Digital Photography Tips and Techniques

Running out model numbers to use after the very successful D40/D40x/D50/D60 product line, Nikon provided the entry level consumer market with the all new D5000 digital SLR camera. At the first glance this is a very exciting new product.

Compared to Nikon D60

• 12.3 MP CMOS sensor (vs. 10.2 MP CCD on D60)
• Tilt/swivel screen (Dot density is still only 230K, not the more popular 920K)
• Live View with contrast detection AF (subject tracking AF, face priority AF, normal area AF, wide area AF)
• Movie Mode (upto 720P at 24 fps with audio)
• Wider ISO range (200-3200 and 100-6400 with boost vs. 100-1600 and 100-3200 with boost)
• 11 point AF system with 3D tracking (vs. 3 point AF on D60)
• Control of Active D-Lighting intensity ( Auto, Extra high, High, Normal, Low, or Off vs. on/off only on D60)
• Automatic correction of lateral chromatic aberration
• Choice of JPEG quality in RAW+JPEG shooting 
• Extra in-camera retouching/creative options (color outline, perspective control)
• Extra scene modes (Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, Night landscape, Party/indoor, Beach/snow, Sunset, Dusk/dawn, Pet portrait, Candlelight, Blossom, Automn colors, Food, Silhouette, High key, Low key vs. Portrait, Landscape, Child, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait on D60)
• Faster continuous shooting (4fps vs. 3 fps)
• Bracketing (Both exposure and white balance). 
• FP high speed sync up to 1/4000 second.

Feature list

• New 2.7-in. 230k-dot Vari-angle monitor swings down approximately 90° and rotates 180°
• Nikon DX-format CMOS image sensor with 12.3 effective megapixels and Integrated Dust Reduction System
• Specially designed EXPEED image processing system
• One-touch access to Live View, which includes face priority AF and subject tracking AF
• D-SLR movie function: D-Movie, selectable from 320 x 216 pixels, 640 x 424 pixels or 1,280 x 720 pixels in AVI format
• 19 Scene Modes that automatically adjust exposure, image processing, Active D-Lighting and other settings for superior image quality
• Scene Recognition System, utilizing 420-pixel RGB sensor, improves autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance performance and is also integrated with the Face Detection System
• Active D-Lighting for smooth tone reproduction in high-contrast environments
• Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module featuring 11 AF points provides fast and precise autofocus coverage across the frame
• Picture Control System offers Portrait and Landscape options for more vibrant customized colors
• Extensive palette of in-camera Retouch Menus including several new retouch options such as Soft Filter and Color Outline
• Incredibly low-noise performance throughout a wide sensitivity range of ISO 200 to 3200; can be set to ISO 100 and ISO 6400 equivalents
• Viewfinder with approx. 95% frame coverage and an easy-to-view 17.9 mm eyepoint (at -1.0 m^-1)
• Up to 4 fps continuous shooting
• Built-in pop-up flash with Nikon’s original i-TTL flash control
• Highly efficient energy-saving design that allows approx. 510 images on a single charge of the Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL9a (CIPA standard, with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR and flash fired at full power once every other shot.)
• Compatible with HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) output
• Included Nikon ViewNX software makes browsing and organizing your images easy
• Optional photo-editing software Capture NX 2 allows quick and easy photo editing
• Lightweight compact body

What I like about Nikon D500

• Bracketing. Nikon took out the exposure bracketing function in earlier entry DSLR models and that made HDR photography difficult even thought not impossible.
• FP high speed sync upto 1/4000s.  This makes outdoor flash photography more usable since the normal 1/200 flash sync speed is very limiting in bright day light. But I am afraid that you will need an external SpeedLight flash unit for it to function.
• Swirl/tilt LCD. Great feature, especially for shooting videos, self-portraits, and other difficult shooting situations.
• LiveView. Very useful feature by itself. Now it comes with better AF options and the more versatile LCD screen.
• HD Video at 720P. Too bad it is still limited at 5 minutes length for HD and 20minutes for others.
• HDMI port. View images on high definition TVs.

Read more about Nikon D5000

• Nikon D5000 Nikon USA official press release 
• Nikon D5000 @ Nikon Imaging
• Nikon D5000 Microsite @ Nikon Imaging
• Nikon D5000 @ NikonUSA.com
• Nikon D5000 brochure (PDF)
• Nikon D5000 sample images
• Nikon D5000 hands-on preview at DPReview

Availability (pre-order)

• Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD (Body Only)
• Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD
• Nikon D5000 12.3MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR and 55-200mm f/4-5.6G VR Lenses and 2.7 inch Vari-angle LCD