Nikon D5000 Tips by Moose

Nikon has announced a new $50 instant rebate for the D5000 digital SLR camera, click here. The instant rebate is a special Father’s Day promotion so it’s only valid until June 26, 2010.

Happy Shooting!

Howdy friends! I received a couple questions regarding compatible lenses for the Nikon D5000 and thought it would be best to post the answers here.

• Which Nikon (Nikkor) Lenses are compatible with the D5000?
• Which Tamron Lenses are compatible with the Nikon D5000?
• Which Sigma Lenses are compatible with the Nikon D5000?
• Will older Nikon (Nikkor) lenses still work on the D5000?

The D5000 can only autofocus with lenses that have a built-in focusing motor. If the lens doesn’t have a built-in focusing motor, you’ll need to adjust the focus manually.

Nikon (Nikkor) Lenses compatible with the D5000

If you’re purchasing a Nikon (Nikkor) branded lens, you’ll want to make sure that it’s labeled with either AF-S or AF-I. These are the only Nikon lenses that will autofocus on the Nikon D5000.

Here’s a short list of the compatible Nikon (Nikkor) lenses:

• Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G AF-S VR Lens
• Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S VR Lens
• Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S VR Lens
• Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S Lens
• Nikon 105mm f/2.8G AF-S VR Lens

Tamron Lenses compatible with the Nikon D5000

Tamron lenses are a little bit trickier to sort out. On Amazon, there are certain Tamron lenses that are labeled with ‘Built-in Motor for Nikon DSLR‘. These are the only Tamron lenses that will autofocus on the D5000.

Here’s a short list of the compatible Tamron lenses:

• Tamron AF 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Lens with Built-in Motor for Nikon DSLR
• Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Lens with Built-in Motor for Nikon DSLR
• Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 Lens with Built-in Motor for Nikon DSLR
• Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Lens with Built-in Motor for Nikon DSLR

Sigma Lenses compatible with the Nikon D5000

If you’re looking to purchase a lens designed by Sigma for the Nikon D5000, you’ll need to make sure it’s labeled with HSM. These are the only Sigma lenses that will autofocus on the D5000.

Here’s a short list of the compatible Sigma lenses:

• Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 HSM Lens
• Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 HSM Lens
• Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 HSM Lens
• Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 HSM Lens
• Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 HSM Lens

Will older lenses still work on the Nikon D5000?

The answer to that question is YES and NO…lenses without a built-in motor will “work” on the D5000, but you’ll have to adjust focus manually…meaning autofocus will not work on lenses that do not have the AF-S or AF-I designation. Click here for a complete list of features available with older Nikon (Nikkor) lenses.

I hope that clears up some of the confusion surrounding the compatible lenses for the Nikon D5000. If you have any questions, feel free to post a question to this post.

Happy Shooting!

Howdy Nikon D5000 owners! Looking for a downloadable or printable version of the D5000 manual? I posted a couple quick links to the D5000 User Guide along with some download instructions. Here you go…

You can instantly download the official Nikon D5000 user’s guide by clicking here (this PDF manual is provided by Nikon).

If you’d rather download the manual from Nikon’s website, just go to the D5000 resource page located here: www.nikonusa.com

1. Once you’ve reached the D5000 homepage, locate the ‘Related Links‘ section.
2. Click on the link labeled ‘Product Manual‘.
3. This will take you to their Support page.
4. Scroll down to the DSLR section and select the D5000 link.
5. This will take you to the download page where you can download the English or Spanish version of the D5000 user’s guide.
6. The D5000 PDF User’s Manual is around 20MB, so it may take a few minutes to download to your computer depending on your internet connection.
7. Once you’ve downloaded the manual, Adobe Reader should open and display it automatically.

Nikon D5000 Guide for Beginners

The Official Nikon D5000 manual is very short and straight to the point. Many times you’ll find a chart or a feature that has a really short explanation. Many of the terms in the manual can be confusing and as a beginner you’ll find yourself putting it down in frustration.

If you’re like me…then you want a manual that not only touches on the different features that the D5000 has to offer, but also SHOWS you detailed steps in setting up your camera for the best results. The Nikon D5000 Guide written by David Busch is the answer!

Each button, dial, feature and shooting mode found on the Nikon D5000 is illustrated with large full color illustrations and photos to help you easily setup your camera.

The Nikon D5000 guide also has individual chapters on understanding exposure, mastering the D5000′s autofocus options, working with burst mode and many other advanced techniques written in a way that even beginners can understand.

If you haven’t done so already, then I would mosey on over to Amazon and pick up yourself a copy today, click here.

Nikon D5000 Guide to Photography

Since we’re talking about great beginners guides for the Nikon D5000, I also wanted to point out the
Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby.

This book helps you quickly setup your camera without a lecture about technical terms like aperture, exposure, and depth of field.

If you’re wondering…

“‘How do I get my subject into focus, but with the background out of focus?”

…Scott gives you a very short (usually one paragraph) answer as how to setup your camera for the best shot.

He currently has three volumes of the Digital Photography Book and each one has hundreds of quick tips to help you shoot in many different situations. As I mentioned above, each shooting topic is covered in one page or less which is great for beginners who just want to start shooting.

I highly recommend the Digital Photography Book as a great beginners guide to photography, click here for a quick link to Scott’s books.