Hasta La Gadget!

More premature unboxulation today, this time for the video-shootin’, screen-flippin’ Nikon D5000, which has been stripped of its cardboard shell and poked, preened and, well, twisted for lucky recipient Kadath’s Flickr set.

First, isn’t is a little odd how many camera unboxings there are on Flickr? It’s not just the quantity, though — the sheer quality of them makes us wonder if the buyers actually needed a new camera after all (these were, ironically, taken with a Nikon D300).

In this case, though, we’re happy, as we get to see the first in-the-flesh photos of the new D5000; product-verité rather than the primped, powdered and photoshopped primadonna we saw pictured in the press pack.

The build looks nice, with the flecked metal finish much closer to the pro bodies than the cheaper D60. The flip-screen looks very solid, too, and we get a good look at the little speaker that is needed to play back the audio on movie clips (back panel, bottom-right). Nikon has a certain set of design cues that mean the seasoned watcher can spot models fairly accurately from afar. The D5000 has, as mentioned, the sturdy flecked finish. It also has a higher-end viewfinder and flash housing, the one which is tempting to hook a finger underneath.

On the other hand, it has the single, rear command dial, no top LCD panel and a top-mounted dial for mode selection. Finally, the pro models have the drive mode and ISO switch off on the top-left panel, where the ISO dial would have been on a film camera. Master these cues and you’ll be a nerdy Nikon-spotter in no time.

Lastly, that sturdy LCD box looks to be a handy screen protector when flipped shut — way better than the plastic screen that comes with the D700, and which you have to actually buy for the D3.

Check the whole show out on Flickr, including a few test shots taken with the camera itself.

Gallery [Flickr]

Photo: Kadath/Flickr