Is Nikon D5000 good for newbie??

[wildcat]

I'm using a D5000 and I'm a newbie and I love this camera. If you've done your research, you'll probably like the specs and what it offers also. As mentioned, the only issue you will have is that you need motorized lens but there's no lack of these, only they are more expensive; you can find one in every zoom range that you need. Even third party Sigma, Tamron, etc all have motorized versions of the lenses now.

The alternative (if you plan on using non-motorized lenses) is D90.

One other thing is I don't like the 18-55mm kit lens; I am using the 18-105mm which is the kit lens that came with the D90. I feel it's a better lens with more range and not much pricier (can get one from BnS section which was what I did).

 

[dingaroo]

you didn't like the grip? :bigeyes:
so far most i've talked to that have considered the D5k are put off by the price and the lack of AF motor, but never the grip/ergonomics :angel:

Yeah, Kev, interesting to see that I didn't like the grip ... the price point wasn't a factor and neither was the lack of AF motor. I see myself using my first dSLR for at least 2 years before upgrading, so that was why I was willing to forsake the AF motor.

Cheers mate!

 

[johndoe161]

One other thing is I don't like the 18-55mm kit lens; I am using the 18-105mm which is the kit lens that came with the D90. I feel it's a better lens with more range and not much pricier (can get one from BnS section which was what I did).

:thumbsup: same reason i got the 18-105mm for my d5k :lovegrin: I still have my 18-55 kit though, i am thinking to make it to shoot potraits. :think:

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

:thumbsup: same reason i got the 18-105mm for my d5k :lovegrin: I still have my 18-55 kit though, i am thinking to make it to shoot potraits. :think:

Why not just use the 18-105 for portraits?

 

[johndoe161]

Why not just use the 18-105 for portraits?

The 18-55 is lighter and @50-55mm (or 35mm) should make a pretty decent potrait lens. Havent really tried it though, still experimenting with different areas of photography in general. I use the 18-105 for walkabouts; shoot wide up to 24mm-ish and zoom to 105mm.

 

[night86mare]

Hi all, i am into this new hobby in photography and very keen to get a nikon D5000 but need some advice is it a good model for newbie?


Pls advice me thanks alot.

i quote TOP

1. Do your level best to get something you really, really like.

2. Make a promise to yourself—set a time goal in order to limit the time you might waste shopping and the money you might waste buying successive iterations of the same item. The best experiences I've had with new cameras were when I invested in exactly what I wanted and promised myself in advance that I'm going to commit to it for a certain period of time. I committed to the M6 for one year, and used it for nearly three; the OM-4T for three years, and used it for nearly five. Both experiences were great—very focused on pictures as opposed to gear. It's fun to shop, but it's crucial to stop.

3. While you own something, no matter what it is, use it as hard as you can and enjoy it.

 

[daredevil123]

The 18-55 is lighter and @50-55mm (or 35mm) should make a pretty decent potrait lens. Havent really tried it though, still experimenting with different areas of photography in general. I use the 18-105 for walkabouts; shoot wide up to 24mm-ish and zoom to 105mm.

Actually, the 18-55 and 18-105 is very similar in the overlapped ranges. No point keeping it, might as well sell it.

It is also not that much lighter la. Then with the proceeds from selling 18-55, get a 50/1.8 for portraits. you will find it much better a taking half body portraits than your 35/1.8. And manual focus is fun!

 

[daredevil123]

Hi all, i am into this new hobby in photography and very keen to get a nikon D5000 but need some advice is it a good model for newbie?


Pls advice me thanks alot.

Yes. it is great for newbie.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

The 18-55 is lighter and @50-55mm (or 35mm) should make a pretty decent potrait lens. Havent really tried it though, still experimenting with different areas of photography in general. I use the 18-105 for walkabouts; shoot wide up to 24mm-ish and zoom to 105mm.

