Nikon D5000 vs D90
Nikon has just announced the new Nikon D5000, so I decided to post a quick comparison between the Nikon D5000 and Nikon D90 in this "Nikon D5000 vs D90" article.
Nikon D5000 (image courtesy of Nikon)
The new Nikon D5000 is a new generation DSLR that sits between D60 and D90, which can be classified as an "upper-entry-level DSLR". It features exactly the same sensor that is found in Nikon D90 and Nikon D300/D300s, which is much different than the D60 that hosts a smaller resolution 10mp sensor. The Nikon D5000 is also the first Nikon DSLR that has a tilt and swivel LCD, which is supposed to be helpful for capturing video and images at different angles.
Here are some differences between Nikon D5000 and D90:
- D90 has a top-mounted information display that provides useful information such as shutter speed, aperture, etc., and D5000 does not have this feature. It is unfortunate, because the top display is very useful and I personally use it all the time.
- Unlike D90, D5000 does not have a "flash commander" mode, which means that you cannot control remote flashes like SB-600/Sb-900. This is a problem for those who have a single external flash, since you cannot use it in a remote mode and would need at least two flashes or a flash+SU-800 commander for off-camera flash.
- D5000 has an added "Airflow Control System", which is supposed to keep the dust out every time the shutter snaps.
- D5000 has no internal focus motor, which means that older lenses (such as Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AF-D) without the focus motor on the lens will not work. This is not a big problem, as most newer lenses have an internal motor. But if you do own a really old Nikon lens, this might be a problem for you.
- D5000 is a little slower than D90 - it can capture 4 frames per second, while D90 can capture 4.5 frames per second (not a big difference).
- Viewfinder type and magnification on D90 is much better compared to D5000 (D90 has a "pentaprism" viewfinder with 0.94x magnification, whereas D5000 has a "pentamirror" viewfinder with only 0.78x magnification). For those who use manual focus lenses, this might present a problem, as you would not be able to see as clearly inside the D5000 viewfinder.
- The LCD monitor on the back of the D90 is better than on D5000. D90 has a full 3.0" LCD with 920,000 pixels, whereas D5000 has a 2.7" LCD with 230,000 pixels.
- D5000 has a larger buffer compared to D90, since it can record up to 63 JPEG and 11 RAW images in continuous mode, compared to 25 JPEG and 7 RAW images in Nikon D90.
- D5000 is a smaller camera that measures 127 x 104 x 80 mm, whereas D90 is 132 x 103 x 77 mm. It is also lighter than D90 (560g vs 620g).
- There is a new "Q" (Quiet Release Mode) in D5000 that is absent in D90.
- D5000 allows 8 programmable buttons for the function button, whereas D90 has 10.
- There are 23 custom functions in D5000 vs 41 in D90.
- You cannot get a vertical grip for D5000, while you can get an MB-D80 grip for D-90.
- D90 has "EN-EL3e" type batteries, whereas D5000 has "EN-EL9a".
Here comes the big question: would I recommend D5000 over D90? If your budget is small and you do not have the need to use the "flash commander" mode for off-camera flash, then I would say absolutely! When it comes to image quality, both cameras produce exactly the same quality images, so the only differences are in features. D90 is definitely a more robust camera that stands above D5000 both in terms of features and price, but if you need a camera for family portraits and occasional landscape photography, then the D5000 would deliver the same quality images as the D90. I wish that D5000 had a top display like the D90 since I use it a lot, but I could see the same information on the back LCD of the camera by pressing a button, so it is not a big deal.
Nikon D5000 is currently selling for approximately $650 for body only, whereas the D90 is selling for $900, so there is about a $250 difference. If you do not need the extra features above, get the D5000 and invest in better quality lenses instead!
Related posts:
10/17/2009 - 05:16
Wonderful counsel indeed!
Thus, since in points 13 and 14:
13.You cannot get a vertical grip for D5000, while you can get an MB-D80 grip for D-90.
14.D90 has “EN-EL3e” type batteries, whereas D5000 has “EN-EL9a
So is it not possible to use MB-D80 on a D5000?
10/18/2009 - 00:26
Virgilio, thank you!
That’s correct, you cannot attach an MB-D80 battery grip on D5000.
10/30/2009 - 13:44
Sadly, I bought a D5000 when it first came out, and have regretted not spending a little more for a D90 ever since.
I believe the D90 has a huge advantage in price and availability of lenses, due to the in-body focus motor. Quite frequently, older AF lenses are cheaper and at least as good in optical performance. If you simply buy the 50mm f/1.8 AF-D ($100) or f/1.4 ($200) versus the 50mm f/1.4 AF-S ($500), you’ve already saved $300-400, which is far more than the difference between the two bodies.
