DSLR and lenses selection advise needed

I'm in a very similar boat, I'm deciding on the exact same cameras aswell. One thing I've found out though is that the kit lenses are quite good, especially if for the first few months of your DSLR life you're just learning the ins and outs.
Another thing to note is that all of the cameras will take awesome pictures and you won't be disappointed whichever you choose. If the D5000's screen is a major plus for you and it's price is alright then, if you've actually held onto it and it's comfortable, you know which one to choose. I would have thought that the faulty D5000's should be fine now, but don't quote me on it.

I have been thinking about those cameras as well. I was planning to do some research on them but apparently you did it for me. ^ ^;

I like the vari-angle LCD screen as well. So I prefer the D5000 but I can settle for the D3000 if the D5000 is too expensive. The D90 seems really good but I don't need it that good. I am sure that the D5000 is good enough. I think I will try to get the D5000, if not then D3000.

Since I don't do outdoor shoots (too dangerous around here) I will probably get the Macro lens.

Ah well.. I only use Canon Powershots for my stuff and they expand with SD memory card. I guess Sony Cybershot uses those proprietary Sony memory card thing? Me know nothing about DSLR or anything else about cameras ^^;

wow you use the legendary Lolicon Camera

DFC-F707 lol i ussually called my camera like that lol. It has a great lens and a nice feature like move the lens :(

but yes the memory and the quality of photo is not really as good as "now" camera :D

right now i'm using canon and quite satisfied, and if yous still want to move the lens [for seek someone's panty lol], better got dslr [semi pro] some friends of mine got some dslr which he can change the lens using some converter

i quess it's canno

First let me start off with general comments on what you've written.

**Everything Nikon has with a x000 or x00 digit is considered entry level, even the D90 which is in the Netherlands merely 60euro's more expensive, it is not more difficult to use than the D5000 or D3000 are but you do have more options to tinker around with including recording movies in HD (without Autofocus)

**The Nikkor AF-S DX 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR offers a nice package of a comfortable focal range, optical stabilization and very high resolution figures. On the downside there're rather pronounced distortion and CAs (Cromatic abbarations). The build quality is Ok but not really something to rave about either. Given the very moderate price tag it's certainly an attractive offer if you can live with or work around its shortcomings.

**The Micro-Nikkor AF 60mm f/2.8 D is a relatively old design but it can still deliver excellent results.
The resolution figures are excellent and both vignetting and distortions are nothing to worry about.
CAs are a little on the high side for a fix-focal lens though (correctable).
The mechanical quality is very good and it's fun to handle the lens. A great macro lens and even a worthy replacement for a standard lens unless you require ultra-large aperture settings.

**Focal range choice.
So you wanna do figure shots, so you wanna focus close cause you don't have room ?
Tricky situation, I mean 60mm on a DX camera is a film focal range of somewhere in the 85-90 ?
That's a rather angle to shoot at if your that close meaning you'd probably get just a small part of the figure and never the whole thing. Macro is intended to shoot small things after all .. so i'm not sure this is the right way to go about things.

Does the extra 20 cm of min-focusing distance really mean that much over not having a wider angle of photography ?
If it was me, I would advise against that.

If you want to go for supreme sharpness and clarity and not pay alot, a prime lens would be best.
Either the 50mm 1.8 (100 euro's) or the 35 1.8 (170 euros) will deliver extreme sharpness at F/2.8 or F/4.0 but will deliver you a better depth of field effect because you can shoot at wider apperture ranges as well i.e at F/1.8 or F/2.4 .. have that nice smooth creamy bokeh.

**18-55 new generation kit lens. Kit lenses the past years have been pretty good considering sharpness.
But a kitlens is always "slow glass" (i.e starts out at F/3.5) and is dinkier cause of plastics being used on the overal body compared to the metallic pro lenses and typically have distortion over pro lenses.
BUT the 18-55 kitlens WILL be almost identical in performance to your 18-105 VR choice considering both sharpness AND distortion (looked at the MTF charts just now for it )
VR technolegy does work, improving your shots with a +3 extra stops in the realworld but that's mostly reserved for shooting when lighting conditions are low and have no deal if your shooting out in the sun.

