enought for a Flash, Siggy 24-70 and a 70-300VR Zoom(2nd user lenses)
 
If it were me and I had that budget, I'd go D300 s/h. Talking as a D200 s/h owner and happy I went the more pro body route from the off
 
also iv,e just looked at the d5000 and that swivel screen just looks like it,s waiting to be knocked off :eek: :thumbsdown:
 
my other hobby is road bikes (cycles) and i know that feeling of the need to upgrade. however I has taken me 10 years of cycling to end up on a top quality 3k bike. some people buy them as their first road bikes not knowing what they are buying.

i guess i am trying to convey that I am happy to spend what i need to but not to splash the cash just because i can. some of that money could go on tripod bags etc

i am not ruling out a D300 but I would love to know why I would choose it over a D90.

I can see why a D90 would make sense

Thanks
M.
 
V8burble said:
If it were me and I had that budget, I'd go D300 s/h. Talking as a D200 s/h owner and happy I went the more pro body route from the off
Click to expand...


so i guess you are saying that the quality build of the body is the main consideration...
 
bloody hell
5 mins in and Im looking at D300??
come on someone stop me!

do any of you want to buy a road bike??:lol:
 
Go to a meet?

You can see and some people might let you use some of the cameras.

Also you could compare the quality of lenses too. Only investment would be a memory card which would depend on the camera or a laptop so you can offload your pics to process and explore later (check out the raw files)

I can recommend the d300. Lots to play with and you can still use auto settings.

But perhaps the d80 or d90 might be better. Have a look and watch them expire on eBay to get a feel for prices.
 
Tunbridge Wells/London
Good idea about a club or meet.
The company I work for has a pro photographer so I am hoping to bump into him again soon to get some advice. ( and I think my boss is a keen snapper)
 
mascott514 said:
Tunbridge Wells/London
Good idea about a club or meet.
The company I work for has a pro photographer so I am hoping to bump into him again soon to get some advice. ( and I think my boss is a keen snapper)
Click to expand...

i feel a promotion looming :lol:
 
D5000's swivel is really quite pointless to have it.
Good feature for a digicam.
What's the point of it when you're using a DSLR?
If you've decided to get a DSLR, you'll definitely be wanting to take good photos, and using the swivelable Live view is not the way to do it.
 
mascott514 said:
so i guess you are saying that the quality build of the body is the main consideration...
Click to expand...

For me it was, the comfort of the larger magnesium alloy body in the hands, the buttons for most useful options rather than searching through menus, weather sealing and value for money. I wont be upgrading the body now until I have my lens set complete (Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 to come first :love:).

However, as said above, you need to try them in your hand and run through settings and button layouts to see what works for you also. :thumbs:
 
I bought a D90 six months ago. Fantastic camera. Great shots and great low light performance. However...

If I had to do it all over again, I would seriously try to find a used or boxed D40, put the cash saved on a good tripod, and a decent lens (i.e. high end).

But I went for a D90 instead. Now I have to scrimp and save for a tripod and a decent telephoto. I also realize now that in the end, I would be printing out shots larger than A3 only on occasion. I think I overshot somewhat by going for the D90. No regrets, but I'm just saying.

For that, I hate to say it, but Ken Rockwell is pretty much right on the spot. The D40 rocks.
 
To put in my tuppence worth..........For a newbie I'm would have thought that a D300 was too big a first step. I know that some people will disagree with that, but Mr Rockwell says he prefers the D90 to the D300 and I would have to agree with him on that one.
If I didn't like the FX sensor, the D90 is what I would be using (she who is sometimes obeyed has one).
 
I would seriously consider the D300, ok it has loads of features you may not need at the present time but think of it this way, you will definately want to upgrade with a lower spec camera and doing this will loose you cash. The D300 has everything you will need as you get more experienced and no upgrade needed. I can highly recommend the D300 as I have one, previous cameras were the D70s then the D200 neither of which had built in dust removal feature which is a huge bonus. Go for the D300, you can start with using it on fully auto settings then start using more of the controls as you get used to it.


Realspeed
 
dinorock said:
also iv,e just looked at the d5000 and that swivel screen just looks like it,s waiting to be knocked off :eek: :thumbsdown:
Click to expand...


No:thumbsdown: I have a Nikon Coolpix 5700 from (C) 2003 with a swivel screen and it has never been a moments bother:clap:
 
Dont forget Sony/Pentax cameras.

The Sony A700 or the Pentax K20D/K7 would give better value for money than a Canon/Nikon and you would have inbuilt Image Satbilisation and AF!
 
Thanks for your opinions....still not sure but im sure you all agree that the searching and researching is the fun bit!!
Oh ..... and taking pics i guess......
 
I held the D300 and it feels solid and hefty - a little too much so for extended walks/trips when portability is a must. The D90 for me represents the epitome of light weight and effectiveness. Matter of fact, when my D90 wears out in time, I'll probably go no larger for my next unit.

I'd love the D5000 if it weren't for the stupid downward swivel screen. I don't know what Nikon was smoking when they decided to make the screen swivel out downwards instead of sideways. I mean - how in the world are you supposed to mount the camera on a tripod and see yourself in the screen if the tripod prevents the screen from extending out to begin with? Dumb...

Honestly I think that Nikon simply didn't want to go the Canon route by having the screen extend out from the side.
 
I was choosing between the 500D and D5000 and gave them both a trial run. The 500D came out on top for me. I found the swivel screen no real use and the 500D has a larger much more detailed screen.

I also find changing settings on the 500D much better, you dont have to go in to menus to change settings and having a dedicated ISO button is also excellent.

Build quality I suprisingly found the Canon also better, I had used a 450D before and find the 500D better. The D5000 is heavier and does feel solid, but there were a few creaks here and there, especially on the chassis between the lens mount and hand grip near the bottom of the camera.

IQ was very good on both, but the Nikon did had a tendancy to under expose a little. The Canon's look a bit more natural.

Video is ok on both, the canon can AF during filming as well as MF so thats a small bonus.

Anyway, thats my mini view on things!
 
Thanks

Poping into shop tomorrow to have another look round.

Edging towards D90.......to be continued!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top