HELP ABOUT D5000 / D90

<p>hi, i'm near on buying my first SLR camera and i've come to this final two options. oh well make it three (for the budget. haha),</p>

<p>i'm thinking of what to pick with this three nikon slrs.</p>

<p>NIKON D3000<br>

NIKON D5000<br>

NIKON D90</p>

<p>yes, ive read reviews and forums and they would all say go for the d90. but i want to clear some things. first of all, what i want for my first slr is the one that is good for</p>

<p>ACTION SHOTS - (like taking photos from a basketball game, baseball game, etc)<br>

GOOD FOR TRAVELING<br>

AND LASTLY GOOD FOR FAMILY SHOTS.</p>

<p>i really want a slr that COULD GET GOOD QUALITY ACTION SHOTS/PICTURES</p>

<p>oh well my budget is below $1000 and D90 is way too over the limit. so pls do give me a good advice. thanks :)</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Sorry, but you not going to want to hear that the auto focus module on the D90 is superior to the other two bodies - will do sports action better. Essentially one pays for what one gets.</p>

<p>All three bodies will suit for travel and family photos.</p>

<p>Oops,my error - the D5000 and D90 appear to share the same auto focus unit........ I do appologise for jump starting......</p>

<p>thanks for the response matthew. so can D5000 give me good action shots?</p>

<p>Honestly, for action shots the best option is an used D300 which has a much better AF module. For a budget oriented solution, either D90 and D5000 can serve you quite well. You have to to notice that the difference in cost between the two involves some important things, like (but not only):<br /> - D5000 does not have motor focus so it will work (auto-focus) only with modern AF-S lenses while D90 can AF with older AF or AF-D glass that in general is less expensive;<br /> -D90 includes the great Nikon CLS capability to command external speedlights<br /> -D90 has a better viewfinder, a higher resolution display, a top secondary display and some more controls on the body<br /> Despite these differences, D5000 has the advantage to be a little bit smaller, has a movable display that can be very good in certain aplications and can deliver great pictures if you do not need the extra facilities of D90. In general D5000 is a perfect travel & street companion, I have one and I enjoy using it... but is not my main camera.<br /> Make sure to budget for glass too. For travel & family you can use very well the kit lens... but if you want sport and action you need fast & long...</p>

<p>For what you want to do, all 3 bodies are fine. The D5000/D90 have a better sensor, but the D3000 isn't bad by any stretch of imagination. The D90 certainly is the best featured of the 3, but whether it's worth busting your budget is really something for yourself to decide.<br>

Any DSLR can get a good action shot. Sure higher end gear like the D300 have more bells and whistles to get that done, but it can really be done with any DSLR.</p>

<p>LIke Mihai says, think about the lens too. To get started, I would suggest opting for the 18-105VR rather than the 18-55VR, it's a nice versatile range and a generally good lens (but a bit more costly).</p>

<p>So, to be more precise than my previous post: I would consider D5000 with 18-105VR, and for the sports start saving up for a 70-300VR later.</p>

<p>After a similar discussion this week I'm compelled to offer that you MUST be sure you're never going to want to buy a non AF-S lens if you buy the D5000. imho, the lack of a screwdrive AF motor hampers that camera enough that I recommend that all avoid it, on that basis alone.</p>

<p>If you are serious enough to get an inter-changeable lens camera, you are probably serious enough that you don't want to be limited later in what lens you can purchase.</p>

<p>Bottom line on the D5000. Yes, you can get excellent action shots especially if you're using a good AF lense with it like the 70-300mm VR. The D90 has many advantages with regard to easier, quicker setting of aperture, ISO, burst mode, metering mode etc., but once all of your parameters are set the D5K gives great actions shots. Go for it and maybe upgrade to a D90 or D300s (or their replacements) sometime in the future. I sold my D5K and bought the D90 and love it, but I also did much more than just point & shoot with the D5K.</p>

<p>D5000 and a sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 for sports (and travel, too); and get the kit 18-55mm (or the 35mm f/1.8) for travel --- that's maybe going a little over $1000.</p>

<p>If you want to do field sports on a budget and get excellent results it really comes down to lens selection. The best budget lens choices for sports will only work on bodies with an internal focus motor like the D90. </p>