You're basically owning 2 lenses whereby 1 totally supercedes the other
Well it's entirely your choice after all. If it were me I wouldn't bother to keep the 18-55.
Have you seen the kind of gear people use to shoot portraits? The weight "penalty" of the 18-105 pales in comparison. Also about 70-100mm on a DX camera is quite ideal for headshots at a comfortable working distance. Something to consider.

 

[Numnumball]

Why not just use the 18-105 for portraits?

Agreed with bro ZCA, Longer focal length is more flattering for more portraits though a faster lens is more desirable, but if used it correctly, 105mm at f5.6 is still pretty much usable

 

[Numnumball]

Hi all, i am into this new hobby in photography and very keen to get a nikon D5000 but need some advice is it a good model for newbie?


Pls advice me thanks alot.

Definitely or i will say better than gd for newbie.. Got it for my wife 1 yr back.. and she find the friendly interface and the flip up screen very useful esp she's fond of taking self portraits.. Go for it if u can.. but on 2nd thoughts if u wish to venture deeper into the world of DSLR, i will suggest u go for D90 (takin into consideration that the price has dip to a all time low which make it very attractive for those who keen to own a competent cam model with built in motor , so u can use those D lens (e.g 50 f1.8))

 

[cookisnap]

IMO i think D90 is a better camera to choose rather than d5k. The reason being, price range is almost the same and with d90(which is a motorized body) u can use more range of lenses. :dunno:

that is just my opinion

 

[wildcat]

IMO i think D90 is a better camera to choose rather than d5k. The reason being, price range is almost the same and with d90(which is a motorized body) u can use more range of lenses. :dunno:

that is just my opinion

BnS pricing is around $1.1k for D90 and $800 for D5000. That's 37% difference.
But the differences do not end there. Other than the weight (703g vs 590g), I believe there are other differences such as the way the jpegs are processed, etc. I remember reading about it back when I chose this camera but it's a bit fuzzy now.

If I were to upgrade, it would most likely not be to a D90 (unless I can find another steal-deal).

 

[iarshad]

Hi all, i am into this new hobby in photography and very keen to get a nikon D5000 but need some advice is it a good model for newbie?


Pls advice me thanks alot.

Hi,
I can feel your situation as I was just here about an year ago when I was planning to buy my first DSLR
I would say YES, D5000 is a very good choice for the the bigginers for these reasons.
1- Functions are simple, (in starting you might not need control of everything which will lead you to confusion)
2- Live view with adjustable swiel LCD (It will help you to take shots from difficult angles, like too low etc)
3- Decent image quality (Dont compare with it with the pro cameras, if you use well D5000 has a pretty decent picture quality)

Yes, I agree that it lacks the auto focus motor, but for me it does not matter much cuz I own only one lens so far( lens so expensive) and its with AF motor built in. If I am not wrong all the nikkor new lenses are with AF motor built in. Yeah you can find cheaper old lenses with lacking AF motor but look at the possibility of you changing lens so frequently.

My suggestion is to dont go in buy buy buy thingy and start with its kit lens, (18-55mmVR) is pretty nice lens.

I have used Nikon D5000 of my cousin and its really nice.
If you dont want live view, dont need to even spend that much for D5000, u can find good deals for Nikon D40 for about SGD400 for Nikon D40.

I own Nikon D40(for budget constraints) upgraded my lens to 18-105mm (D90 kit lens) and this setup I am shooting since then.
You can check my flickr

www.flickr.com/imm_arshad

Conclusion:
Nikon D40(used) if you have budget constraints)
Nikon d5000 if you can afford.
Imran

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

BnS pricing is around $1.1k for D90 and $800 for D5000. That's 37% difference.
But the differences do not end there. Other than the weight (703g vs 590g), I believe there are other differences such as the way the jpegs are processed, etc. I remember reading about it back when I chose this camera but it's a bit fuzzy now.

If I were to upgrade, it would most likely not be to a D90 (unless I can find another steal-deal).

