Nikon D5000

Nikon DSLR D 5000

Externally, the Nikon D5000 most resembles the D60 it replaces, although it’s noticeably taller and chunkier thanks to its new articulated screen. Measuring 127x104x80mm, the D5000 may be almost identical in width to its predecessor but is 10mm taller and 16mm thicker; indeed while the higher-end D90 is 5mm wider than the D5000, the new Nikon is actually 1mm taller and 3mm thicker.

The D5000’s build quality is pretty much the same as the earlier D60, and as such we have no complaints for the price. It’s obviously at the affordable end of the DSLR scale, but feels well-assembled with no creaks or poor joins to worry about. In these respects it’s also similar to the Canon 500D / T1i and Olympus E-620, although the latter’s smaller size gives it a slightly higher density and a subtle impression of greater solidity in your hands. None are rated as having any kind of weather-proofing, although the E-620 is the only one to offer an optional underwater housing.

All three have comfortable rubber-coated grips with raised thumb rests on the rear, although Nikon and Olympus take an ergonomic lead over Canon with indented inner portions which hook onto your finger tips, giving a more secure impression. As always, we’d recommend picking up your shortlisted models in person to see which feel best in your hands


The Info button is used to manually switch the screen on and off, and was dispensed with on the D60 because proximity detectors below the viewfinder did it automatically. On the D60, this button was instead dedicated to Active D-Lighting. The D5000 is lacking those detectors, so you have to manually switch the screen off, or wait for the power-saving to kick-in and do it for you; alternatively you can of course flip the screen back on itself.


On the rear of the body to the right of the screen you’ll find the same thumb wheel, AE / AF lock button and four-way joypad with an OK button in the middle. The Delete button has now been relocated to the upper left corner, and the only new addition on the right side is a button dedicated to firing up the Live View mode, sensibly labelled Lv.

The Nikon D5000 is equipped with both a popup flash and a hotshoe for external flashguns, and like most DSLRs at this price point, there’s no PC Sync port.

Flash compensation and power level is adjustable, and you can also choose from red-eye, slow-sync and rear-curtain options. The strobing option of the D90 is not available here.

The built-in flash can either popup automatically or by pressing a button on the side of the D5000, and once you’re finished with it, just push it back into place. Like the D60, the D5000’s maximum flash sync speed is an average 1/200, so once again the sadly discontinued D40 scores here with its much faster 1/500 flash sync speed, inherited from the much earlier D50.

If you mount a compatible flashgun like the SB-400, SB-600 or SB-800 or SB-900, the D60 can support the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) which offers iTTL control. As before, the SB-900, SB-800 or SU-800 offer wireless control of other compatible Speedlights