Canon 500D Versus Nikon D5000

The Canon 500D versus the Nikon D5000 - which is better? Are you looking for an entry-level digital SLR or do you want to progress from a point-and-shoot camera to something that allows you to be more creative? If so, you can't go wrong if you buy one of these two cameras but there are real differences between the two which you need to know before you make your choice.

The Nikon D5000 has 12.3 megapixels, the Canon 500D has 15.1 - not that much in it unless you are thinking of printing your photos on a really large scale in which case the Canon has the edge.

However, the Nikon comes with a very good lens, and the all reviews give better ratings to the Nikon D5000 which has a better and bigger sensor, a better 11-point focus against a 9-point focus on the Canon 500D, and less digital noise in low light conditions. These features are more important to making good photographs than a difference of 2-3 megapixels.

On the downside, the Nikon D5000 doesn't have an auto-focus motor built into the body, limiting the choice of Nikon lenses that can be autofocused when mounted on the camera. As the body doesn�t have an auto-focus motor, focusing will be lens-based but as long as you use Nikon�s AF-S lenses, there won�t be any problem.

The Canon 500D however, accepts all Canon EF/EF-S lenses. This means that the older, EF lenses are compatible with the 500D and some people say they prefer the colours that the Canon produces.

On the other hand, the build quality of the Nikon is said to be excellent, whilst Canon feels more like fragile plastic.

But for me, the most significant feature of the Nikon D5000 is the tilt-and-swivel LCD monitor. This is the first ever LCD on a digital SLR which can rotate 180 degrees. This kind of monitor enables you to compose photographs by reaching places you couldn't normally get to with another digital SLR camera.

There are two areas of photography where this feature is particularly useful. The first is macro photography where often the subject is down near the ground - flowers and insects for example. With the Nikon's monitor you can hold the camera near the ground without having to kneel in the mud. If it's an insect, then slowly moving the camera down to the ground is less disturbing. It's as if a whole new world has opened up, and it's all within arm's length (see my photo of a mushroom below).

The second area is street photography and, well, this is cheating a little but with the Nikon monitor at certain angles, and the camera held near your waist, other people may not realise you are going to take their picture because they are used to photographers looking directly through the viewfinder at eye-level.

My recommendation: the Nikon D5000 won the DIWA Gold Award beating the Canon 500D and is the camera I would recommend out of the two. If you are looking for an entry-level DSLR camera, the quality of the 18-55mm VR lens which comes with the Nikon D5000 is said to be surprisingly sharp for a budget lens. Combined with the Nikon D5000 tilt-and-swivel LCD monitor, owning this camera will open a whole new range of creative possibilities.