Nikon D5100 16.2Mp DSLR
Making an entry
Review Sitting somewhere in the middle of entry-level scale, Nikon’s D5100 represents a considerable leap from its predecessor the D5000 and can be seen in some respects as a smaller, cheaper-built D7000. From its bigger brother it inherits the 16.2 DX-sized CMOS sensor; the Expeed 2 processor with 14-bit Raw shooting, the extensive ISO range and the higher 920k screen resolution.
Entry-level with all the extras: Nikon's D5100
To avoid in-house competition and market overlaps, Nikon has been careful not to equip the D5100 with some of the more advanced, pro-appeal functions of the D7000. Instead, the D5100 features a trendy HDR mode, new effects for videos and stills including a Night Vision option and enhanced video capabilities. The D5100 currently sells at £580 body-only or at £620 with the 18-55 VR lens kit.
The D5100 has a much-improved design over its predecessor. It is seven per cent smaller and 50g lighter than the D5000 and, crucially, the fully articulated 3in LCD is now hinged on the side rather than on the bottom, making the screen much more useful for video recording. The resolution is also four times higher than the 2.7in display of the D5000, making manual focusing and checking details much easier.
The mode dial includes access to the effects options
Thanks to a more recessed handgrip the camera offers an exceptionally comfortable handling and I appreciated the repositioning of the video record button on the top plate, which now groups all shooting controls in one place. Unfortunately, the record button is no longer paired with the Live View switch, as in the D3100 and D7000, and LV is now activated by a lever on the side of the shooting dial, which I found difficult to reach with my fore finger and awkward to operate.
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COMMENTS
Avoiding small-sensor lenses is daft
Though I'm a Canon user rather than Nikon, I've used several EF-S lenses and still own a 10-22 which for many years was one of the best rectilinear ltra-wide angle lenses on the market. It is currently worth about 400 quid more than I paid for it.
The higher quality EF-S lenses (the 17-55 springs to mind) are pretty good, but the people who demanded 'full fram or nothing!' would get something like a 17-40L instead which was bigger, heavier, much more expensive, slower and non-stabilised. But hey, one day you'll get a full frame, right?
Until you do, feel free to artificially limit your gear. Me, I'll be taking nice photos with my 'inferior' gear.
D5000 vs D5100
As an owner of a D5000 (with the buttons down the left), I question the location of the delete button the the D5100! sounds like an accident waiting to happen.
The [i] button you use to switch to edit-mode to change your shooting settings has now migrated to top-centerish - in reach of the thumb??
Changing shooting settings on a camera this big is usually a two-handed affair. In fact, its faster to have the [i] on the left... it frees up your right thumb to work the D-pad and wheel to change the settings...
I fail to see how having a side-hinged LCD is "much more useful for video recording"? Why? because it _looks_ more like a handy-cam's side-mounted LCD?
Having seen some pics taken on the D5100 with the selective colour filter... it looks amazing. That is one feature I wish I had on the D5000 :)
Beefing up the LCD was also a good choice by Nikon.
I have to ask...
What on Earth is going on in sample shot #5? My first thought was that someone had missed an NSFW tag from this article. Or have I just revealed too much about the way my mind works?
See this
An informative review is here :
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/D5100/D5100A6.HTM
Re: Avoiding small-sensor lenses is daft
I think you've mis-read my post. I'm not avoiding DX lenses because of a quality issue I'm opting for full frame lenses so that when I do upgrade I won't have to buy the same lenses again, bad choice of word.