10/31/2009 - 09:47
YugoN: Sure, the older AF lenses are cheaper, but they are not better than the new AF-S lenses. It is unfortunate that Nikon has not yet produced a new low-cost 50mm f/1.8, but they did release the 35mm f/1.8 DX, which is excellent.
Not sure where you got your dollar figures, but the older 50mm f/1.4D is not $200 – B&H lists it for $324.95 as of today, while the new 50mm f/1.4G is $449.95, so there is only a $125 USD difference. Don’t forget that the new 50mm is optically better than the old one…
Personally, instead of buying a 50mm lens, I would go for the 35mm f/1.8 DX lens, simply because 50mm is a little too long for everyday use on a 1.5x crop sensor.
02/07/2010 - 06:24
Hi Nasim,
First of all, wonderful website! Too many people (Ken Rockwell…) give photography tips and actually display only average to poor pictures on their website; your pictures are of another level: just beautiful…
The reason for my post here is that I have been reading for months about photography and feel finally ready to buy my first dSLR. It will be a d5000 or a d90. My problem is that I still can’t decide between the two. I am planning on getting a 18-105mm kit lens for the convenience (is it a good choice??) and probably the 35mm f/1.8 DX (cheap and wonderful lens apparently). It seems that the d90 has more “direct” access buttons for parameters such as Iso, metering mode… than the d5000 where you need to go through menus all the time. I am also not sure I would actually use the live view mode so a swivel screen doesn’t seem to be that important. What do you think? Finally do I need the 35mm if I get the 18-105mm? Thanks!
02/09/2010 - 01:21
Christophe, thank you so much for your feedback! We really need it :)
As far as the camera body, if money is not an issue, I would get the Nikon D90 over the D5000. You are right, it is easier to change settings on the Nikon D90 and the top LCD makes a difference for quick setting changes.
As far as the lenses, if you can, buy both the Nikon 18-105mm kit lens and the 35mm f/1.8. You would use the 18-105mm for wide-angle photography for convenience and the 35mm f/1.8 for low-light situations. If you can only buy one, I would suggest to just get the 35mm f/1.8 instead, because it is sharper and much faster!
Hope this helps.
02/09/2010 - 10:36
Great, thanks! I’ll keep you posted on my future purchase and will continue to read and learn in the meantime. Talk to you soon!
02/09/2010 - 16:05
Christophe, sounds good, good luck! :)
02/18/2010 - 20:59
nasim, i came across your website in search of information to choose between canon or nikon entry level dslr. after reading a lot of articles online including yours, i’m leaning on nikon D5000 with 18-55mm VR lense. shopping around, i came across with this online store. if i but separately, i.e. camera body and lense, it will cost me only under $450.00 (D5000 body-$229 & VR lense – $199)but if i buy a complete set say with amazon or B&H, it will be between $600 to $700. checking the content of the box seems to be complete, but what could be missing. pls help and thx in advance. the website store is
Link has been removed by site administration
02/19/2010 - 01:28
Danny, thank you visiting us. Please DO NOT buy anything from the link you provided earlier (I actually deleted it because I do not want our visitors to be visiting that web page). I can assure you that the website is scam and you will never be able to get your money back from them.
NEVER buy photography equipment from a site whose prices are too good to be true. Buy from reliable companies like B&H and Adorama and you will not only get the best prices, but also quality service.
D5000 will not sell for $229, even broken!
02/19/2010 - 23:25
thank you nasim. that is what i thought. thank you for all your articles on your site. i probably have read about 85% of it. i can say that not only your advise are from your actual experience, but from passion on this art. all your photos are amazing. it shows true talent. thanks much.
02/21/2010 - 14:23
Danny, I’m glad you are finding our articles useful and thank you for your feedback on my photography!
Please let me know if you have any questions.
02/23/2010 - 20:39
i’m short on budget, and rather than taking chances on losing my money. just to get started, i decided to get the D3000. it is on sale with walmart.com for $456.00 free shipping to their local store. after couple of years of practice, i will definitely upgrade. the only difference i see between D5000 and D3000 is the movie capability, live view, and swivel LCD on D5000. thx for your help
02/26/2010 - 02:11
Danny, there is a big difference between Nikon D3000 and D5000 when it comes to the camera sensor. The Nikon D3000 has an inferior 10mp sensor, while the Nikon D5000 has the same sensor as the one that is used in Nikon D90 semi-pro camera. While $456 seems to be a good deal, I would still look at the D5000 as a better alternative.
The sensor is the most important component of the camera and in this case, the D5000 has a clear lead over the D3000.
