Nikon D5100 16.2 MP Digital SLR Camera - Black (Kit w/ AF-S 18-55mm VR Lens)

Nikon D5100 review

The Nikon D5100 is the company's latest 'upper-entry-level' DSLR aimed at beginners or those wanting a step-up from a basic budget model. Announced in April 2011, it comes exactly two years after its predecessor, the popular D5000. The new D5100 is positioned between the entry-level D3100 and the mid-range D7000, and goes head-to-head against Canon's EOS 600D / Rebel T3i.

Externally the Nikon D5100 enjoys a redesigned shape that's noticeably shorter than its predecessor and a little lighter too. Physically the biggest difference though concerns the screen round the back: it's still articulated, but taking a leaf from Canon and Panasonic, it's now hinged at the side rather than the bottom. Nikon's also upgraded the screen from the basic 2.7in / 230k panel of the D5000 to a larger and much more detailed 3in / 921k panel here.

Inside, the D5100 inherits the 16.2 Megapixel sensor of the D7000, giving it four Megapixels more than its predecessor. It also unsurprisingly now offers Full HD 1080p movie recording, although unlike the D7000 this is offered at 24, 25 or 30fps. The D5100 also offers the Full-time continuous autofocus during movies of the D3100 and D7000 before it, along with an external microphone input. Completing the headline upgrades is a new EFFECTS position on the dial which presents a variety of special effects including miniature, sketch and selective colour, along with a Night Vision option working at up to 102,400 ISO. Let's now look at the camera in more detail.

So the Nikon D5100 essentially offers three major upgrades over its predecessor: it inherits the excellent sensor of the D7000, upgrades the screen size, resolution and hinge mounting, and borrows the core movie capabilities of the D3100 and D7000, while also offering a broader selection of frame rates at 1080p and a mic input. The much preferable side-hinging for the screen has also eliminated the D5000's disproportionately tall viewfinder head, allowing Nikon to design a shorter and curvier body for the new model. In addition to this you also get the new EFFECTS mode which can be applied to some movies as well as stills, along with an HDR option.

While the viewfinder, AF system and continuous shooting remain essentially unchanged from its predecessor, the upgrades described above add up to a much improved camera experience. Revealingly most of the core improvements are focused around the Live View and movie modes, with little other than an improved sensor to tempt traditional photographers, but that's par for the course for most new entry-level DSLRs. Canon employs exactly the same strategy, essentially leaving Sony to innovate at this price point.

If you were hoping for faster continuous shooting, improved AF or a bigger viewfinder, you'll be disappointed, but by offering the D7000's quality at a lower price point with an excellent flip-out screen and a broader selection of 1080p frame rates, there's a great deal to like here. The D5100 is destined to become another big seller for Nikon, although its rival from Canon has never been closer.

Excellent Nikon DSLR with most of the features of the much higher priced D7000. The body is plastic so not as rugged as the more advanced models and like other "consumer" Nikons, you can only auto-focus with lenses having built-in motors. Virtually all the non-pro lenses have motors so this is not a major concern to most novice and casual photographers. You don't get the more advanced focusing system and the more sophisticated flash capabilities of the more expensive models, but again the target audience won't miss these features that much. However, you do get the same sensor and LCD panel as the D7000 so picture taking quality is just as superb. The articulated LCD panel comes in handy in some situations as I found out in framing a difficult shot in the woods. And I love the HDR setting for helping exposure in high-contrast situations though the need to reset every time is somewhat bothersome . The camera can take 1080p movies and the interface is sophisticated for a consumer model. Live View is excellent for a DSLR. Controls and menus are not as smooth as the larger cameras but functional. As numerous reviews have pointed out, the lack of ISO and White Balance buttons are annoying, but again for the target consumer not a big negative.

I have been shooting with the Nikon D60 for a year and a half and have been more than satisfied with the results. It originally came with the 18-55 lens and I also got a 55-200 but those were upgraded to a 18-105 and a 70-300 over the past year. I have now had the D5100 for four weeks, received for a milestone birthday, and I absolutely love it. For me it provided everything I needed without having to reach up to the D7000.

