Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 12.3 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5Mb.

During the review, the Nikon D5000 captured photos of very good quality. Colours were usually spot on, and the automatic white balance system worked quite well.  Active D-lighting managed to squeeze most of the dynamic range captured by the sensor into the JPEGs the camera produced. Resolution at base ISO proved enough for some seriously big prints. Noise, while detectable if you deliberately looked for it, did not pose a real problem until you went above ISO 1600, and even then it remained low enough to to allow small to mid-sized prints to be made. Red-eye was not a common occurrence with the built-in flash, and when we did encounter it, it was very moderate and easily cured by setting the flash to red-eye reduction mode. The camera also proved very well suited to night photography, with no hot pixels appearing in night shots with long-exposure noise reduction turned on. Curiously, matrix metering proved somewhat less accurate than with the D90, prompting us to use exposure compensation much more often - despite the fact that the two cameras use essentially the same metering system.

Noise

The base sensitivity of the Nikon D5000 is ISO 200, but you can go down to ISO 100 using the expanded sensitivity setting of L1.0. At the other end of the scale, you can dial in ISO 3200, or even 6400, the latter of which also comes as an expanded setting, called H1.0. The ISO speed can be adjusted in 1/3 EV increments. The 100% crops below are from photos taken at “full” ISO speeds from ISO 100 through ISO 6400, with High ISO NR turned off.

Although in some cases, you can detect some shadow noise even in photographs taken at relatively low ISOs, it does not have much of an impact on the final output up to, and including, ISO 1600. From then on, noise starts to limit the maximum print size at which the pictures still look good, but even an ISO 6400 shot should be OK for prints of at least 13x18cm. Colour saturation is also well maintained up to ISO 3200, though it does drop noticeably beyond that.

The Nikon D5000 also has ISO Sensitivity Auto Control, activated from the shooting menu. If set to On, the camera will automatically adjust the sensitivity if proper exposure cannot be achieved at the value chosen by the photographer. The user can put a limit on the maximum sensitivity selectable by the camera.

JPEG	RAW
ISO 100 (100% Crop)	ISO 100 (100% Crop)
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)	ISO 1600 (100% Crop)
ISO 3200 (100% Crop)	ISO 3200 (100% Crop)
ISO 6400 (100% Crop)	ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

File Quality

The file quality settings available on the D5000 include Basic, Normal and Fine for JPEGs, plus you can also store your photos in Nikon's proprietary raw format (NEF).  Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

Fine (100% Crop)	Normal (100% Crop)
Basic (100% Crop)	RAW (100% Crop)

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes by changing the Picture Styles.

Original (100% Crop)	Sharpened (100% Crop)

Flash

The pop-up flash on the D5000 has several settings including Auto, Fill-in flash, Red-eye Reduction, SlowSync, Red-eye Reduction with Slow Sync, Rear-curtain Sync and Off. The mode of operation can be TTL, Auto or Manual, and there is Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC) available as well. Note however that unlike the D90, the D5000 cannot control wirelessly slaved system flashes. These snaps of a white ceiling were taken at a distance of 1.5m using the kit zoom.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (27mm)	Flash On - Wide Angle (27mm)
Flash Off - Telephoto (82.5mm)	Flash On - Telephoto (82.5mm)

And here are a couple of portrait shots. The built-in speedlight caused only a minor red-eye effect in this test, which could be fully eliminated by setting the flash to red-eye reduction mode.

Flash On	Flash On (100% Crop)
Red-eye Reduction	Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Nikon D5000 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times of practically any length, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. There is an optional long-exposure noise reduction function that can be activated to filter out any hot pixels that may appear when extremely slow shutter speeds are used. Do note that this works by way of dark frame subtraction, which effectively doubles the exposure time. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 10 seconds, aperture of f/11 at the L1.0 (ISO 100) sensitivity setting. We've included a 100% crop for you to see what the quality is like.

Night Shot	Night Shot (100% Crop)

Image Stabilisation

The Nikon D5000 does not offer body-integral image stabilisation, but the kit lens bundled with the camera features Vibration Reduction, Nikon's proprietary lens-based optical stabilisation system. This allows you to take sharp hand-held photos at slower shutter speeds than with lenses that lack this function. To illustrate this, I took two photos at the long end of the zoom, with VR turned on and off. At a shutter speed of 1/15 second - which is rather slow for this focal length - the photo taken with VR was still commendably sharp, but the one without VR was decidedly blurred, as the 100% crops below clearly show.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length	Image Stabilisation Off (100% Crop)	Image Stabilisation On (100% Crop)
1/15th / 82.5mm

D-lighting

D-lighting is Nikon's dynamic range optimisation tool that attempts to squeeze  the full dynamic range of the sensor into JPEGs. The available settings are Off, Auto, Low, Medium, High and Extra High. The following examples demonstrate the difference between the two extremes, Off and Extra High.

D-lighting Off	D-lighting Off (100% crop)
D-lighting On	D-lighting On (100% crop)

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Nikon D5000 camera, which were all taken using the 12.3 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Nikon D5000 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Nikon RAW (NEF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

As of February 2025, we are no longer providing full size sample images or videos for download.

Please contact us if you have any feedback on our new policy.

Product Images

Front of the Camera

Isometric View / Pop-up Flash

Isometric View

Isometric View

Rear of the Camera

Rear of the Camera

Rear of the Camera

Top of the Camera

Bottom of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Memory Card Slot

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The Nikon D5000 is a successful crossbreed of the D90 and the D60. The new DSLR combines the imaging assembly, AF module, Live View and HD video recording capabilities of the former with the beginner-friendly infopanel-based operation of the latter, in a form factor that lies somewhere in the middle between the two.

It also adds its own to the mix, in the form of an articulated rear LCD, though this is sadly compromised by the lack of proper anti-glare coating, which causes the otherwise versatile screen to be very hard to see in strong daylight. Also specific to the Nikon D5000 is the extremely well-dampened, therefore surprisingly quiet mirror that, along with the relatively small size and unobtrusive appearance of the camera, makes it ideal for applications like candid street photography.

Those who require dual control wheels, more dedicated buttons, a large viewfinder and greater compatibility with older AF lenses will still be better served by a D90 and are therefore advised to save up for the higher specified model. For everybody else, the Nikon D5000 provides much the same functionality and image quality in a smaller, lighter and quieter edition.

Obviously, the competition hasn't stood still either since the introduction of the D90, and these days there are remarkable offerings in the market that can potentially lure you away from the Nikon D5000. The Canon EOS 500D, the Olympus E-620 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 each have their own sets of strengths and weaknesses, therefore we recommend that you check out our reviews of those cameras too, before making a purchase.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4
Features	4.5
Ease-of-use	4
Image quality	5
Value for money	4.5

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Nikon D5000 from around the web.

Specifications

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