It’s clear to see that Olympus – as usual – is doing a great job with its out of camera JPEGs, and at a pixel level the E-P1 produces, sharper, crisper output than the Nikon, and the punchier default contrast, sharpening and saturation mean that the results are more immediately appealing. You’re not going to see a huge difference at normal magnifications (and turning up the Nikon’s rather conservative sharpening evens things out a little), but there’s no denying that the little Olympus is giving the D5000 a good run for its money (though again the rather harsh highlight roll-off produces slightly clipped tones at ISO 100).

Lenses used were the Olympus 50mm f/2.0 Telephoto Macro ED on the E-P1, and Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S Nikkor on the D5000.

Family photographers who want more power than a basic, entry-level DSLR, but don’t want to step up to a near-pro camera.

Overall, I highly recommend the Nikon D5000 to anyone looking for a feature-rich and very capable DSLR on an entry-level budget. There are plenty of great DSLRs on the market – some offer more features and some may be cheaper. Image quality in the D5000 rivals cameras much more expensive than it and, if you buy something cheaper, you’re going to miss out on some cutting edge stuff that only the D5000 offers.

The video function on the D5000 is the closest thing to getting right as a DSLR has done yet. The Vari-angle LCD really makes a big difference with the D5000’s video capabilities. The file format is easy to work with and the 24p video looks smooth and cool.

The review also includes sample and test photos, and video / movie clips.

If you demand more pixels and count every one, the Nikon D5000 (or equivalent D90 or D300) gives superior technical results from their lack of noise-reduction induced smudging, ability to correct lens defect color fringes and more reliable AF system. If you look at your photos at 100% on-screen, the Rebel T1i images look more like they came from a compact than an SLR.

Having shot extensively with the D60 myself, owned and sold the D90, and now proud owner of the D5000, I can confirm that the image quality on the D5000 is at the same level with the D90, and both cameras have better image quality in terms of dynamic range, tonality and low high-ISO image noise than the D60.

Even so, given Nikon’s mastery of still images, we’d still opt for the D5000 above the others. Just beware of your own experience. This near-entry Nikon is best if you’re simply looking for a higher-quality alternative to a “prosumer” point-and-shoot or as a learning model. Prospective buyers who fully intend to graduate to more advanced shooting may want to consider paying the extra money for a camera with more familiar DSLR features.

While the Nikon D5000 didn’t fare as poorly as the Canon Rebel T1i in our resolution testing, sharpness was still a problem when shooting stills with the camera, where the Panasonic GH1 performed well. Both cameras offer articulated displays that pivot for shooting at an angle, but the Nikon’s folds down rather than out to the side, which is less practical, especially since we found the extended screen on the GH1 made it easier to shoot steady video. And speaking of video, the Nikon can’t shoot at 1080p the way the Panasonic can and lacks the manual controls and continuous autofocus that make the GH1 a video star, albeit an expensive one.

Because it has a mechanical shutter, and at shutter speeds above 1/200 the shutter doesn’t expose the entire sensor in one go. Instead, it forms a slit that moves across the sensor exposing each part of it in turn. So if you fired flash during a 1/400 exposure, it might show up in the top half of the frame, or the bottom half, or somewhere in between, but never the entire frame.

What looks a bit weak in the expected lineup is the D90. The D5000 is so close to the D90 that the D90 looks a bit strange in this lineup, especially when you consider that the D5000 seems to produce better JPEG image quality than the D90 out of the same sensor.

(via Olympus E-620 Review at Digital Photography Review)

What’s certain is the Nikon D5000’s ability to make superb still images. Its optical viewfinder is a pleasure to use, and you’ll get more straight horizon lines thanks to the built-in grid. The shutter sound is quiet, and single-point AF speeds are fast. For the consumer shooter wanting to move up in terms of functionality and image quality, and still have the familiar interface of the D40/D60 range, the Nikon D5000 is an excellent choice, and a definite Dave’s Pick.

Full-resolution, real-world images can be viewed in the test gallery. All photos here were taken using the Nikkor 18-55mm VR kit lens.

Two footage samples are provided in the review: Video 1 (view in HD on YouTube, download the 14.5 MB .AVI file) and Video 2 (view in HD on YouTube).

The respective kit lens for each camera was used for the test: Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS VR on the T1i / 500D, Nikkor 18-55mm AF-S VR on the D5000, and Zuiko 14-42mm on the E620.

Tons of full-resolution images await your analysis.