Hope this helps :)
02/23/2010 - 09:16
Hye Nasim..
can u give me a comparison of nikon D5000 and canon 500D.
which is better for a newbie like me..?
my budget is around that 2 stuffs..
Need to hear from u..
Thanks ya..!
02/23/2010 - 18:19
Harmanizan, I would recommend Nikon D5000 over Canon 500D. It has a better sensor and dynamic range than the Canon 500D and it is a great camera for a beginner!
02/23/2010 - 21:40
thanks nasim..
u probably help us which is new in DSLR.
maybe im gonna get that stuff in this week..
if u dont mind, i will catch u if i got any question after that.
it should be no problem right? ;)
02/26/2010 - 02:06
Harmanizan, absolutely! Let me know and I will try to help you out as much as I can.
02/26/2010 - 19:06
hi nasim, thank you for pointing out the sensor size between D5000 and D3000. it looks like i will return the D3000. how about pentax, what do you think about pentax k-x? over D5000?
thx in advance
03/03/2010 - 16:01
Danny, Pentax is not bad for the money, but their selection of lenses is nowhere close to what Canon or Nikon offer today. If you want the best, get either Nikon or Canon.
03/02/2010 - 09:56
I’ve just purchased a D5000 and an SB-600 flash. I want to buy another flash since I cannot use the SB-600 remotely. I read in some websites that two SB-600 would work. Is that correct? If not, what other flash I should get without expending so much money?
Thanks!
ramoic
03/03/2010 - 16:08
Ramoic, you cannot use the SB-600 as a commander – it is only designed to be a flash unit. You will need to buy a Nikon SB-900 or a used Nikon SB-800 to be able to control other Nikon flash units.
There are some other solutions, like buying a set of PocketWizard Plus transceivers, but you will need special adapters for those to work with the Nikon SB-600.
03/06/2010 - 07:09
Hi Nasim, I found your website while trying to choose between the D90 and the D5000 and without even contacting you, you have convinced me to by the D90 and the 35mm lens – great stuff. Now the real question is the main walkabout lens. I am looking at the newly upgraded Nikon 18-200 because I don’t want to change the lens at dusty racecourses. This newer version seems to sell for about $300.00 more than the original version. So what do you get for the extra money? Am I living in a fools paradise? Am I trying to stuff a quart in a pint pot or is it o’k within certain limitations?
I have learned a lot from the excellent DP review website but it’s a bit of a plod and yours is WWWAAAYYY more friendly. Thank you so much. kevin.
03/06/2010 - 10:21
Kevin, thank you for your feedback! I’m glad that you found the information on our website useful :)
As far as the 18-200mm lens, the newer version has a lock to prevent lens from creeping and has VR II, which is supposed to be one stop better than the regular “VR” stabilization. Optically, both lenses are the same :)
I’m not sure where you found the original version for $300 less, but I believe none of the major resellers are selling the original version anymore.
The great news, however, is that if you buy the Nikon D90 + 18-200mm lens, you will get a $300 instant rebate now! The deal ends at the end of the month and it is definitely a great time to buy.
Here is the list of things that I would buy if I were you:
1) Nikon D90 + Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR II
2) Nikon 35mm f/1.8
3) B+W 52mm MRC clear protection filter
4) B+W 72mm MRC clear protection filter
03/10/2010 - 04:30
Hi Nasim,
Your review is really helpful and friendly.
I’m planning to buy a D90 with kit. but you mentioned about 300USD rebate so I think it’s really worth spend another 200USD and get D90 + 18-200mm lens.
Can you tell on which site I can get that 300USD rebate?
Also what other accessories are important to buy.
this will be my first DSLR to use.
and which
03/10/2010 - 17:37
Vineet, if you are in the USA, check out my Nikon Rebates page for the current rebates.
03/10/2010 - 17:39
Oh, and as far as accessories, have you seen my “Must-have DSLR Accessories” article?
03/06/2010 - 13:23
Again Nasim, thanks so much for the info. I live in Canada and unfortunately I do not get the camera 2 year warranty or the Lens 5 year warranty unless I buy from a Nikon Canada registered dealer.
Best regards
Kevin.
03/06/2010 - 16:27
Kevin, you are right – you want to buy from a Nikon reseller in Canada, or you are not going to have the Nikon extended warranty.
Hopefully there is a rebate for the D90 + 18-200mm lens in Canada as well…such a sweet deal!
03/07/2010 - 15:05
Hi Nasim,
I’ve just bought D90 & 18-105VR, it also took quite a time to choose between D5000 & D90. As for me the top display is really very handy + all feature buttons + pent prism instead of pent mirror of D5000 (which is 20% brighter) all those cost more than just 250$. IMHO.