<p>I recommend starting with the D90 and the 18-105 VR lens. When you can afford a starting sports lens go to keh.com and look for a used Nikon 180/2.8 ED AF or used Nikon 80-200/2.8 ED AF push pull lens, either available for under $500 and neither will work on less than D90. You don't need VR for sports since you need a fast shutter speed anyway and the image quality of the f2.8 lenses is vastly superior to the f5.6 VR lenses. You will have the 18-105 VR when you absolutely can't get the image without VR. I recommend a push pull zoom for sports since I just bought the 80-200/2.8 AF-S lens and the rotating ring for zoom is a pain although the AF-S is superfast. Another good budget sports lens is the Nikon 300/4 AF (again won't work on lesser cameras than the D90).</p>

<p><em>double post</em></p>

<p><em>"so can D5000 give me good action shots"</em></p>

<p>A camera does not give good action shots - a photographer takes good action shots. And a good photographer can get good/great action shots regardless of the camera he/she uses. While a better AF system makes it easier, You don't have to spend thousands of dollars to get great shots. I get great action shots with my D40.</p>

<p>All Nikon DSLR cameras give great results. The differences for the most part are in their controls and features (and IQ at higher ISO for some models). My advise. Buy you lenses first. Then get the most camera you can with the money you have left.</p>

<p>This shot below was taken with an older Nikon P&S:</p><div></div>

<p>A D90 can power the autofocus on a lens like the AF 85mm 1.8 D. A D5000 can't. That 85 makes a very nice indoor sports/theater lens. </p>

<p>Elliot, you have done it again. Last time you posted that same image and claimed that it was captured with a point-and-shoot, I asked you why the EXIF data show a Nikon D70: <a href="../nikon-camera-forum/00V6P0">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00V6P0</a></p>

<p>And you pick an "action" image where the subject's feet were not exactly moving. That is quite different from basketball and baseball the OP has in mind.</p>

<p>Among all current Nikon DSLRs, Nikon only uses two AF systems: the D3000, D5000, and D90 all use the Multi-CAM 1000 that has 11 AF points. From the D300S (and the discontinued D300) and above, including the D700 and everything in the D3 family, they use the Multi-CAM 3500</p>

<p>You can get some (occasional) good sports images with any camera, includng point and shoot and cellphone cameras, as shown in the thread I linked to above. Today, serious sports/action photographers use cameras with the Multi-CAM 3500 AF module or Canon equivalent. A high-end camera does not guarantee good results, but in the right hands, one can get a much much higher percentage of excellent action images.</p>

<p>Of course not everybody needs or can afford a high-end sports camera. Between the D90 and D5000, you'll unlikely see a whole lot of differences in terms of AF speed.</p>

<p>The D90 and D5000 are about equal for travel and family images. The D90 will give you more controls and controls that are easier to access. The D90 can AF with older AF lenses that have no AF motor inside; the D5000 cannot. If you are a more casual photographer, the D5000 should be just fine. I kind of like it swivel screen.</p>

<p>this is a tricky one because the d5000 is great for entry-level users. it has a lot going for it, namely the swivel screen and excellent low-light performance. but if you want to use it with more than kit lenses, or you want to use it with fast primes, older lenses, or many 3rd party lenses, all of a sudden it becomes limited in glass selection and/or the cost of lenses becomes prohibitive. that said, it seems like the d90 is out of your budget. so, i would get the d5000 with the caveat that you should do some research on lenses, as the d5000 will only auto-focus with lenses with built-in motors. i beleive the d5000 comes witht he 18-55 VR as a kit. that will be ok for travel and family shots. for daytime sports, the 55-200 VR should be okay but not great, the 70-300 VR a little better, and the 50-150/2.8 HSM even better, plus good for nightime sports and portraits which isolate the main subject. but that lens is pricier than the camera, so that might be one to get later on.</p>

<p>basically, you are buying an entry-level camera with a limited budget. if you adjust your expectations accordingly, you should be satisfied. learn as much as you can about photographic tips and techniques, and maybe invest in classes before you buy a whole lot of new gear.</p>