The image captures from the D5100 using either the 105 or the 300 are very very high quality. The D5100 has the same image sensor as the D7000, which is a nice benefit. When I go out to shoot, I shoot. It is nothing to snap two or three hundred clicks in very short order. And very few of them do I ever have to delete while still on the memory card in the camera or discard later once downloaded to my pc or laptop.

The settings and functions are easy to learn and easy to use. The additional "Scenes" and "Effects" I am still playing with but the ones I have used have delivered as Nikon promises. I still do an awful lot of landscape photography, as well as sunrise and sunset images, and the D5100 executes exceedingly well with both the 105 and 300. Very rarely do I ever end up with an under- or over-exposed image regardless of the setting or function that I use.

As mentioned in my D60 review I enjoy the use of a viewfinder and even though the D5100 has liveview I still now prefer the viewfinder. Of course, using the built-in "Selective Color" function means I have to use liveview and that is fine. And, speaking of which, selective color works just great. I have experimented with it on various types of scenes, all hand-held without a tripod, and the results are quite remarkable considering the unit snaps two photos. That, in itself, says much about Nikon’s VR capabilities.

I greatly enjoy the 3" display, over my D60's smaller one. Not just for the size, but the color clarity is superb. The addition of the articulating display was brilliant on Nikon’s part as it assists framing difficult shots with relative ease.

The performance of the D5100 in low-light situations, with either the 105 or 300, is outstanding. I have not yet experimented with the "Active D-Lighting" function that works to improve the dynamic range between low and high light, so cannot address that. Once I have done so, I shall update my review.

As a final note, I am, at this point, keeping my D60, and have the 105 on one of the cameras and the 300 on the other because I just hate to take the time to change a lens and I do still get great images from the D60. However, depending on what I plan to shoot the D5100 gets first choice of lens and the D60 takes the backseat.

For the money I do not think the D5100 can be beat for quality of performance.

I got this camera in May shortly after it was released. There hasn't been a whole lot user reviews but overall it seemed to have been a good model. I this is my first DSLR so I don't have much as of comparing it to over models or brands. I got mine at Best But as at that point they were selling them for the same price everywhere. Added extended warranty on it as I have a tendency to be clumsy with my things. However I have been very very careful with this camera so far, not dropping or banging it against anything. I used it for the first two months or so with no problem. Then it sat around the house for about a month, and when I went to use it again I noticed that the auto focus was not working. The manual focus was still working fine however. I thought it was the lens, so I took it to Inkley's and they tried another lens on it, same problem. They established that it was the body that was having the problem. The camera was still under manufacture warranty so I took it to Best Buy and they told me it'd be 4-6 weeks till I get it back. I needed it well before then, so I've been using it on manual focus for a few months now, it's a pain at times, others it does give better flexibility to the image, however I wanted all functions of this pricy toy of my to work, so finally I took it back in. It's out being fixed now, hope it'll come back as good as new. Oh another thing I noticed with the camera (also started to happen the same time the auto focus went out) was when I took pictures vertically if I was using the screen instead of the view finder the screen would go almost black and I couldn't see the image. I mostly had to switch back to view finder to frame and focus my vertical shots. I hope that gets fixed as well, as I forgot to mention it to the guy at Best Buy. I'm hoping this is a fluke and is not a re-accruing issue, as I haven't read other reviews with similar problem since this happened.
Assuming this is an isolated incident, otherwise the camera has been very easy to learn the settings and to make good pictures. For a starter DLSR is' for the most part a good camera. I haven't tried out much of the video yet, I'm more into stills, but once the baby comes I'm sure I'll make a use of that function as well.

The camera is great. I would start off by saying that having the same sensor as the D7000, which costs considerably more, is a big plus. You will, indeed, see very similar picture quality.
The D5100 is loaded with nice features for all types of users. If you are just starting with photography you will certainly enjoy the automatic modes as well as all the scene and effects available. The camera also shines in manual mode, the built in light meter works wonders.
Another thing that usually goes unnoticed but that can make big difference is the fact that this model has 2 infra-red receivers, which makes perfect sense. That way you can release the shutter from both the front and the back of the camera using a remote.
Just to list a couple of "cons"... if you are into video, definitely go with the Canon T3i and you will see much better quality. Another thing are the lenses that come in this kit. I expected them to be much more sturdy. After using the camera for a couple of weeks, they started making some squeaky noise. But well, they are cheap kit lenses anyway.