Mastering the Nikon D5000 by Darrell Young is a comprehensive guide for of the owners of this newest, budget-friendly generation of Nikon digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. The smaller, more lightweight Nikon D5000 mixes generous portions of user-controlled manual photography features with the latest technological innovations, allowing fully automatic point and shoot simplicity.

Darrell's approach in helping the reader to master this camera avoids the purely instructional technique, favoring a more friendly and advisory tone. He blends his decades of Nikon camera experience with an intuitive understanding of the readers' most likely questions regarding specific camera functions and features. Rather than just list all options for the myriad of camera settings and adjustments, he explains the background behind each setting and shares his personal recommendations.

Darrell understands that many owners of the D5000 may be just entering the world of DSLRs, and he takes the time to guide these new owners through the basics, while giving more experienced photographers the option of a refresher course.

Also included is an entire chapter on the exciting new D-Movie function that can record high-quality HD movie clips at an amazing 24-frames per second.

Mastering the D5000 is the most recent volume in the highly successful series of Nikonians Press books.

1. Chapter 1 Nikon D5000 Initial Configuration

   1. Digital Sensor Basics, or Why Does a DSLR Make Better Images?

   2. First Use of the Nikon D5000

   3. Charging the Battery

   4. Initial Camera Setup

   5. Getting Down to Basics – Shooting Menu Settings

   6. Custom Settings Menu Basics

   7. Information Edit Screen

   8. Using the Information Edit Screens

   9. My Conclusions

2. Chapter 2 Aperture and Shutter Speed

   1. Understanding the Camera’s Aperture

   2. Understanding Depth of Field

   3. Understanding the Camera’s Shutter Speed

   4. Using the Aperture and Shutter Speed Together for Great Pictures

   5. My Conclusions

3. Chapter 3 Exposure Metering System, Exposure Modes, and Histogram

   1. Section 1 – Metering Systems

   2. 3D Color Matrix II Metering

   3. Center-Weighted Metering

   4. Spot Metering

   5. Section 2 – Exposure Modes

   6. P – Programmed Auto Mode

   7. S – Shutter-Priority Auto Mode

   8. A – Aperture-Priority Auto Mode

   9. M – Manual Mode

   10. My Recommendations on Exposure Mode selection

   11. Full Auto and Scene Modes

   12. Auto Exposure Mode

   13. Why Have Scene Modes?

   14. Six External Scene Modes Found on the Mode Dial

   15. Thirteen Internal Scene Modes

   16. Section 3 – Histogram

   17. Understanding the Histogram (An Overview)

   18. My Conclusions

4. Chapter 4 White Balance

   1. How Does White Balance (WB) Work?

   2. Color Temperature

   3. Method 1: Setting White Balance with the Information Edit Screens

   4. Method 2: Setting White Balance with the Menus and Selecting Options

   5. Mired WB Fine-Tuning Values

   6. Measuring Ambient Light and Using PRE

   7. Selecting the White Balance from a Previously Taken Image

   8. White Balance Bracketing

   9. Auto White Balance

   10. Should I Worry About White Balance If I Shoot in RAW Mode?

   11. White Balance Tips

   12. My Conclusions

5. Chapter 5 Playback Menu

   1. Delete Function

   2. Playback Folder

   3. Display Mode

   4. Image Review

   5. Slide Show

   6. Print Set

   7. My Conclusions

6. Chapter 6 Shooting Menu

   1. Setting Up the Shooting Menu

   2. Image Quality

   3. Understanding Image Formats

   4. Image Size

   5. White Balance

   6. ISO Sensitivity Settings

   7. Active D-Lighting

   8. Auto Distortion Control

   9. Color Space

   10. Long Exposure NR

   11. High ISO Noise Reduction

   12. Active Folder

   13. Movie Settings

   14. Interval Timer Shooting

   15. My Conclusions

7. Chapter 7 Custom Setting Menu

   1. Configuring the Custom Settings

   2. Autofocus - Custom Settings a1 to a4

   3. Exposure - Custom Setting b1

   4. Timers/AE Lock - Custom Settings c1 to c4

   5. Shooting/Display - Custom Settings d1 to d7

   6. Bracketing/Flash - Custom Settings e1 and e2

   7. Controls - Custom Settings f1 to f5

   8. My Conclusions

8. Chapter 8 Setup Menu

   1. Format Memory Card

   2. LCD Brightness

   3. Info Display Format

   4. Auto Information Display

   5. Info Wrap-Around

   6. Clean Image Sensor

   7. Lock Mirror Up for Cleaning

   8. Video Mode

   9. High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)

   10. Time Zone and Date

   11. Language

   12. Image Comment

   13. Auto Image Rotation

   14. Image Dust Off Ref Photo

   15. GPS

   16. Firmware Version

   17. My Conclusions

9. Chapter 9 Retouch Menu, Recent Settings/My Menu

   1. Retouch Menu

   2. Recent Settings/My Menu

   3. My Conclusions

10. Chapter 10 Multi-CAM 1000 Autofocus

    1. What Is the Multi-CAM 1000 Autofocus Module?

    2. Understanding the Autofocus, AF-Area, and Release Modes

    3. Focus Modes in Detail

    4. AF-Area Modes in Detail

    5. Release Modes in Detail

    6. Live View Autofocus

    7. My Conclusions

11. Chapter 11 Speedlight Flash Photography

    1. What Is a Guide Number?

    2. Using the D5000’s Flash Settings

    3. What Is the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS)?

    4. My Conclusions

12. Chapter 12 D-Movie Mode: Video on Demand

    1. Basic Video Standards Information

    2. Camera Setup for Making D-Movies

    3. Displaying D-Movies

    4. Limitations in D-Movie Mode Video Capture

    5. My Conclusions

    6. Video Editing Software

1. Appendix Credits for Chapter Opening Images

   1. Chapter 1

   2. Chapter 2

   3. Chapter 3

   4. Chapter 4

   5. Chapter 5

   6. Chapter 6

   7. Chapter 7

   8. Chapter 8

   9. Chapter 9

   10. Chapter 10

   11. Chapter 11

   12. Chapter 12

2. Appendix