<p>The 18-55mm kit lens is merely one of the options for the D5000. You can always buy the D5000 by itself and add whatever lens that you find appropriate.</p>

<p>The D3000 is a different story. At least in the US, a new D3000 always comes with the 18-55mm zoom as a kit; body only is not an option. Unless you buy it used as body only or buy the kit and resell the lens, you are kind of stuck with the 18-55.</p>

<p>Correction to my above post and photo: While I was certain the shot above was taken as I indicated, the EXIF data cannot be wrong and I thank Shun for bringing that to my attention. While I had taken thousands of action photos at that venue on different occasions over a period of two years (around 2003/2004) with my 8700, I had at some point upgraded to the D70 - this shot must have been taken after I sold my 8700. I must be getting Alzheimers! I apologize for my error.<br>

<br /></p>

<p>This shot was taken at the same venue, same person, 4 months prior to the brick break photo, shot with the 8700. Again, sorry for my confusion.</p><div></div>

<p>This was taken with a D5000 and a 55-200mm lens. (And Eric makes some good points).</p><div></div>

<p>I also have an example using Panning Technique: (btw I'd suggest the D5000 over the D3000 if you can't afford the D90)</p><div></div>

<p>I have the D5000 and have used it successfully with action shots - but it has taken a lot of research and practice. (I expect that would be true of any camera, though obviously the higher-end cameras give you a better start.) When I bought it, I loved the size and I only expected to use it for the usual family pictures, vacation travel, etc. It has turned out to be an excellent camera for me. With the D5000, I have the pictures I've been craving for years. </p>

<p>But, I have already spent more on the two AF-S lenses that I needed for gymnastics meets than I would have on the upgrade to the D90. The better the lens, the happier you will be with results, but if you do your homework, you can accomplish a lot with the D5000 and a basic lens.</p>

<p>Having discovered that I love photography even more than I remembered, and that my son has a great eye for composition, my plan is to upgrade to the 300s (or whatever is current) as soon as possible and pass the D5000 on to my son. It will probably be another year or so, and the D5000 will be more than sufficient in the meantime.</p>

<p>One other thing you need to think about before buying a camera -- if you plan to shoot with a high ISO (such as indoors for basketball), and depending on your expectations, you will need software to clean up the noise. (I can't remember if the software that comes with the camera handles that, but I don't think it does.) You might want to consider that as you tally costs.</p>

<p>I checked Adorama and found these prices (rounded to nearest whole dollar) that fit in your budget:</p>

<p>D5000 body only $597</p>

<p>Nikon 18-105VR $360 new, $300 white box, $240 refurbished by Nikon. White box is a new lens fully warranteed by Nikon that came out of a kit. Refurbished is also a good way to save money. The lens is refurbished by Nikon and warranteed by Nikon for 90 days.</p>

<p>I think that the D5000 is a much better camera than the D3000 and the 18-105 VR is a better lens with a more useful focal length range than the 18-55. Also the D3000 only comes in a kit with the 18-55. You see the action pictures taken with a D5000 so you know what it can do.</p>

<p>Charles,<br>

I was in your shoes somewhere around March this year. Price was a very big deciding factor for me but I knew I wanted to get a bit more serious with my photography so my mind was set on the D90. My biggest hesitation was of course the price. I eventually found a seller on ebay selling it brand new (in box and full warranty) for around USD755 (body only). I bought the 50mm f/1.8 lens seperate from J&R electronics for USD124. All in all a pretty good deal.</p>

<p>Hi, I'm new, and I am looking for the same answer...I am considering a D5000 but I want to be able to take gymnastics photos. I can't find any examples like that anywhere, just theoretical talk about whether it might be fast enough. There is a Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 lens for about $800, which does have the focusing motor, so it will work on the D5000...BUT I wonder if it is enough to capture the action.<br>

Those action shots posted above were taken with flash or outdoors...HUGE difference from an indoor gym. I'd like to see some shots taken with the D5000 in a gym. Even at f2.8 and ISO3200, you're talking possible shutter speeds in the range of 1/125 (depending on the gym's lighting), which isn't that great...and 50mm isn't long enough if you can't get under the basket (which is the case for gymnastics, unless you have permission to be on the floor with the team, you are pretty far away).</p>