Should Active D-lighting be on or off?

High contrast scenes are difficult to work with. Thankfully, Nikon’s Active D-Lighting helps preserve some of those details in the lightest and darkest areas of the image. In most cases, Active D-Lighting is helpful, but photographers working with RAW will want to simply leave the setting off.

Which mode is good for portrait photography?

So here’s the bottom line: When you’re doing portrait photography, start with Aperture Priority mode. And once you feel confident, switch to Manual mode–so that you can have the utmost control over your portraits. And you can choose the best camera settings for portraits, consistently.

How do I enable the Illuminator on my Nikon D5000?

It’s easy to check: point your camera in a dark spot (or leave the lens cap on) and click the shutter release halfway. If you see a bright light go on, you’re set. If not, go into your menus and enable it. I’m not familiar with the D5000, but on the similar D90 it’s in Custom Settings -> Autofocus -> Built-in AF-assist illuminator (a3).

What settings does the Nikon D5000 have on the top?

While some cameras – like the Nikon D90 – include a camera settings panel along the top, the D5000 omits this in order to conserve space. Instead, all settings like aperture, shutter speed, white balance and ISO are displayed and changed using the LCD.

Should I buy the Nikon D5000 or D90?

Since the D5000’s autofocus only works with lenses that have their own motors (labeled AF-S or AF-I), this limits the number of lenses you can use with this camera, unless you prefer using manual focus. Bottom Line: if you want a camera that’s compatible with old Nikon lenses, the D90 is better than the D5000. Nikon D5000 vs. Other Manufacturers

What size battery does the Nikon D5000 have?

Prolific shooters, those who exclusively capture RAW images and travelers who enjoy extended vacations should consider cards with more capacity like 8 GigaBytes and even 16 Gigabytes. The Nikon D5000 uses a rechargeable lithium Ion EN-EL9a battery.