This is an in-depth review of the Nikon D5100 DSLR, based on my two month experience with the camera. Marketed as an upper-entry-level DSLR, the Nikon D5100 is a major upgrade to the older Nikon D5000. It has a larger and a more enhanced swivel LCD screen and the same remarkable sensor as the semi-professional Nikon D7000. In addition to the above changes, the Nikon D5100 also lost some weight, making it lighter and more compact than the Nikon D5000. In this review, I will provide a detailed analysis of the Nikon D5100 and compare it against the Nikon D3100, D5000, D90 and the current Nikon D7000 DSLRs.
Nikon D5100 DSLR
The Nikon D5100 was kindly provided by B&H – the largest photo reseller in the world that I personally use to buy my photography gear.
1) Nikon D5100 Specifications
Main Features:
- High Resolution 16.2 MP DX-format CMOS sensor
- 4 frames per second continuous shooting for up to 100 JPEG images
- 420-pixel RGB sensor
- Pentamirror Optical Viewfinder with approx. 95% frame coverage and approx. 0.78x magnification
- Single SD Card Slot with SD, SDHC and SDXC memory card compatibility
- Built-in Speedlight flash with i-TTL support and up to 1/200 sync speed
- Full 1080p HD Movie capability and external stereo microphone jack (up to 20 minutes of recording time)
- Dynamic ISO range from 100 to 6400 expandable to 25,600 (Hi2)
- 11-point AF System with one center cross-type sensor
- 3 Inch, 921,000-dot Super-Density articulated LCD Monitor with 170 degree viewing
- Compact EN-EL14 Battery (660+ shots)
- Built-in HDMI Connection
- Active D-Lighting for enhancing details in shadows and highlights
- 16 different scene modes
- Special effects such as Selective Color, Miniature Effect, Night Vision and Silhouette can be used both for stills and video
- In-camera HDR processing with 2 shots, up to 3 EV apart
- Up to 1/4000 sec shutter speed
- Exposure Compensation ±5 EV in increments of 1/3 or 1/2 EV
- Exposure Bracketing 3 frames ±2 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 steps
- Only 560 grams of weight (body only)
Detailed technical specifications for the Nikon D5100 are available on Nikonusa.com.
2) Camera construction and handling
Just like all entry-level DSLRs, the Nikon D5100 is mostly made of plastic. But don’t this fact fool you – the plastic is still very tough and could easily take some beating. I bumped the camera body against rough surfaces a few times by accident, which did not damage the body or leave any scratches. The only piece that worried me was the LCD, which I often left exposed when shooting. While I did not scratch the LCD, I would recommend to protect it with a screen protector just in case. You can get a good screen protector kit from Giottos for less than $10. Talking about the LCD screen, the new 3 inch LCD screen on the D5100 is simply gorgeous. In fact, it is even a little deceiving, because photographs on the LCD sometimes just look too good. The biggest advantage of a plastic camera body is weight – the D5100 is only 510 grams, making it the second lightest Nikon DSLR after the Nikon D3100. It is 50 grams lighter (and smaller) than the older Nikon D5000 and 110 grams lighter than the Nikon D90. Because of the layout changes to the articulated screen, the buttons on the rear of the camera also went through massive design changes. The left rear area where Nikon traditionally placed such buttons as playback and menu is now taken by the LCD screen base, and the buttons are now scattered in various areas. The Live View button is replaced by a new lever on the top of the camera – a welcome change, because the possibility of accidentally triggering live view via a button is now eliminated. Take a look at the layout differences between Nikon D5100 (left) and Nikon D5000 (right):
Besides the size and slight design difference, the front looks about the same on the D5100.
The back, on the other hand, looks very different now – note the larger LCD screen on the D5100 and the button layout change I mentioned above.
In terms of handling, the D5100 balances quite well with light lenses such as the kit Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR and Nikon 35mm f/1.8G prime lens, and not so well with lenses that are much heavier than the camera body. Despite its small size, the camera fits nicely and feels good in hands. The location of the new buttons and controls won’t take much time to get used to, although I personally prefer the older layout with the buttons located on the left side of the LCD. It is nice that the Live View button is now eliminated and replaced with a lever on the top of the camera. The lever felt much more intuitive when I needed to focus using contrast detect or when shooting video; plus, it pretty much eliminates chances of accidentally triggering Live View via a button. The negative side to the new Live View lever, is that the video record button is now located on the top of the camera. This is probably something video enthusiasts will not like. When I was shooting videos of bears in Yellowstone, I had to look at the top of the camera to locate the record button, which was very inconvenient, since I had the Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR mounted on my tripod at full length. I would rather have the live view lever together with the record button located in the same spot, just like on the Nikon D7000.
