New D5000 - Any tips?

I just bought a d5000, haven't had a lot of time to play around and get familiar with it yet. Area there any tips from other 5000 owners as far as camera operation, personalization, etc goes?

Hi Jessica. What do you hope to do with the camera? I would recommend you read as much as you can about photography, and learn as much as you can. This way you'll understand the settings on the camera better and will be able to produce a better pictures. After you do this pay attention to the settings that the camera is choosing in auto mode. Take pictures at different focal lengths and experiment with different settings on the camera. Then move on to different lenses. I would recommend either the 55-200mm (a cheap zoom) or the 35mm f1.8, a great fast portrait lens.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm doing all that so that I can learn this camera really well, I was just wondering if anyone had things they like better or worse with this model. What is the camera really good at capturing and where should I not be so expectant of it.

Hi Jessica - Your D5000 can do just about anything you want it to...photographers were taking incredible pictures for the last century with much less equipment when it comes to technology such as high ISO with minimal noise...
The limitation you will have is lenses and lighting...learn about the ISO and the white balance and bracket shooting (I think the 5000 can do this). You should get familiar with how your camera reacts to light...take tons of pictures of anything and everything indoors and outdoors, sunrise, sunset, in shadows etc..so when you have to be ready and comfortable for that special shot you will be knowledgeable with your camera and ready to react quickly. The 35mm 1.8 lens that was previously mentioned is a great lens to keep on your camera for awhile to learn...
Get a day when you have a training session..meaning you take pictures of nothing and everything (not a critical event like a party ow something) and tke your camera off automatic and play with the A, S, and M modes as well as manual focus...you are limited only by your imagination....

Thanks for the great tips, I'll definitely pay a lot of attention to WB and ISO settings. I am really looking forward to the day that I can take it out and really get to experiment with it! Unfortunately for now, final week at university has me tied up with academic obligations =(

Hang in there...it will all come in time...

I also just purchased a D5000 and the next day took it to the Cowboys Stadium. It is my first "big girl" camera so I have a lot to learn as well. I signed up for 3 three hour courses at the local community college. I figured that would be a good start. Right now I am very happy with the auto focus. haha
I read in the book you can use your thumb on your right hand to change the focus. Is it still okay to reach out and "zoom in our out manually" when I have it in the auto focus. I surely dont want to break anything, however the pictures were crystal clear!! Thanks!

Can anybody tell me how to focus object clearly whn lens z set on manual focus mode?????????????????????????

Hello Jessica, you might want to look at "Blue Crane" videos, I am sure they have one just for the D5000, plus look at the video on speed lights.
They will help you a lot in understanding your camera, plus using lighting.

Hi Jessica
Congrats on the new toy you will enjoy learning on it wonderful camera. Everyone has give you great advise so nothing left for me to say except Happy Shooting and have fun.

christine27023 said:

Is it still okay to reach out and "zoom in our out manually" when I have it in the auto focus. I surely dont want to break anything, however the pictures were crystal clear!! Thanks!

Click to expand...

Christine,
Yes you can still zoom in and out while in auto focus mode. Some lenses will allow you to manually focus while in auto focus as well. Some won't, it will depend on the lens.
You will be just fine though adjusting the focal length (ie zooming) in either mode.
Mark

hi everyone
i am using nikon d5000 from few months and its an excellent device
all i want to know is that how should i start stop shot photogarphy, if anyone have any idea about it
plese help!!

I love my D5000. I have read my manual and it is very helpful. I still need to do a lot more reading and really get familar with the different settings. I have used the macro setting with my 50mm-200mm lens and have got some amazing shots. I also like the pet setting. I just over all love this camera. It was my very first DSLR camera and I'm very happy with it so far. I love the action shots I get for sports when I use the 50mm-200mm, and I use that lens most of the time. The only thing now is I'm having a hard time deciding what my next lens will be to purchase.

CMAY said:

I love my D5000. The only thing now is I'm having a hard time deciding what my next lens will be to purchase.

Click to expand...

CMAY,
I would highly recommend the Nikon 35mm 1.8G lens. It is great for low light and has a nice field of view. You will be able to auto focus with the D5K. I also really like the Nikon 50mm 1.8D lens but it will only manually focus on your camera. Either of these lenses will give you nice low light ability on a budget.

Thanks for the input! I noticed that under you're equipment you listed the Nikon 55-300VRII. Is that compatable with the D5000? And which lens would be better the Nikon 70mm-300 or the 55mm-300mm?? I'm really new to all of this and it's very confusing as to which lens would work best for my needs.

CMAY said:

Thanks for the input! I noticed that under you're equipment you listed the Nikon 55-300VRII. Is that compatable with the D5000? And which lens would be better the Nikon 70mm-300 or the 55mm-300mm?? I'm really new to all of this and it's very confusing as to which lens would work best for my needs.

Click to expand...

Yes the 55-300 is compatible with the D5K, it has a built in SWM. The 70-300mm non-VR is the only lens that most people will not recommend. The 70-300mm VRII version, on the other hand, is a very good lens. The advantage to it is that it is an FX lens so it will work on a full frame camera. I was looking at the 70-300mm VRII until the 55-300 came out. I like the ability to go wider (55mmm) vs the 70mm. I have not done a side by side comparison but I am VERY pleased with the IQ of the lens and the pictures have been outstanding. The VRII has been excellent when using it hand held at 300mm. I think if you ended up with one you would be very pleased with it too.

shresth singh said:

hi everyone
i am using nikon d5000 from few months and its an excellent device
all i want to know is that how should i start stop shot photogarphy, if anyone have any idea about it
plese help!!

Click to expand...

Shresth, I don't know what you mean by "stop shot photography". If what you mean is freezing your subject in motion, then I recommend the simplest application: Set your mode dial to "action". Or set it to "S" for shutter speed priority. A shutter speed of 100 for a running person is good enough. If you shoot a car at a speed of 50 mph, use the "panning" technique. You'll find your subject clear and the background blurred. The faster the speed of your subject, increase the shutter speed also. But remember, my advice is good only on a bright, outdoor situation. When the situation gets darker and you still want to use that effect, increase your ISO. Good luck, happy shooting.

Jessica, I totally agree with the 35mm 1.8 lense. Ive got the same camera and im still learning about it everytime I use it and the 35mm is a great lense to use. For me I love the DOF I get using this lense! Enjoy being a shutterbug