discount nikon d3000

Trying to decide between the Nikon D3000 and the D5000?

This would be my first DSLR. I do consider myself to be ‘good with a camera’, albeit this would be my first “real camera”. I place little value on the HD video. I place some value on the live view because it could come in handy occasionally, but I prefer the viewfinder. My biggest question is whether I will get truly better night shots (outdoor night shots, or indoor low light shots) by purchasing the D5000. The price difference is about $200 so I want it to be worth the while and I get conflicting feedback related to the benefits of a high ISO once you get past the 1600 range!?!?!?

Go here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_d3000%2Cnikon_d5000&show=all

Click on “Read owners opinions” and see that people rate the image quality in the D5000 higher. This is an extremely small sample of opinions and they are not professional reviews.

Click on “Our in-depth review” for each camera, also. They do not have a gallery of samples up for the D5000 yet, but you can look at the tests and compare.

Open two copies of your browser and put the D3000 high ISO test in one window

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond3000/page23.asp

and the D5000 high ISO test in the other

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond5000/page30.asp

Now you can switch back and forth between the two windows and make an A-B comparison for yourself. Although the test images are cropped from the same standardized studio setup, it is unfortunate that they did not choose to show the exact same crop of the original image, but here’s what you do. Click on a D3000 sample and it will enlarge to show the whole scene. Click on it again and it will display full size. Repeat this for the D5000 sample. Toggle between windows and scroll around to match up different parts of the image and compare. It is also unfortunate (for you) that dpreview decided to change their standard studio test for these cameras. You can look at various portions of the gray scale or you can look at the Martini bottle or Bailey’s bottle so that you might compare apples to apples.

Personally, I think the image quality on the D5000 is noticeably better at higher ISO levels. By the time you get to ISO 3200, there really is no question about it. The D5000 beats the D3000 easily. In fact, I would say that the D5000 at ISO 6400 still beats the D3000 at ISO 3200 and the D3000 does not even offer ISO 6400. This would suggest (strongly) to me that the D5000 would have better low light performance.

Oh snap. I could have saved us both a lot of trouble. The D5000 has a CMOS sensor and the D3000 has a CCD sensor. Therein lies the difference with your low light performance. The CMOS will beat the CCD every time.

Those prices fall into the “Too Good to be True” category for me. They sound about a couple hundred dollars too low. Check to be SURE that you are getting a 100% USA warrantied kit with EVERYTHING that normally comes from the factory. I deal almost exclusively with B&H for equipment and I have never had a problem. Go to their site and look at the D5000 kit, for instance, and scroll down a little and look on the right to see “What’s in the box.” Make sure that any other dealer you check is giving you the entire kit. Some are notorious for taking the normally-included accessories out of the box and then selling them to you at inflated prices. For instance, your camera is worthless without a battery. Nikon includes it in the kit. A spare Nikon battery would cost you $38.79 from B&H. I’ve seen other dealers selling you the battery that they “stole” from the kit for almost $100!

Here’s the link for the complete D5000 kit: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/628096-REG/Nikon__D5000_Digital_SLR_Camera.html

Here’s the link for the D3000 kit with one lens: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/635660-REG/Nikon_25462_D3000_SLR_Digital_Camera.html#specifications
You can click on “available kits” for pricing, but they don’t have that whole “What’s in the box” list.

ALWAYS check an on-line dealer rating at http://www.resellerrating.com before you buy.

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