dpreview.com Reviews the Nikon D5000

"The Nikon D5000 aims to be a lot of things to a lot of people - stepping in above the D60 as an offering designed to attract upgraders from older entry-level DSLRs, as well as lending a welcoming hand-up to DSLR ownership for compact camera users looking to get more involved in their hobby. And, on the whole, it performs both tasks pretty well. The features and technologies passed down from the D90 make it a very capable camera but the difference in feature set - low-res LCD, smaller viewfinder, single control dial, fewer direct-access buttons, smaller battery and more limited lens compatibility - should mean it doesn't tread on its big-brother's toes too much."

One of the biggest advantages that the D5000 offers in terms of pure photography is the move from three focal points on the D60 up to 11 focal points. I have a D60 and that's one thing that I always have to adjust do - going from the 51 focal points on my D300 down to three...it makes a big difference with how I take pictures. dpreview does the exhaustively deep dive I've come to expect from them - their JPEG comparisons in particular are great in terms of helping you compare the D5000 to other cameras. The D5000 comes out with a "Highly Recommended" rating, and coming from dpreview.com, that means quite a bit. You can buy the Nikon D5000 from our Amazon.com affiliate store.