NIKON D5100, Specifications and Reviews
The arrival of the D5100 seems to signal the completion of Nikons refresh of its non-pro DSLR lineup. Its feature set and pricing mean that it sits terribly comfortably between the beginner-friendly D3100 and also the high-end D7000 – it’s clearly aimed to draw in the eye of enthusiast photographers while not cannibalizing sales of is sister models. A camera maker will choose the success of its market positioning by seeing what number folks are wondering ‘which model is true for me?’ on discussion forums – and that we assume a D3100/D5100/D7000 progression would minimize such doubts. The official line is that the D90 maintains its position within the vary, however each its naming and overlap with alternative models counsel that its role is currently a lot of one amongst historical interest than future significance.
The D5100 features a terribly similar sixteen.2MP CMOS sensor to the wonderful one seen within the D7000 however, understandably, loses out on that camera’s high-end build and feature-set. thus there isn’t any wireless flash management, magnesium alloy build or 39-point AF system however the underlying image quality is all however identical.
As has become customary for a Nikon at this worth purpose, the D5100 offers one management dial, pentamirror viewfinder and no built-in autofocus motor. However, it gains 1080p video capability (at thirty, twenty five or 24fps), saved using the economical H.264/AVC codec, and a 920,000 dot totally articulated LCD panel to assist shoot it. These are each vital gains over its predecessor the D5000, and also the enhancements extend to the D5100 having smaller, neater construction and a a lot of typical side-mounted hinge for that LCD.
These changes resolve 2 rather awkward aspects of Nikon’s existing lineup: if the D5100 and D7000 find yourself being neighboring models it’ll avoid the inelegant overlap that existed between the D5000 and D90. It additionally ensures a a lot of elegant look to the models themselves (the D5000 was several things, however pretty wasn’t one amongst them).
Although the D5100 is listed as having an Expeed a pair of processor, it’s price remembering that Nikon does not use this naming system to denote any specific elements, therefore the actual chunks of silicon and capabilities are not essentially an equivalent as those within the D3100 or D7000. However, additionally to a equally specced sixteen.2MP sensor, the D5100 offers an equivalent ISO settings as its massive brother – extending up to identical of ISO twenty five,600. It additionally inherits 14-bit Raw shooting – one amongst the factors that helps offer the D7000 its spectacular dynamic vary – that are some things Nikon used to supply solely on its dearer models.
The D5100 is doubtless one amongst the foremost compelling product in its category, and offers a wonderful mixture of simple handling, a well-targeted feature set, and glorious video and still image quality. As we’d expect from a camera with such a solid lineage, the D5100 is responsive and reliable in operation, and produces glorious pictures with a minimum of fuss. it’s solely the second Nikon DSLR to feature an articulated LCD screen and that we a lot of like the a lot of typical side-hinged style to the D5000′s a lot of awkward bottom-hinged effort. The side-hinged screen is far a lot of versatile, likewise as being significantly easier to use with the camera mounted on a tripod.
Conclusion – Pros
- Excellent image quality
- Unintimidating interface, but with plenty of manual control
- Articulated, high-res LCD screen
- Sophisticated AF system for the price
- Easy manual selection of off-center AF points
- Unusually fast Live View AF for a low-end DSLR (but still relatively slow compared to mirrorless competitors)
- Effects modes are fun and beginner-friendly
- Much improved continuous shooting performance with Active D-Lighting turned on
- Lots of in-camera raw conversion and post-processing options
Conclusion – Cons
- Sub-optimal placement of some second-tier controls (like live view switch)
- Movie shooting button ‘orphaned’ from live view switch
- Buggy Live View / Movie Mode (movies aren’t necessarily recorded at set aperture)
- No live histogram in live view
- AF still a little sluggish in live view mode, full-time AF not very effective in live view or movies
- Only direct external ISO control is via slightly inconveniently-placed ‘Fn’ button
- Auto ISO logic is not well-suited for everyday casual shooting (good for action though)
- Effects modes low on manual control (and customization)
- Will not focus all Nikon lenses (though most popular choices are available)
For complete reviews for NIKON DSLR D5100 : Dpreview.Com
