Nikon D5000 vs Sony A7 II

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Nikon D5000 vs Sony A7 II

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APS-C 372.9mm²
12.3 megapixels
ISO 200 - 3200

Go in depth with our full Nikon D5000 Review.
See real-world photos taken with the D5000.

35mm 855.6mm²
24.3 megapixels
ISO 100 - 25,600

Go in depth with our full Sony A7 II Review.
How does it shoot? Sony A7 II in the real world.
See real-world photos taken with the A7 II.
Compare Sony A7 II image quality against competitors.
What’s the bottom line? Read our Sony A7 II conclusion.

Succeeded by the Nikon D5100
Compare D5000 vs D5100

Succeeded by the Sony A7 III
Compare A7 II vs A7 III

Compare NIKON D5100 vs SONY A7 III

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Differences

Nikon D5000 advantages over Sony A7 II

Lens selection
Excellent vs Good
Better lens selection gives you more options
Fast startup
~0.40 vs 1.7 sec
Faster startup lets you catch the moment
Longer stills battery life
More info

Longer stills battery life

Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

510 vs 350 shots
Capture more photos
More telephoto lens reach
84 mm vs 70 mm
Capture objects farther away with the kit lens
Internal flash
Internal flash vs None
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
Bigger JPEG buffer
100 vs 52 shots
Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)

Sony A7 II advantages over Nikon D5000

Focus peaking
Peaker vs Non-peaker
Your camera will highlight what's in focus
Larger sensor
35mm vs APS-C
More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
In-Camera Image Stabilization
Yes vs No
Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
In-camera panoramas
Yes vs No
Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
Built-in Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi vs None
Share your photos wirelessly
Higher effective ISO

Higher effective ISO

Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

You can learn more at our glossary entry.

Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.
A7 II test data on DxO Mark D5000 test data on DxO Mark

2,449 vs 868 iso
Take photos in low light with less noise
On-sensor phase detect
Yes vs No
Usually improves live view and video AF performance
Thinner
59 mm vs 80 mm
Thinner
External Mic Jack
Jack vs No jack
Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
Newer
10 years vs 16 years old
Newer cameras often support more advanced features
More dots on screen
1229k vs 230k dots
Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
Shoots 1080p video
Yes vs No
You'll want this if you shoot video
More viewfinder magnification
0.71x vs 0.52x
Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
More pixels
24.3 vs 12.3 megapixels
Higher resolution photos
Shoots 60p video
Yes vs No
A faster framerate can give you more editing options
Headphone jack
Yes vs No
Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
Faster JPEG shooting
5.0 fps vs 4.0 fps
Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
Faster RAW shooting
5.0 fps vs 4.0 fps
Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
Bigger RAW buffer
28 vs 10 shots
Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
Faster shutter
1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
Shoot wide open in bright light
Higher extended ISO
51200 vs 6400 ISO
Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

Eye-level viewfinder
Both provide
You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
Tiltable Screen
Both provide
Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
HDMI out
Both provide
Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
Hot shoe
Both provide
Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
Bulb shutter
Both provide
Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

Touchscreen
Neither provide
Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
Built-in Bluetooth
Neither provide
Always-on wireless connectivity
Built-in GPS
Neither provide
Geotag your photos
Top deck display
Neither provide
Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
Dual card slots
Neither provide
Gives you more storage flexibility
Slow-motion videos
Neither provide
Shoot slow-motion videos

User reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read D5000 User Reviews

Amazon
Adorama
Read A7 II User Reviews

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Review Excerpt

Read our Nikon D5000 Full Review

Excellent 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization; Sensor-shift IS brings stabilization to nearly any lens; Much-improved ergonomics and top-deck control layout; 'Mark II' maintains same impressive image quality, dynamic range and high ISO performance; XAVC S 50Mbps video format; Faster start-up time; Hybrid AF performs well with good continuous AF.
(Similar to A7): Loud shutter (but electronic first-curtain helps); Battery life could be better; Low-light AF still not as good as most DSLRs; High ISO JPEGs look over-processed; Slow buffer clearing; Limited selection of native Sony FE lenses (but it's getting better).
Read our Sony A7 II Review

The Competition

Compared to Sony DSLR-A350

Nikon D5000

Sony DSLR-A350

$850
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

$900
APS-C

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Longer stills battery life

Compare Nikon D5000 vs Sony DSLR-A350

Sony A7 II

Sony DSLR-A350

$1148
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$900
APS-C

Fast startup
Longer stills battery life

Compare Sony A7 II vs Sony DSLR-A350

Compared to Sony DSLR-A300

Nikon D5000

Sony DSLR-A300

$850
APS-C

Lens selection
Higher effective ISO

$563
APS-C

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Longer stills battery life

Compare Nikon D5000 vs Sony DSLR-A300

Sony A7 II

Sony DSLR-A300

$1148
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$563
APS-C

Longer stills battery life
More telephoto lens reach

Compare Sony A7 II vs Sony DSLR-A300

Compared to Sony DSLR-A390

Nikon D5000

Sony DSLR-A390

$850
APS-C

Lens selection
Higher effective ISO

$507
APS-C

Less expensive
In-Camera Image Stabilization

Compare Nikon D5000 vs Sony DSLR-A390

Sony A7 II

Sony DSLR-A390

$1148
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

$507
APS-C

Longer stills battery life
More telephoto lens reach

Compare Sony A7 II vs Sony DSLR-A390

Compared to Sony A7

Nikon D5000

Sony A7

$850
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

$748
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

Compare Nikon D5000 vs Sony A7

Sony A7 II

Sony A7

$1148
35mm

In-Camera Image Stabilization

$748
35mm

Less expensive

Compare Sony A7 II vs Sony A7

Compared to Sony A7 III

Nikon D5000

Sony A7 III

$850
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

$1531
35mm

Focus peaking
Larger sensor

Compare Nikon D5000 vs Sony A7 III

Sony A7 II

Sony A7 III

$1148
35mm

In-camera panoramas

$1531
35mm

Shoot 4K video
Touchscreen

Compare Sony A7 II vs Sony A7 III

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