The D5000 is quite a unique camera. While it is the spiritual successor of affordable, compact cameras in the Nikon line such as the D60, the D5000 manages to cost a little bit more, be a little bit larger, while offering quite a few more features than it's ancestors ever had. One of the first features that sticks out when examining the D5000 is the swivel screen it offers. This feature, when coupled with live view, comes in handy when trying to take shots in tight situations.
The sensor of the D5000 is also noteworthy. It provides very high quality images at higher ISOs when compared with previous generation cameras. Like other recent Nikon DSLRs, the D5000 has the ability to take high definition video. The addition of the swivel screen makes this feature more useful than with other DSLRs, but I wouldn't buy the camera based on this fact. What makes this camera stand out is the amazing image quality and features packed into a tiny, compact, travel worthy body.