Accessing and changing autofocus modes, metering modes, white balance, ISO and other frequently used camera settings is very easy, thanks to the “Information” button that is conveniently located on the top of the camera, next to the “AE-L/AF-L” button. You will not have to dig through the camera menu to change these, which is very convenient. I used the “Information” button all the time to make quick changes. It is also great for beginners, because it shows most of the camera settings and even a graphic representation of the size of the lens aperture.
The D5100 is not weather sealed like higher-end DSLRs, so I would take extra care when photographing in dusty and rainy environments. The camera can take some light rain, but I would not recommend leaving it for longer than a few minutes or let it soak. As for hot and cold temperatures, I used the D5100 in below freezing temperatures in northern Montana and hot temperatures above 100 Fahrenheit in California and had no problems. The battery obviously drains faster in colder temperatures, so keep this in mind when travelling. Oh and the battery life of 660+ shots is plenty for travel as well, unless you are planning to shoot lots of HDR Panoramas.
3) Camera Sensor and the new Expeed Processor
The most exciting new change for a gear-head like me, is the more powerful Expeed 2 camera processor, along with the new 16.2 MP (megapixel) high-resolution camera sensor on the D5100. Although I prefer better image quality over a higher number of pixels, the jump from 12 MP to 16 MP is certainly good for folks like me who are into landscape and wildlife photography. Higher resolution sensor means larger prints and more cropping opportunities when photographing wildlife. Nikon has been quite successful in keeping high ISO noise amounts low, while keeping image quality standards high in their latest generation DSLRs with more megapixels. With a 4 megapixel jump, does the Nikon D5100 keep up with image quality of the 12 MP Nikon D90? The answer is in page 2 of this review, where you will find a detailed comparison between the Nikon D5100, D90, D3100 and D700. In short, the sensor on the Nikon D5100 and D7000 DSLRs is Nikon’s best DX sensor thus far.
4) Autofocus Performance
The Nikon D5100 uses the same 11 Focus Point AF System (1 cross-type sensor) found on the Nikon D90. While it is not as robust as the 39 Focus Point AF on the D7000 (9 cross-type sensors), it is plenty enough for a camera of this class. Autofocus performance in daylight is fast and accurate; I had no problems with getting good focus even when shooting with telephoto lenses like the Nikon 200-400mm f/4 + TC-14E II teleconverter. The three available AF modes (AF-S, AF-C and AF-A) work very well – AF-S is great for single focus and low-light situations; AF-C successfully tracks moving subjects and AF-A works great for most photography needs. I left the D5100 on AF-A 90% of the time and had great results with it. When shooting birds and wildlife, I switched to AF-C mode and shot some image bursts at 4 frames per second. I used SanDisk Extreme Pro SD cards and the camera kept up with the speed quite well in JPEG mode. RAW is obviously much slower and eats up the buffer memory too quick, so only use it when speed is not that important. I found 4 FPS to be fast enough for most of my needs.
Autofocus accuracy will certainly suffer in low light, especially when using outer focus points, which is normal. Because this camera only has 1 cross-type sensor (which is the most accurate AF sensor in the center of the frame), you just need to pay a little more attention to how you use the AF system in low light situations. If your lens starts to hunt, which is when the lens cannot acquire focus and starts moving back and forth from close focus to infinity and back, first try switching the active focus point to the center (which is cross-type). In order to do this, you will have to be in Single-Point AF Area Mode. If you still have focus issues, try switching to Single Servo (AF-S) mode, which should turn on the AF assist lamp on the front of the camera to illuminate your subject.
Unfortunately, Nikon does not provide the “AF Fine Tune” functionality on entry-level DSLRs, so if your lens has front/backfocus issues, you will have to send it to Nikon together with the D5100 for re-calibration. If you can never get sharp images even in broad daylight with your D5100, I would highly recommend to perform a focus test. Overall, no surprises with the AF system on the D5100 – it is good and reliable.
