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

Nikon D90
Winner
Nikon D90

70

vs
Nikon D5000

50

Nikon D5000
Runner-up
 
 
 
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.63x
Sensor size
 Large sensor
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
208 ms shutter lag
Battery life
 Great battery life
850 shots
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D5000

Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Sensor size
 Large sensor
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Weight
 Light-weight
590 g
 
Differences | Recommendations | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

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 resolution Much higher resolution screen 930k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4x higher resolution screen
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Viewfinder size Significantly 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
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 73.0 vs 72.0
Help
 Almost the same
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
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.1"
Help
 Almost the same
Size Slightly smaller 132x103x77 mm vs 127x104x80 mm
Help
 Almost the same
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $600.00 vs $642.35
Help
 The best price we've seen is $42 cheaper (around 10% less)
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
50 vs 70
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D90.

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
169 lenses
Sensor size Large sensors Help
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
D5000:400 ms
D90:300 ms
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
6,400 ISO
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Size Large Help
D5000:127x104x80 mm
D90:132x103x77 mm
Movie format Both shoot high resolution HD movies Help
720p @ 24fps
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
12.2 MP
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
D5000:95%
D90:96%
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
1
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
D5000:4 fps
D90:4.5 fps
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$585 - $805 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
Compare the D5100 vs the D5000
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the D5000
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Nikon D5200

Nikon D5200

Entry-level DSLR

$697 body only

$797 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D5200 vs the D5000
Compare the D5200 vs the D90
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$649 - $968 body only

$949 - $1,182 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Weight Is significantly heavier
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D5000
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$547 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the D3200 vs the D5000
Compare the D3200 vs the D90
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$447 - $740 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Sensor size Has a slightly smaller sensor
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the D3100 vs the D5000
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D7100 vs the D5000
Compare the D7100 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

discussion

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.