My final advice on lens choice ?

Pick a focal range you need, if you think 18-55 will do well go for it if you must save money.
If you want more flexibility and also use it on a vacation , your 18-105 will do the trick nicely.

Also a nice little photography trick you can pull with the 105 range, you will get more of a "compression" effect if you actually shot a portrait from a distance with that focal range which makes your subject stand out more DESPITE not having "fast glass" (i.e F/2.4 or F/2.8 )

wait a while and get a scarlet...

www.red.com

Wolf, looks like you're dead-set on choosing from the Nikon family of DSLRs and something with a vari-angle LCD screen. I guess D5000 is the most appropriate choice. Hope the recall issue is done and over with. :/ Cause the D5000 has the same fantastic sensor as the D90.

My DSLR background:
Nikon D90 + Nikon 50mm f/1.4G
Nikon D60 + Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro
Panasonic G1 + Lumix G Vario 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6

The D90 might be way too much for what you need. I find the grip to be a bit large. However, the Nikon D60's grip is just the right size for me. That might be the reason most of my pictures are from the D60, love the Nikon ergonomics!

Reason I have the Panny G1 is the 460,000 dot vari-angle LCD screen and the overall tiny dimensions of the G1. It's even smaller than the Nikon D60 or Nikon D3000!

Dpreview rates all 3 cameras as "Highly Recommended."

Wolfheinrich, if you request them, I can provide links to specific pictures taken by my cameras with these lens combinations. That's only if you're concern with image quality. I shoot in small apertures to maximize depth-of-field, do some post-processing with the Nikon RAW/NEF files, prefer a bit of color saturation, and only shoot JPEG out-of-camera with the Panny G1.

One more thing, with a lens of 90mm focal length on a crop sensor camera such as a D5000, D60, D3000, D90, etc. your subject-to-camera-distance is around 4-5 feet to take a full 1/8 scale figure shot. Please keep that in mind. With 60mm or 50mm, maybe under 4 feet or 3 feet. Also be prepared for the shallow depth-of-field with these larger sensor DSLRs. It might be a bit of shock coming from a small-sensor camera, where most of the picture is in "generally" acceptable sharp focus.

...bookmarking this page. I'm with Wolf trying to find a entry camera. Lots of useful information here.

love the glowing gundam pic! image ID#8204 ^^

the amount of camera mambo jambo here is crazy... will need to read it slowly XD

Oh so thinking of going for the 18-105 VR huh ? It will serve you well :-)
Optically not that different from the kitlens but the it's definitly more well-rounded than the kitlens is with the added range and not to mention the VR wich will help you in lower light circumstances.
It'll be a good choice for your starting lens.

I've personally never heard of the D5000 recall since I haven't been really looking at it already being happy with my camera, just to be safe when you buy the camera at the store have a print-out of the recall issue in case, attend them to it telling them you wanna buy it but if you can exchange it at the store itself if it turns out to be faulty from day 1. I'm sure they'll let you if they wanna make the sale :)

Regarding the UV filter, I use a B&W one on two of my most expensive pro lenses purely for protection as i'm definitly losing an entire month of salary if I ever break one of those two lenses and would probably cry.

Personally don't notice any image degredation but a filter could induce some flaring like effects when the sun is in your frame under certain angles (but seriously when ever are you going to point your lens towards the sun in broad daylight for a picture anyway )

Aside from that, looking forward to seeing what you will do once you upgrade !
Happy pic snapping !

The photos made with your Sony are rather good though. ^^

Not too familiar with Nikon but the D5000 looks more than decent if it's your first DSLR. So far for me the included kit lens on my Canon 450D has served me very well, but judging by your camera needs and use, especially the distance from your subject, you may benefit from a more versatile zoom lens. Depending on how steady your hands are when you make photos, a lens with VR function might help in making sharper pictures.

Gwenster mentions bokeh, do keep in mind that some lenses will give you amazing bokeh effects by default which can be quite startling at first if you've only used a point & shoot camera before where most of the image is sharp.

