Have been thinking of upgrading to a digital SLR for a while... considering Nikon D5000 - any recommendations?

If you'd be getting your first DSLR, the D5000 would be a great choice, but with one (at least to me) big caveat. To me, the biggest limitation with the D5000 is that it will not autofocus with non-AF-S lenses. In Nikon's alphabet soup for lens descriptors, AF-S means that the motor that focuses the lens is in the lens and not the camera.

Reguar AF lenses (listed as either AF or AF-D) autofocus by having a motor in the camera focus the lens via a small mechanical coupling that sticks out of the camera mount. The D5000 does not have this coupling, so it will not autofocus with regular AF lenses. This can be a problem because it eliminates alot of otherwise perfectly good used lenses that you could buy used and get a lot of value out of.

You'd have to buy all AF-S lenses. Cameras that DO have the mechanical coupling can autofocus with either AF or AF-S lenses. This isn't a problem with Canon because all of their autofocus SLR cameras and lenses have been AF-S (I'm using Nikon's term for it; Canon calls it something else) since the late 1980s.In Nikon's current product line, the cheapest camera that autofocuses with regular AF lenses is the D90, which may be more expensive than what you're looking for.

If you're willing to get an older model, a used D80, D70 or D50 will autofocus with both AF and AF-S lenses. I still use my D50, a now four year old camera design ( I bought mine a year after they were introduced). Four years is a long time for digital cameras, but DSLRs have a lot more longevity than point-and-shoots.

If you're open to any brand, I'd say to just stick with Nikon or Canon. While other manufacturers have perfectly good cameras, the amount of used lenses you'd be able find for them will be far smaller than for Nikon or Canon.

If you'd be getting your first DSLR, the D5000 would be a great choice, but with one (at least to me) big caveat. To me, the biggest limitation with the D5000 is that it will not autofocus with non-AF-S lenses. In Nikon's alphabet soup for lens descriptors, AF-S means that the motor that focuses the lens is in the lens and not the camera.

Reguar AF lenses (listed as either AF or AF-D) autofocus by having a motor in the camera focus the lens via a small mechanical coupling that sticks out of the camera mount. The D5000 does not have this coupling, so it will not autofocus with regular AF lenses. This can be a problem because it eliminates alot of otherwise perfectly good used lenses that you could buy used and get a lot of value out of.

You'd have to buy all AF-S lenses. Cameras that DO have the mechanical coupling can autofocus with either AF or AF-S lenses. This isn't a problem with Canon because all of their autofocus SLR cameras and lenses have been AF-S (I'm using Nikon's term for it; Canon calls it something else) since the late 1980s.

In Nikon's current product line, the cheapest camera that autofocuses with regular AF lenses is the D90, which may be more expensive than what you're looking for. If you're willing to get an older model, a used D80, D70 or D50 will autofocus with both AF and AF-S lenses. I still use my D50, a now four year old camera design ( I bought mine a year after they were introduced).

Four years is a long time for digital cameras, but DSLRs have a lot more longevity than point-and-shoots. If you're open to any brand, I'd say to just stick with Nikon or Canon. While other manufacturers have perfectly good cameras, the amount of used lenses you'd be able find for them will be far smaller than for Nikon or Canon.

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