5) Metering and Exposure
The metering sensor on the D5100 is again the same 420-pixel RGB sensor as on the D90, so no surprises here either. Matrix metering is quite accurate in most situations and I only had to adjust the exposure with the exposure compensation button in very difficult lighting conditions. I personally prefer the 420-pixel RGB sensor on the D5100 to the new 2,016-pixel RGB sensor on the D7000. As I have pointed out in my Nikon D7000 Review, the metering sensor on the D7000 can be tricky to work with, especially when photographing people. Center-weighted and Spot metering modes work as expected with standard, pre-defined settings, so there is no way to change the size of the center-weighted circle like you can do on more advanced DSLRs. The metering range is standard 0-20 EV for Matrix/Center-weighted metering and 2-20 EV for Spot metering.
6) Movie Recording
Although I personally do not shoot much video, I did try to record some videos during my trip to Yellowstone when photographing wildlife. The overall quality of high-definition 1080p video mode on the Nikon D5100 is indeed very impressive, considering how good the camera performs in low light. I normally do not use the Nikon TC-17E or TC-20E teleconverters with my Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR, but since the video resolution is much lower than photo resolution, I used the lens with these teleconverters a few times when I needed the reach. Because it is tough to get anywhere close to grizzly bears and wolves in Yellowstone, the 200-400mm @ 400mm + TC-20E III x 1.5x crop = 1200mm equivalent field of view was nice to get close enough to see some action. While I did manage to lose photos of wolves charging at some elk, I was able to record a little bit of wolf action on the D5100, along with some footage of a grizzly roaming around Yellowstone:
The grizzly and wolves were very far away from me, which is why they appear so small. Don’t forget to switch to 1080p and watch the videos in full screen. I removed the sound from the above video, because there was nothing to listen to besides passing cars.
And here is some footage from a fireworks show on the US Independence Day:
The fireworks show was shot with the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G lens that I recently reviewed.
Video enthusiasts are probably not going to be very happy with the D5100′s inability to manually control the exposure in videos. You can sort of do it, but it is painful. First, you have to go to “Custom Settings” menu, then navigate to “F5 Assign AE-L/AF-L button” and set the value to “AE Lock (Hold)”, which will make the AE-L/AF-L button on the back of the camera hold the exposure. Next, you need to set your exposure in manual mode and press the AE-L/AF-L button (before turning on Live View). This will lock down your exposure for the entire duration of the video. Finally, go into Live View and your exposure should now be locked – move your camera from a dark to a bright spot and the exposure should not change. Now here is where it gets even more painful – if you have an overexposed or underexposed meter reading when you lock down the exposure, the camera might still adjust the exposure in Live View mode for you. Unfortunately, the only workaround is to set your exposure correctly (meter should be in 0 position) before you press the AE-L/AF-L button and go into Live View. Seriously, I do not understand why Nikon cripples its entry-level cameras like this, especially when it tries to compete against entry-level Canon DSLRs like T2i/T3i that have full manual video exposure control. I hope Nikon addresses this issue soon with a firmware update.
7) Dynamic Range
The dynamic range on the D5100 is exactly the same as on the D7000, because both have the same sensor. According to DxOMark, the Nikon D5100/D7000 sensor has a better dynamic range than the Nikon D3s (13.6 EVs vs 12 EVs), which is hard to believe. Obviously, I am not going to argue with the DxOMark folks, since they claim to have a lot of science behind their test results. The above just shows that the dynamic range on the D5100 should be remarkable. While I have not performed any scientific tests to measure the dynamic range, I ran a few RAW adjustments to some images and I was able to recover plenty of highlight/shadow detail – you can see some examples in sample shots in this review.
Just like the Nikon D3100 and D7000 DSLRs, the base ISO on the Nikon D5100 is also ISO 100 (looks like Nikon is moving back from base ISO 200 to 100). Why is this important? Because all DSLRs have the highest amount of dynamic range and lowest amount of noise at base ISO, which probably explains why Nikon D7000 scores better than Nikon D3s in dynamic range tests. If you were to shoot a high contrast scene (with dark and bright tones) at base ISO and then shoot the same scene at a higher ISO like 800, you would be able to recover more data from the base ISO shot. Therefore, if you want to recover more details without doing any bracketing or HDR, you should use ISO 100 on the Nikon D5100. This is especially important for architectural and landscape photography.