I feel the weight of the higher-end Nikons, and I'm worried I'll end up leaving the camera at home more often.
Must train up like bro NNB then can carry D700 + 16-35

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Hi,
I can feel your situation as I was just here about an year ago when I was planning to buy my first DSLR
I would say YES, D5000 is a very good choice for the the bigginers for these reasons.
1- Functions are simple, (in starting you might not need control of everything which will lead you to confusion)
2- Live view with adjustable swiel LCD (It will help you to take shots from difficult angles, like too low etc)
3- Decent image quality (Dont compare with it with the pro cameras, if you use well D5000 has a pretty decent picture quality)

Yes, I agree that it lacks the auto focus motor, but for me it does not matter much cuz I own only one lens so far( lens so expensive) and its with AF motor built in. If I am not wrong all the nikkor new lenses are with AF motor built in. Yeah you can find cheaper old lenses with lacking AF motor but look at the possibility of you changing lens so frequently.

My suggestion is to dont go in buy buy buy thingy and start with its kit lens, (18-55mmVR) is pretty nice lens.

I have used Nikon D5000 of my cousin and its really nice.
If you dont want live view, dont need to even spend that much for D5000, u can find good deals for Nikon D40 for about SGD400 for Nikon D40.

I own Nikon D40(for budget constraints) upgraded my lens to 18-105mm (D90 kit lens) and this setup I am shooting since then.
You can check my flickr

www.flickr.com/imm_arshad

Conclusion:
Nikon D40(used) if you have budget constraints)
Nikon d5000 if you can afford.
Imran

I think D40 is still one of the best "bang-for-your-buck" Nikon DSLRs, especially more so considering the price nowadays.
Great punchy colours out of the box.
It can do many of the things that its more expensive brothers can do, just that it usually requires diving into the menus that's all.

 

[wildcat]

I feel the weight of the higher-end Nikons, and I'm worried I'll end up leaving the camera at home more often.
Must train up like bro NNB then can carry D700 + 16-35

That's why we're still newbies... until we can train our arms to hold 5kg camera, no tripod, very still, 2sec landscape shot at 300mm focal length (with VR, of course) :sweat:

Okay I better not TCSS here outside of kopitiam too much, else will be passing anti-data to newbies who may really believe it is so. The above is a joke.

 

[Numnumball]

BnS pricing is around $1.1k for D90 and $800 for D5000. That's 37% difference.
But the differences do not end there. Other than the weight (703g vs 590g), I believe there are other differences such as the way the jpegs are processed, etc. I remember reading about it back when I chose this camera but it's a bit fuzzy now.

If I were to upgrade, it would most likely not be to a D90 (unless I can find another steal-deal).

Weight is only a mere 100g difference only.. :sweat:

And pricing is based on 2nd hand market? Then need to update liao lor..

D90 can easily go for 1K used (given that a brand new kit set fetch only 1.4K) :sweatsm:

** damn, my D90 with low shuttle count depreciate so fast.. **

The D90 remains aimed at enthusiast level photographers that prefer more manual control options and an extended feature set.. e.g D90 incorporates a Pentaprism glass viewfinder with 94% viewfinder magnification whle on D5000 it is 78% amid other differences.

 

[Numnumball]

I feel the weight of the higher-end Nikons, and I'm worried I'll end up leaving the camera at home more often.
Must train up like bro NNB then can carry D700 + 16-35

:lovegrin::lovegrin: tats why i refrain from gym activity on weekends u see..

But i only feel the burden of the weight for a full day shoot

e.g. last year super import night, shot from 10am-6pm with my D700/MBD10+27-70+SB900+GaryFongLS = 4KG+ = Arm ache next day :sweatsm:

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

damn... that's a heavy load.

Didn't know D5k's viewfinder magnification is so much less than D90's?
During the previous Newbies Outing, I looked through a few Canon xxxD viewfinders, also rather small. Checked the specs online and their viewfinder magnification is around 0.8x