If you could help me to make a choice for portrait lens, I still in doubt to choose 35mm 1.8 or to go to 50mm 1.8 or 1.4. We are expecting a child very soon, so what is more suitable to make close portraits and pictures of kids on DX Camera?
Spasibo.
03/08/2010 - 19:06
Vladimir, congratulations on your upcoming baby and your purchase! You’ve made the right choice – the Nikon D90 is a superb camera!
As for the lens, if you can afford the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G, go for that lens instead and you will not regret it. Nikon 35mm f/1.8 is very nice and I love it too, but my favorite is still the Nikon 50mm f/1.4. It is a great lens to photograph your child and the bokeh is creamy and beautiful!
Заходите к нам почаще! Удачи и еще раз поздравляем! Обязательно дайте нам знать когда родится Ваш малыш. Будем ждать фотографий Вашего карапузика! :)
03/09/2010 - 20:14
Thanks so much for your clear articles. I just receive a d5000 as a gift and I was wondering if you thought it was worth it to upgrade to the d90. This is my first dslr but I want to buy something I can grow with. Is the d5000 sufficient or are there really major benefits to the d90?
03/09/2010 - 20:21
Zlata, what are you planning to photograph and how seriously do you want to get into photography? Nikon D5000 is a superb camera to start with and I would not upgrade to Nikon D90, unless you have some specific needs (like triggering other flashes, more camera features, etc).
If this is your first DSLR, keep your D5000 – it has the same image quality as the Nikon D90 and you might not need all the extras the D90 offers.
What lens did your D5000 come with?
03/09/2010 - 21:34
The camera came with the Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR AF-S DX Lens. I want it mainly for family photos and portraits. I mainly was concerned with the quality of the screen- that you can’t really see what kind of picture you took. Additionally, I wanted a fast camera. I don’t want to miss fast moving action.
03/10/2010 - 17:20
Zlata, you might want to consider buying an additional lens, because the 18-55mm is a little slow.
As far as capturing fast-moving action, your camera has the same capabilities as far as the speed of shutter is concerned, so you can also capture fast action with it. The difference betwen D5000 and D90 is in the frames per second, meaning how many frames you can shoot in a given minute. The maximum shutter speed is the same :)
If you do not like the screen and need more frames per second + extra functionality the D90 offers, then go for the Nikon D90. I would definitely take advantage of some of the current rebates from Nikon.
Take a look at this sweet deal for Nikon D90 + 18-200mm VR II – you can get $300 off right now.
If you want to see other deals, check out my Nikon rebates page.
Hope this helps :)
03/10/2010 - 18:04
Thank you. What kind of other lens would you suggest?
03/10/2010 - 18:22
I would get a large aperture fast lens such as Nikon 35mm f/1.8G or Nikon 50mm f/1.4G.
I have written about these lenses on my blog and you can see some image samples in my articles.
03/09/2010 - 22:34
I keep on seeing that the d90 has more camera features. No one really goes into what thos other features are. Would you be able to breifly explain the additional features. Also, what kind of photography requires triggering other flashes?
03/10/2010 - 17:23
Men, all of the differences are highlighted in the above article. If you are asking about the menu feature differences, here they are:
* D5000 allows 8 programmable buttons for the function button, whereas D90 has 10.
* There are 23 custom functions in D5000 vs 41 in D90.
As far as triggering other flashes, the Nikon D90 has a built-in flash that can be used as a commander of other flashes such as Nikon SB-600/SB-800/SB-900. With this kind of setup, you only need one flash and you can already shoot off-camera flash for portraiture and other type of photography. With the Nikon D5000, you would need two flashes to accomplish the same.
Hope this helps.
03/10/2010 - 22:34
Hi Nasim,
After 5 months of extensive reading on photography and weeks of hesitation between the D90 and the D5000, I finally purchased a D90 last weekend. I got it as a kit with the 18-105mm and the 70-300mm and couldn’t resist to get the 35mm f1.8. Also got 2 Hoya filters: a UV one and a polarizer, both multi-coated. Finally I bought a Lowepro backpack to carry my new toys! :-) First impressions: the D90 is amazing. I went manual immediately and already took a few great shots. I have been shooting so far with the 35mm lens which is a pure joy to use. I really wanted a prime lens and don’t regret my choice. I hope this post will help some others make up their mind. Last thing: you were right, the direct access buttons and the top-mounted LCD make the D90 so much easier to use than a D5000. Thanks for your great advice!!
03/11/2010 - 03:57
Hello Nasim,
I really enjoy your review.
One thing I really want to make sure is, regardless of all things about D90 and D5000, is it the image quality really the same between the two?
Thanks in advance, Nasim.