D3000 vs D5000? New to the DSLR world!

[tedforse]

I am purchasing my first DSLR this month. I have played around with a friends D40 so I don't have much experience but I generally pick up "techy" things quickly. I am looking to photography as a hobby and to have some fun with Photoshop-- not looking to become a professional photographer. I would like a good starter camera to learn with but I don't want to upgrade in a year or two.

The two cameras standing out right now are the d3000 and d5000. I like the live view feature on the 5000 but I have read mixed reviews on this feature due to lag time. I originally wanted to keep the price around $500 but I saw a d5000 for $650 and I am wondering if the extra $150 is worth it.

Can anyone explain the differences between the two cameras? If you were in my situation, which would you buy? Is the live view feature important? Any other recommendations that I am not considering?

[OsmosisStudios]

Whatever D5000 youre seeing at $650 is either going to be a scam or a body only, which means you still need a lens.

Live view on the D5000 is great for certain things, but general shooting isnt one of them. It's great on a tripod, necessary for video and fine special instances, but for the most part you'll be using the viewfinder exclusively.

In terms of images, though:
The D3000 uses a slightly tweaked version of the D60 sensor, which, while good, wasn't the best. It does a poor job at low-light shooting and is a bit low in resolution for the current market. It is good, though, for a beginner because of the Guide mode.
The D5000 uses the same sensor as the D90, which is fantastic. it does considerably better in low-light, but it does get a bit noisy at one point. It also shoots video, which may or may not be a factor.

Overall, I'd say go for the D5000 if you can. Always buy the best you can afford. But I'd look into your prices again and make sure that's a KIT from a reputable company

[dcclark]

While I can't speak authoritatively about the different cameras, I can say this:

Live View is a minor feature, at most, on DSLRs. DSLRs are designed so that you can and should use the viewfinder to compose your image. Live View is slower, uses up battery life FAST, and positions your hands and arms in totally the wrong place to take effective photos (you'll get tons more camera shake if you're holding your heavy camera out far enough to see the image on the back).

At most, Live View can help you make the transition from point-and-shoots to DSLRs, but you should eventually move on to using the viewfinder.

[firebox40dash5]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Whatever D5000 youre seeing at $650 is either going to be a scam or a body only, which means you still need a lens.

Amazon.com: 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: Camera & Photo I've never been scammed by Amazon.

I agree with the rest 100% though. While the D3000 is a slight improvement over the D60 (mostly 11 AF points instead of 3), the D5000 is is more like a downgraded D90. If a D90 is out of the question, I'd go for the D5000 any day.

[tedforse]

I saw one for $650 on Amazon and then one for $614 from Welcome to Fumfie! *»* Fumfie.com - more than just photo https://fumfie.com/pshow/?id=206.5 Since Amazon has free shipping, the price difference is only $20 from fumfie.com so I would probably just go with Amazon. Has anyone used fumfie.com? Just curious for future purchases.

Thanks for the speedy responses!

[firebox40dash5]

thoughts-of-dave: Fumfie.com: Is Fumfie Legitimate or a Bait and Switch site?

Sounds too good to be true, but has some people claiming they're OK. They're also not listed on Nikon's dealer list, which isn't a big surprise considering they're advertising the D5000 at way less than MAP. I'm guessing you'd be up the proverbial creek as far as warranty coverage.

[OsmosisStudios]

There's no price on the page you link to: There are, however, 3 USED examples going for $690+. Even clicking "New" gets you at $700.

That's still not $650.

[firebox40dash5]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

There's no price on the page you link to: There are, however, 3 USED examples going for $690+. Even clicking "New" gets you at $700.

That's still not $650.

Add it to your cart and tell me what it says.

[kirbinster]

I agree with the comments about live view when it comes to my D300 but NOT with regards to it on the D5000. The D5000 does a much better job of implementation, a large part of that is because of the articulated display. When in a crowd you can hold the camera way above you head and turn the display out ninety degrees from the camera and see exactly what you are taking a picture of. Imaging being in a big crowd and being able to get perfect pictures of the parade. Also you can put the camera on the ground to get low shots and with the display tipped out see exactly what you are shooting without laying on the ground.

[marrydavidson101]

Remember when you'd drop $500 to $700 on a nice point-and-shoot? Now you can pick up a digital SLR camera for that. For the photo enthusiast on a budget--or even the avid family photographer--they can be a big leap forward.