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General discussion

D90 (5 scene modes) v. D5000 (19 scene modes)

by forseytn Dec 11, 2009 7:14AM PST

Not many reviews have talked in detail about the 19 scene modes on the D5000.

Anyone have an opinion on the usefulness of the 19 scene modes on the D5000 and if that's worth the trade-off on other features the D90 offers?

This will be our first DSLR and the scene modes might help us the first year or two get used to things and not force us to learn on the fly so much. That to me sounds like a useful trade-off on the LCD size (D90 being much better) and the AF not in the body as it's not hard to find AF lenses. (yes a bit pricier)

Thanks for any feedback on value of scenes.

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2 Posts

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My opinion and many others

by kalel33-20416052469708587370302374692233 Dec 11, 2009 8:01AM PST

Scene modes are there to set some parameters for different scenes. They do not replace or come close to what a person can do if they knew the basics of photography and practiced some. Scene modes are there to tantalize a newbie DSLR owner into thinking they bought a DSLR and that they don't have to learn about photography. Unfortunately, many have learned that is not the case, especially with the "sports" mode.

The D5000 is a very capable DSLR and will give you enough ability to grow as a photographer in the future. If you don't want to learn about photography then you're going to wonder why your photos don't look like what other photographers' images look like. You can buy better equipment but that doesn't make you a better photographer.

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19 scene mode!

by hjfok Dec 12, 2009 5:22PM PST

This does sound a bit excessive. This is mostly a marketing strategy to attract the PS customers to jump into D-SLR. By the time you learn how to optimize the 19 scene mode, you probably will have mastered the D-SLR basics.
The D-SLR basics are actually quite simple, but takes some time to practice and get used to. It will take a couple of days to a week to get used to the controls, and then another couple of weeks to be proficient. It won't take a year, probably not even a month to be good at it.
Like anything else, most people learn by making mistakes. D-SLR can review the results right away, so you can quickly correct them. There is no need for the 19 scene modes, probably will slow down your learning curve and hold you back more than advancing your skills.
If you panic or can't figure out the settings, the auto mode usually works quite well for many situations.
You should however buy a book or two to read and learn the basics, or take a class.

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