We have had our Nikon D5000 for about four or five years now and really enjoy using it. We purchased it because we had a 1-year-old boy who never stopped moving and we could not get any decent pictures of him with a regular point-and-shoot camera. He was already onto the next thing before the flash would snap. With the Nikon D5000, the pictures take instantly and the quality is superb. I have not even really learned how to use all the settings yet, but even still our pictures always turn out great. Ours came with the extra 18-55 mm lens which takes really great pictures if you need a decent zoom. The package deal that we got was a great value, and I would definitely recommend a Nikon to anyone looking to upgrade their camera. It is easy to get the hang of taking pictures and videos and has a great user manual that will help you out. One other good thing about this digital camera is that you can choose the manual setting and adjust the exposure based on your setting. I would definitely buy another Nikon if anything ever happened to this one. Portability The only downside to any digital camera like this is that it is bulky and hard to just bring along anywhere.

emilya0415

Roanoke, VA

My husband and I purchased this camera for our trip to the grand canyon. We had about a week to learn how to use and it was easy! It takes stunning pictures with great color quality. The movie quality is improved with the higher end sd card. Image Quality Great colors! Ease of Use Can easily change from manual to autofocus. Portability It is an slr so it is an adjustment from other smaller digital cameras.

lemerym78

Morrisonville, NY

I invested in my first DSLR camera, the Nikon D5000, about a year ago. Overall, I have been very happy with the purchase. The camera takes good, crisp photos. The color is vivid and the camera is not as difficult to learn to use as others say it is. Although I do not regret my purchase, there are two things that I am unhapy about that I would advise others to consider before purchasing this model. First, the camera body does not have an internal focus motor. If you only plan to use the kit lens, this is not a problem at all. However, if you want to switch it out (as I did) the lack of motor severely limits your choices. A AF-S lens is required. The extremely popular and affordable 50mm f1.8 lens will NOT autofocus with this camera. If one wants a similair option that will work on the D5000, one must choose between a 35mm 1.8 that is twice the price of the 50mm, or from two 50mm that are 3 or 4 times the price of the 50mm 1.8AF. Big con! So while saving on the body, you shell out more for lenses. Second, I am not enthused by the kit lens. It has a relatively high maximum aperture (3.5) and therefore is no good for most indoor shots without the flash. and the onboard flash doesn't yield the professional looking photos that DSLR users are looking for. Once replacing the kit lens with the 35mm f1.8 lens mentioned above, I'm much happier with the camera and the results. So, I would recommend this camera as a good starter, but if the initial money outlay is not an issue, I recommend that D90 or D7000 that do have the internal focus motors. Get a better body and a betterselction of lenses!

redrusso

Hyattsville, MD

This is my favorite of my three SL's I also have a Canon and an Olympus. I recently used this camera on safari in Kenya and it took incredible reliable pictures in some pretty rough conditions. A few wonderful things about this camera: the VR lenses that stabilize the shakes, the auto everything feature that makes quick situation pics a breeze, and a fairly long battery life. This camera also seems built like a tank, I have dinged it in doorways severl times and it is no worse for the wear. The colors reproduce brilliantly.I am not too fond of the built in flash, but I think for any serious photographer you need a mount flash. It is durable and the body is not too heavy to wear round the neck all day. I have read that Nikon is outphasing this camera and I think that is a real shame. There is no doubt in my mind that for any hoto situation this will be the cam I grab for first. It is also not terribly expensive considering the quality of the cam and lense.

isolderin

Wakefield, RI

I am new to the world of dslr cameras, this is my first one.  I have owned my D5000 for a little over a year now, and I can't even begin to describe the difference in my pictures after switching from a point and shoot.  The camera is easy to use, and it takes wonderful pictures without even having to have a lot of knowledge about photography.  I am hoping to one day learn more about the advanced features, and capability, but for now I am happy with how my pictures have turned out just using the auto setting, and the preset setting such as indoor, beach, etc.  I picked this camera because I was told that it would be a good camera to grow with--I didn't want to buy a nice camera, and in a year, or two feel like I had outgrown it.  The lens that comes with it is a great starter lens.  I feel like it works great for my level of expertise.  I was told that the next lens I would want would probably be one with a bigger zoom, but I haven't found many occasions where I have needed more than my 18-55 mm.  I am excited to learn more about photography, and have a camera that I can grow with!

bookworm81

Oregon City, OR

This is an amazing camera for landscape shots and close up shots. I think it is classified as a entry-level dslr and is perfect as a learning tool for beginners. It has plenty of features and provides nice quality photos with the included 18-55mm lense. I love the live viewfinder which can be flipped in all angles for weird angle shots. It has a sturdy construction and feels nice in your hand. A quick look at the features shows that it has iso settings up to 3200 and a built-in auto pop up flash. It also records 720p video and has photo editing tools within the camera for quick edits. It performs well in lighted situations but in low-light indoor settings, the photos do not come out as nice. The interface is easy to use and well-organized. Out of the box, the camera is not optimized for best quality but if you play around with it, you can figure it out. If you are looking for a good beginner dslr with high capibilities, this is the one to get. It is very affordable as well.

lilshortwun

Undisclosed

The Nikon D5000 is a great camera. This was my first SLR camera. I purchased it about 4 months ago and noticed a huge difference with the first set of photos I took with it. I was building my photography career, making good head way, when it got stolen out of my car. I am now looking to buy a new D5000. I highly recommend this camera to any one, first time SLR user or professional photographer.

KaseyKrotzer

Gibsonburg, OH

Still learning!!  I got this camera for my birthday.  I have loved to take photographs for years.  My last digital camera I had was only a 4 megapixel so this is a major upgrade for me.  I have always wanted to get serious about taking photos.  So I decided on this camera.  The features on this camera is unbelievable.  It even has HD video.  I love all the different scene modes that are automatic.  But myself...I really want to learn the manual functions of the camera.  So I take the camera in the auto modes and look at the settings before taking the picture....that the camera is fixing it too!  This is a great key to learning how to set them on your own.  I love how the screen flips to where you need it.  You can take photos over people that are in front of you because you can see it holding it our your head with live view.  Even take photos of yourself.  The lenses are super easy to change out.  I love simplicity!  Awesome camera.  You will be amazed at at the beautiful photos you can make!

TamEngland

Haubstadt, IN