8) Active D-Lighting and HDR
Similar to all modern Nikon DSLRs, the Nikon D5100 is equipped with the Active D-Lighting feature that allows the camera to restore the shadow and highlight details in high contrast areas of an image. This detail restoration process is very similar to Photoshop’s “Curve” and Lightroom’s “Tone Curve” tools. It is permanent in JPEG files, which means that you cannot “undo” Active D-Lighting on JPEG images once the image is taken. However, if you shoot in RAW, you would have to use Nikon’s Capture NX2 software in order to see the effects of Active D-Lighting. If you import your images into Photoshop or Lightroom, those proprietary settings will be lost upon import. You would have to keep the original NEF/RAW file in order to be able to get the Active D-Lighting data in the future. Unless you shoot in JPEG or use Capture NX2, I would turn Active D-Lighting off, because it will only slightly decrease your exposure/darken your images. Nikon gives plenty of options for Active D-Lighting to choose from: Low, Normal, High, Extra High and Auto. For those who shoot in JPEG, leaving Active D-Lighting in “Auto” mode works great for most situations. In high contrast scenes, try using High and Extra High to recover more details.
Here is an example with Active D-Lighting turned on (Extra High) and off:
Nikon D5100 Active D-Lighting (Left: Off, Right: Extra High)
As you can see, the amount of shadow details Active D-Lighting can recover is significant when set to “Extra High”.
Due to high popularity of High Dynamic Range Photography (HDR), more and more HDR tools are now becoming available to make it easier for photographers to capture HDR images with less effort. The Nikon D5100 is the first Nikon DSLR to incorporate in-camera HDR processing, which is an indication that we will most likely be seeing in-camera HDR processing in future DSLR models as well. When HDR is activated through the camera menu (can only be activated in JPEG capture mode), the D5100 will fire two consecutive shots of the same scene (up to 3 EV apart) and then combine them together to create a single image with more dynamic range. While HDR processing on the D5100 is very limited, I was pleasantly surprised to see how well it performed in high contrast scenes. The nice thing about in-camera HDR, is that you can combine it with Active D-Lighting to recover even more details. You can choose from three different methods of “smoothing” the HDR images – low, normal and high. High and Normal look good, while Low can make your images look a little “cartoonish”, so I would be careful when using it.
I tested the HDR feature on the D5100 and here are some image samples with in-camera HDR processing:
Nikon D5100 HDR (Left: Off, Right: 3EV, Low Smoothing)
HDR can recover more shadow details and you can eve couple it with Active D-Lighting. Be careful when doing that though – your images might end up looking flat as a result.
Since the HDR mode does not have any complex alignment algorithms, images might not get perfectly aligned if you shoot handheld, so I recommend using a tripod. While the camera did a pretty good job with the above shots that I captured handheld, any major movements will result in a ghost-like misalignment as seen below:
HDR Misalignment
I hope Nikon continues to work on this useful feature and provide more customization options in their upcoming DSLR cameras.
9) Scene and Effect Modes
Nikon also for the first time introduced different “special effects” modes that you can surprisingly use while recording videos. You can choose from Night Vision, Color Sketch, Miniature Effect, and Selective Color modes and you can use most of these while recording videos, so the in-camera changes happen as the movie is being recorded. Some of the effects such as Color Sketch can be very processor-intensive, which significantly bring down the video recording frame rate. This processing lag is not very noticeable when capturing images though.
As for different exposure scene modes, the Nikon D5100 comes with a big number of scene modes to choose from: Night Landscape, Party / Indoor, Beach / Snow, Sunset, Dusk / Dawn, Pet Portrait, Candlelight, Blossom, Autumn Colors, Food, and Night Portrait. These scene “presets” or “auto modes” are for point-and-shoot situations, where the photographer wants to quickly take a picture without messing with camera settings. I recommend to stay away from these auto modes and learn how to manually control your camera instead.
About Nasim Mansurov
Hi Nasim,
Great review. I like to keep myself updated with what is on the market and this is the perfect stop!
I’m carrying a D3100 + kit lens with me. I have noticed that you manage to get crisp clouds and excellent blues in your sky…HOW! ? I use a polarizer (the 52mm screw on ones) and a tripod (or faster shutter during day), but results aren’t as good as yours! Any advice?
