Difference between D90 and D5000

[Matthew Bromley]

Just wondering what the D90 is actually offering over the D5000 that means it cost £170 more. As far as I can see they are virtually identical apart from the D5000's superior liveview.

Reviews say that the D5000 caters for the beginner with more automatic functions however despite this appears to have all the same features as the D90 in terms of manual function.

Am I right in saying you are paying £170 to have more dedicated manual buttons on the body instead of having them in the camera menu? That is how it appears here:

http://www.digitalreview.ca/content/....shtml#compare

Please tell me if I am wrong

Thanks

Matt

[greenwing]

Some of the main differences that make the D90 more attractive to me are
- focus motor allowing AF with older lenses
- pop-up flash can be a master/commander
- auto exposure bracketing
- 2nd command dial makes adjustments easier/quicker.

HTH
Chris

[BobtheTog]

Also the frame rate is higher on the D90.

[chris-p]

The other HUGE difference is that the D5000 uses a pentamirror viewfinder while the D90 uses a pentaprism.

On top of those listed above the D90 has:
Larger buffer
Larger body
Stronger chassis
More control over spot metering
A larger screen which is much higher resolution
An illuminated top plate LCD
Better backwards compatability with older Nikkor lenses (sorry Greenwing - you already mentioned that!)

There is also a significant advantage on having the extra buttons on the outside if you're changing settings a lot as it makes life much quicker and easier.

[greenwing]

Originally Posted by chris-p

The other HUGE difference is that the D5000 uses a pentamirror viewfinder while the D90 uses a pentaprism.

I forgot about the viewfinder! Sometimes use the other half's D50 and wonder where the image went! Lots more differences make the D90 better (for me), I don't think either of us mentioned DOF preview?

Chris