Nikon introduces D5000 DSLR with rotating screen
Nikon has announced the D5000. This new dslr has a rotating LCD and will find a place in the Nikon range between the D60 and the D90. The new camera inherits the 12.3-megapixel sensor and autofocus system from the D90.
The D5000 is Nikon’s first DSLR with a movable LCD. Because the camera also offers live view, the device can also be used if the eyepiece is difficult to reach. The LCD measures 2.7 “and has a resolution of 230,000 subpixels. The screen can fold down a maximum of 180 degrees and then rotate 90 degrees left and 180 degrees right. Olympus, Panasonic and Sony have already had devices with a tilting screen for some time, even though the LCD opens to the left on Olympus DSLRs, for example, instead of down.
The 12.3 megapixel cmos image sensor, which gives the D5000 a crop factor of 1.5, and the eleven-point autofocus system are inherited from the more expensive D90. Just like this device, the newcomer can also record video in 720p format, and just like the D90, the frame rate is 24 fps. The D5000 can take up to four photos per second.
Nikon has also equipped its new DSLR scion with a ‘silence mode’ in which the mirror folds up and down less quickly and therefore produces less noise and vibrations. Canon has used this trick in its dslrs before.
The D5000 would mainly be intended for novice users. This can be deduced from the nineteen presets for, among other things, shooting in the snow and by candlelight, and for taking pictures of children and even still lifes of food. When setting these presets, a sample photo is shown to clarify the application.
Like the D60, the D5000 lacks an internal focus motor, which means that autofocus is only possible with AF-S lenses. The D5000 also does not have the option of wirelessly controlling external flashes and no battery grip with shutter release has been announced.
Nikon has also announced a new wide-angle zoom lens. The AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm F/3.5-4.5G ED has a filter size of 77mm and a minimum focusing distance of 24cm, and like all DX lenses is only suitable for crop cameras. The lens is equipped with a fast and quiet SWM focus motor and has seven rounded diaphragm blades. It is unknown whether the current 12-24mm lens will remain in the range.
The Nikon D5000 will be available from 1 May for a suggested retail price of 799 euros; the combination with the 18-55mm kit lens will cost 859 euros. The new 10-24 mm zoom lens will be on sale from May and will have a suggested retail price of 999 euros.