If you're going to shoot outdoors in bright light conditions, definitely get a polarizing filter. And if sharpness and detail is still important to you, you might consider getting a tripod and remote trigger for such Dollfie shoots instead of shooting freehand.

Hope you'll enjoy your DSLR. ^^

Out of the cameras you listed in your post you should get the Nikon D90 (but read the end of my post for more options!). Getting a DSLR is a huge purchase, so don't skimp out by getting a cheaper body. Don't think to yourself "Oh, the D90 is more than I need, let me get a more entry-level camera". You don't want to limit yourself with one of those other camera bodies. When making such a major purchase, it's more important to pay a little more to get more features. Get the good body at the start so you don't have to pay more money for an upgrade later on.

Also, don't think you will be saving a ton of money by getting the 5000, 3000, 60, or 40. One of the most important features that the D90 has is the built in auto-focus motor. This allows you to use older (and most importantly cheaper!) AF lenses. So why not get the option to buy AF lenses which are usually cheaper than AF-S lenses? AF-S lenses have a built in motor which makes them more expensive. Also, the very popular Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens is AF only so it will only auto-focus with cameras that have a built in focus motor.

[[[Important part here!!!]]]
You should definitely consider getting a pre-owned camera body and lens. You will save a lot of money this way. I recently got a used Nikon D80 and a used Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. By getting the D80 used instead of a D90 new, I saved a lot of money. The D80 body used was about $500. Sure the D90 can make movies, but the quality is not so good (it is sometimes nicknamed the "jello-cam", you can look at test videos on youtube). I guess the only thing I would want from the D90 is the better high ISO performance, but I am still happy with the money I saved. I am also very happy with the lens I got. The Tamron lens was about $290 used. It has a very similar focal length to the basic kit lenses you usually find with most cameras (17-50mm vs 18-55mm). However, this lens has f/2.8 throughout all focal lengths (of course you don't have to shoot at f/2.8 but it gives you the option to). This is very useful, especially for low light photographs. Opening the aperture all the way to f/2.8 allows for more light to enter, therefore allowing you to take quicker exposures in low light situations. Opening up will also give you a nice bokeh effect which is good for getting creative with your photographs. The lens is also very sharp!

So overall, I think you should either get a used D80 or if you must buy new, the D90. Do not skimp out here, getting a DSLR is a major purchase! My first DSLR was a D60 but I soon realized I needed more from my camera. Luckily Nikon raised prices on all their cameras so I was able to sell my D60 kit for about the same price I paid for it. I only owned the D60 for about 6 months before realizing I wanted a new camera. So please definitely consider the D80 or D90 (maybe even a D70). Thanks for reading!!!

AWESOME PICS. Interesting Camera Debate. Very INTERESTING

D300s user here. So far I've only one lens- 18-200mm VR series. It's the only lens I use right now, but am planning on getting a good telephoto and macro lens someday. BTW the main difference between the D90 and D300s is that there are some more customizable features as well as stereo mic input, video, dual CF and SD slots etc, but the main difference is the size and ruggedness of construction. This camera is built like a tank and very impressive to wield. I'd say on average it produces images that are somewhat above what the D90 can do, but only with lots of tweaking and changing settings. I've posted some shots of my DD at the dollfie board if you want to see.(not all of them are my very best though :/)

But if you're just starting out, a D90 will do the trick. Once you feel like you are more comfortable, and you want more features, then you can move up to a D300s.

Not sure why you're limiting yourself to Nikon.
It terms of LiveView, Sony alpha series has superior liveview than the rest. I'm an A300 user and I use liveView most when I shoot Figure image because theyre small and I dont like the idea of lying on the grass.
I got an twin kitlens set, but soon after i use a tamron 17-50 F2.8 almost all the time. Unfortunately A300/350 has been discontinued and replaced by a330/380 hich is quite smaller in size for those with big hands.
Alpha CCD sensor aint that bad comparing against CMOS, as you get in body stabilizer, liveview and tilting lcd.