Studio resolution: Nikon D5000   To measure and compare the Nikon D5000's resolving power we photographed the Enhanced Digital Camera Resolution Chart with it and a number of rival cameras, each using their best quality JPEG and default image tone and sharpening settings; RAW comparisons can be found lower down on this page. The lenses used were tested at every aperture setting and the best results selected for this page. Magnified assistance in Live View was used to confirm the focusing. The crops are taken from the converted RAW images, saved as High Quality JPEGs in Photoshop CS4 and presented here at 100%. Each number represents 100 lines per picture height (lpph), so a figure of 20 means a resolution of 2000 lpph.

Indeed our earlier tests with different lenses on the D90 should also apply here: check out our Nikkor DX 16-85mm VR review to see how a superior lens can squeeze a little more resolution from this sensor, along with delivering improved contrast and sharpness over the kit models. But the bottom line is Nikon’s kit lenses do perform respectably for their price.

Under these strict studio conditions, the Canon 500D / T1i’s three extra Megapixels deliver a measurable benefit (even with the kit lens), although as seen on the previous (and following pages), this doesn’t necessarily translate into a significant advantage under real-life conditions.

The Olympus E-620 scored a little higher than the D5000 despite having roughly the same total pixel count, because its pixels are arranged in a squarer 4:3 frame – so there’s more of them in the vertical axis. Interestingly we measured a slightly higher figure for the Panasonic Lumix G1 though which shares roughly the same sensor resolution.

But back to the Nikon D5000 which as you’d expect, matches the resolving power of its higher-end counterpart. To find out how the D5000 measures-up across its sensitivity range, head on over to our High ISO Noise results page. Alternatively, scroll down to the bottom of this page where you’ll see whether shooting in RAW can extract a little more from the sensor.

We photographed our test chart in the D5000's RAW plus Large Fine JPEG mode, allowing us to directly compare images created from exactly the same data. Below are crops taken from the original JPEG file alongside the RAW version, processed in Nikon's optional Capture NX 2.2.0 software using the default settings.

The RAW version, even without tweaking, reveals sharper and better defined details with a slight boost in resolution: a comfortable 2350 lpph horizontally and 2400 lpph vertically. This is essentially the same measured for the D90 and the D300 before it, so while we know the sensor is the same, it's still impressive to have such high-end performance in a relatively affordable body.

So once again, if you want to see the best from the D5000, you should shoot in RAW - there's benefits even when using Capture NX 2.2.0's default settings. Now let's check out the camera's performance at different sensitivities in our Nikon D5000 High ISO noise results page.