The Nikon D5000 has an excellent swivel monitor which you can use with Live View to take pictures in positions you could not possibly reach if you were using the standard Viewfinder. The problem, the huge problem, is that it focuses very slowly. You can count on several seconds after you press the shutter-release button before the picture is taken.
The solution to this is: manual focus. It is far from an ideal solution. In some situations you cannot manually focus fast enough. However, in some situations, if you set the lens to manually focus, you can take the picture instantly, before Live view has decided that the focus is accurate.
