Choosing a digital cam: Nikon D3000 or Nikon D5000?

Okay well…

D5k- has significantly more megapixel, does video (you said you don’t care about that though), a faster continuous shooting feature (could be seriously helpful if you shoot sports).

D3k- a great camera with significantly less features but potentially plenty of camera too.

The difference in price is 20%. I feel like you’re getting at least 20% more camera with the D5k so it’s really more about whether or not you’ll use the features that the D5k has and the D3k doesn’t. For the record those things seem to include:

1. Video
2. Variable angle LCD monitor (as opposed to fixed)
3. 12.3 megapixel (as opposed to 10.2)
4. continuous shooting as fast as 4 fps (as opposed to 3 fps)
5. Seriously better low-light shooting (you can check the low-noise ISO specs)
6. Easy live view (I’d have to use it to know if it’s worthwhile but it could be a very convenient feature)
7. etc.

Basically, you don’t seem to lose anything and you gain quite a bit for that extra 20%. If it were me, I’d saddle up with that sexy D5000.

First of “all types of fine photography, including close-ups and sports” has nothing to do with the camera body, because you’re investing in a DSLR everything is now in the Lens.
When moving to DSLR it is important to note that megapixels don’t matter, low light performance (ISO) and shutter performance is much more important.
Sport shooting and Close up shooting is determined by lens, so for sports you would want a telephoto lens that is reasonably fast (Fast meaning high aperture i.e. f2.8) and with a long focal length (200mm / 300mm) for close up shooting you would want a macro lens (Like the 50mm f2.8 macro)
As it stands both cameras come with the 18–55mm f3.5 – 5.6 kit lens which is a good all round lens but leaves much to be desired. I recommend replacing it with the 18–200mm VR

When it comes down to it, the D5000 will always be a better camera, however the D3000 is not that much worse. I would recommend, if you are on a tighter budget going for the D3000 and then investing in a decent marco lens or a good all round lens like the 18–200mm VR

Oh and one more thing to prove that megapixels aren’t something you should look for in a camera. I spent most of my photography life shooting with a 6.1MP D40, and I could still print up to A2 size with absolutely no noise in the print. 10.2MP on the D3000 will let you print huge photo’s, like I printed a 200cm by 70cm image with my 12.3MP D300 with no noise. Therefore Megapixels won’t matter unless you’re printing huge, like 3×3m huge

yeah- what @joeysefika said.

Ditto head. Good answers. 6 mps equals a 20×30” photo, no problem.