pros and cons of D5000 and D90

Leo2010

New member
What are the advantages and disadvantages of D5000 and D90 Nikon cameras.
 

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jdeg

^ broke something
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The d5000 does not have flash control and a motor in the body for autofocus. The D90 has both of these. The D5000 is cheaper, has a swivel screen, and can take video.
 

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I can only tell you what I felt when I first held both these Cameras, it's the Grip D-90 has a much more professional grip than D5000 as D5000 feels smaller in your palm. Also the D-90 will give you much better results than D5000 if you are shooting moving objects. and there are lot of other features which Makes D-90 a better choice than D5000
 
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KennethHamlett

New member
I can only tell you what I felt when I first held both these Cameras, it's the Grip D-90 has a much more professional grip than D5000 as D5000 feels smaller in your palm. Also the D-90 will give you much better results than D5000 if you are shooting moving objects. and there are lot of other features which Makes D-90 a better choice than D5000
Please explain how the D90 will give you better pictures of moving objects and what the other features are that make the D90 a better choice than the D5000?
 
Please explain how the D90 will give you better pictures of moving objects and what the other features are that make the D90 a better choice than the D5000?

Beacuse of the better shutter speed although censor is the same. When I had written about moving object, I was referring to continuous shooting of a moving object as D90 has 4.5 F/Sec as compared to 4 F/Sec for D5000
 

KennethHamlett

New member
Unfortunately 1/2 frame per second faster shooting speed doesn't give you better images of moving objects. What gives you better images of moving objects is proper shooting technique. You give either camera to Walter Iooss (even though he shoots with Canon) and he will give you fabulous pictures. Don't get caught up by the numbers. Yes, you will capture slightly more movement with the D90's faster rate but if don't pan and follow your subject correctly or know where to focus to keep the subject sharp, it doesn't matter which camera you own your images will still look bad. It's not about equipment, it's about vision and craft.
 

Em11y

New member
Unfortunately 1/2 frame per second faster shooting speed doesn't give you better images of moving objects. What gives you better images of moving objects is proper shooting technique. You give either camera to Walter Iooss (even though he shoots with Canon) and he will give you fabulous pictures. Don't get caught up by the numbers. Yes, you will capture slightly more movement with the D90's faster rate but if don't pan and follow your subject correctly or know where to focus to keep the subject sharp, it doesn't matter which camera you own your images will still look bad. It's not about equipment, it's about vision and craft.

Well said :)
 

emcintyre60

New member
The d5000 does not have flash control and a motor in the body for autofocus. The D90 has both of these. The D5000 is cheaper, has a swivel screen, and can take video.

Actually, the D90 also takes video. Of the two, I would go with the D90 if you can afford it. It has a much sturdier feel to it; and it has an internal focus motor that the D5000 lacks -- which means the D5000 will only work in manual focus mode with a number of the AF lenses.
 

fotobug

New member
yes u can use this on both the cameras

Depends on which 70-300mm you are talking about, and by work, I am assuming you mean auto-focus. The only 70-300mm that will "work" on both cameras is the 70-300mm AF-S VR. The two older 70-300mm("D" series with ED glass, and the bargain "G" series) AF lenses will work in that you have metering, but no auto-focus. Nikkor lenses with the designation AF will not auto-focus with the newer entry level nikon dslr's(D5000, D3000, D60, D40, D40x) as there is no focusing motor in the lens, while the AF-S lenses have the focusing motor built into the lens. The D90 has a focusing motor in the camera body and can auto-focus with both AF and AF-S lenses, while the D5000 will only auto-focus with AF-S lenses.
Hope this helps.
 

Browncoat

Senior Member
I have read from many sources that the D5000 is essentially a "bare bones" D90. From a numbers standpoint, they are very similar cameras. They share a very similar (but still different) sensor, are 12.3 megapixel, etc. If you're looking for some differences in the major areas, you're probably not going to find them.

I was faced with this choice myself, and ultimately went with the D90 largely due to some of the intangibles. Here's why:
1. The D90 is a more substantial investment and camera. It is much larger and just felt right in my hands. The D5000 has a smaller body and I personally wasn't a fan of the grip or the layout of the buttons. Your hands may be different, so be sure to try before you buy. I can't stress enough how important that is. As a side note, there is no vertical battery grip available for the D5000.

2. The D90 viewfinder is leaps and bounds better than the D5000. You see 94% of the actual framing through the D90, compared to just 78% of the D5000. In addition, The D90 uses an actual glass pentaprism viewfinder, which is cleaner, clearer, and brighter.

3. The D90 has two command dials for changing camera settings. I can't even begin to tell you how much easier this makes things. Adjustments can be made quickly and almost instinctively without your eye ever leaving the viewfinder.

4. The D90 acts as a flash Commander, whereas the D5000 does not. This is another intangible that may be important to you depending on how you shoot. The D90 opens up near endless possibilities for sync with off-camera flash and lighting.

5. The D90 has nearly double the customization options as the D5000. Again, I like my camera to be just that...my camera...so I use custom settings quite a bit. Both models can assign custom function buttons and the very cool My Menu feature.

6. Lastly, the D90 has a more substantial battery. CIPA standard measures (w/ 50% flash) that the D90 can get 850 shots per charge, while the D5000 is around 510. Personally, I hate investing in and worrying about batteries.
There is a fairly substantial difference in price between the D90 and D5000. Only you can decide if the additional investment is worth it. For me, it was. Feature-wise, they are very similar so it can be an easy choice for the budget conscious. I already had a Sony a330 that I was trading up from. In my view, getting the D5000 would've been a lateral move.
 
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Greywoulf

New member
Personally I like smaller DSLRs, so the D5000 would win on that point alone.. ">}).

However IMO the D90 has a strong advantage in that it has the AF motor in it's body,
which means it will AF with a MUCH wider range of Nikkor lenses than the D5000,
which is limited to using only AF-S or AF-I lenses if you want to have full AF capability.
This is important if you have a lot of older lenses, or if you intend to bargain hunt and buy them used.....
 

Em11y

New member
Personally I like something versatile and future-proof, the D90 would win hands down because of the AF motor in the body, (see post above), allowing for use with older AF lenses
 

goz63

Senior Member
The two major advantages the D90 has over the D5000 is the built in focus motor on the D90 (greater field of lenses available that will autofocus) and the D90 will produce better images at higher ISO's with less noise. In fact the stats show the only camera in the Nikon line that is better at higher ISO's is the D3 at 4-5 times the price. Big influences for me.
As for what lenses will work, all current Nikon lenses will work on both, the only difference is whether the lens has a focus motor or not. If it does not, only the D90 will auto focus but the lens will still "work" on the D5000, just not auto focus. (the 70-300 does not have a focus motor but the 70-300VR does have a focus motor built in)
 
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