Nikon
D5000
 vs
Nikon
D90

Updated (April, 2011): Compare the Nikon D5100 vs Nikon D7000

Nikon D90

71
Winner

Nikon D90
"Fast Autofocus with useful control options"
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's auto-focus
"High sensitivity performance up there with the best we've seen."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
977 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
73.0
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.5 EV
Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.63x
Nikon D5000

48
Runner-up

Nikon D5000
"The hand grip is one of the best examples in this class of camera and the rear dial is easily accessible, making it very quick and easy to use."
dpreview.com | talking about the D5000's feel
"Very impressive high ISO performance"
dpreview.com | talking about the D5000's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Nikon D5000

Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.5 EV
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Weight
 Light-weight
590 g

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D5000
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Weight Lighter 590 g vs 703 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Nikon D5000 Learn more about
the Nikon D5000

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Viewfinder size Much larger viewfinder 0.63x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 50% larger viewfinder
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 977 ISO vs 868 ISO
Help
 The D90 has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 850 shots vs 510 shots
Help
 Around 70% more shots per battery charge
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 208 ms vs 276 ms
Help
 More than 20% less delay when taking photos
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 73.0 vs 72.0
Help
 Almost the same
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 4.5 fps vs 4 fps
Help
 More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 96% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.1"
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent entry-level DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D5000 Nikon D5000
48 vs 71
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D90.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

NikonD5000
 Nikon D5000 vs Nikon D90
NikonD90
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
40
40
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
27
47
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
30
45
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
28
43
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
27
43
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
25
44
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
28
45
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
12.5 EV
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
169 lenses
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
D5000:400 ms
D90:300 ms
Sensor size Large sensors Help
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
6,400 ISO
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
12.2 MP
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
1
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Startup delay Has slightly more startup delay
Compare the D5100 vs the D5000
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the D5000
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Dynamic range Has significantly narrower dynamic range
Compare the D3100 vs the D5000
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Sensor size Has a slightly smaller sensor
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D5000
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D90
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Weight Is significantly heavier
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D5000
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Sensor size Has a slightly smaller sensor
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D5000
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D90
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Weight Is much heavier
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the D300S vs the D5000
Compare the D300S vs the D90

Nikon D5000 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D5000.

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D90.

appearance

Nikon D5000 Nikon D90
Nikon D5000 Nikon D90
Nikon D5000 Nikon D90

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 4 comments

Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (0:58 PM, August 30, 2011)
Yes, I think you're right the D5000 does use the same sensor as the D90.   We're comparing high ISO benchmarks from DxOMark, that show the D90 has a slight edge, they are very close though.

Often cameras do use the same sensor, but get slightly different results, perhaps due to software, or other components in the camera.  For example I believe the Nikon D7000, Sony A580 and Pentax K-5 all use the same sensor.
 
Photography96 (10:54 AM, August 30, 2011)
are you sure that D5000 is noisy at high  ISO than D90? I thought D5000 had the same sensor as the D90 ? 
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (3:29 PM, March 12, 2011)
You're absolutely right, thanks, we've fixed that up.
 
Fuzzyhead (9:31 AM, March 12, 2011)
As both D5000 and D90 uses the same MULTICAM 1000 for autofocus, Nikon D5000 has only one cross-type focus point.