Ayandutta, a good polarizing filter and a clear/haze-free day will do it. Also, make sure that you are using your polarizer correctly – the maximum degree of polarization depends on the sun. Check out my “how to use a polarizing filter” article.
photoshop or lightroom =)
difference in price between d5100 and d7000 not so much and I think that d7000 more and more preferable than d5100.
When you choose dslr, usually and basicly ppl choise from two parameters 1) price 2) quality and features.
So, if you choise and search for cheap price , Nikon can offer more cheap than d5100 entery level dslr.
If you choise quality and extended features – d7000 is entry level.
Two big pluses for d5100 is 1) easy use 2) good video features
PS d90 roxx! =)
Medvezhutka, Nikon D7000 body only retails for $1,200, while the D5100 is $749 at the moment – a hefty $450 price difference. I know many beginners won’t like the idea of spending over $1K for body-only, so the D5100 is going to be a good candidate.
The D7000 is a serious camera that I would not hesitate to buy. It has a great price/performance ratio and is currently the best Nikon DX camera. The D5100 on the other hand, is a great performer with the same sensor, but in a more compact and less capable body. Both have their different target markets. I would say the D7000 is geared more towards photo enthusiasts and professionals, while the D5100 is for first time buyers or those who want to upgrade from an older entry-level body.
I agree – the D90 rocks! But I personally favor the D5100 over the D90 at the moment – mainly because of the excellent D5100 sensor.
agree. i has some ununerstandible mistake when compare prices between d5100 and d7000, 450 greens is good argument =)
anyway, d 5100 have not included motor for cheap lenses, and haven’t upper screen.
about d90 – i have d90 and this was reason for my postscriptum, hope u didnt took this so close to your heart =))) (i just try to translate from russian)
ok, i have a question. what lenses you use for photo-illustration of this review ? i cant to believe that it was kit lense.
Medvezhutka, the built-in motor is not as important anymore, because Nikon is making plenty of good AF-S lenses like the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G that are cheap. The lack of the screen on the top is a bummer, I agree :)
As for lenses, of course those were not kit lenses. I primarily used the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G, Nikon 24mm f/1.4G, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G and Nikon 200-400mm f/4G VR lenses for the above shots.
в следующий раз буду писать на русском =) надеюсь никому не вынес мозг своим Брайтоновским акцентом =))
Мы понимаем, русский язык. Благодаря Google. :)
=) я тоже вентилятор гугла =)
А зря, у тебя очень даже неплохо получается :)
Interesting article at great detail. Thank you !!!
Looking forward for more articles from your experience helping budding photography enthusiasts.
You are most welcome!
These photographs are looking a bit too saturated, especially the bear pics but it may be my laptop screen’s fault.
Amit, what browser are you using? I would encourage to use either Firefox or IE – Chrome has no support for color profiles, so the images might look over-saturated.
Yes, I was using chrome :). But I didn’t notice much difference even after switching to Firefox.
I think I felt that way because I had previously seen the following photograph on your site:
http://mansurovs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Yellowstone-1.jpg
And when I saw this photo (http://mansurovs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Nikon-D5100-Sample-09.jpg) i felt it was different than the earlier one.
I am sure if I had viewed the later photograph first then I would have liked it better.
My laptop’s monitor (TN) isn’t very good so I think perhaps I shouldn’t have commented about the colors I was perceiving on it. My desktop (iMac with LED display) usually displays colors more accurately.
Amit, yes, those images are different. The one I posted earlier was unedited, while the one I posted for this review was edited by Lola (she is the editing guru).
I personally like the second version that was edited, but tastes differ :)
I agree. Though the more I see the second one the more I like it.
Hello Again,
Forgot to mention, i recently bought nikon D5100, 10 days back (not to mention, this is my first DSLR). I got 18-55 VR lens along with kit.
I am still in the process of reading, understanding and practicing the basic photography terms : ISO/Aperture/Shutter Speed. [Special thanks to you for taking time and presenting this wonderful website for folks like me]…
My personal fav, so far, has been the aperture (may be i understood that quickly) and i am able take some decent pics to my satisfaction by increasing the aperture, focusing on the subject and blurring the background. I am already in love with these kind of pics.
In couple of months, i am travelling to europe and will be mainly visting Alps. I am mainly interested in talking pics of lanscapes and potraits.
As you used nikon D5100 and written a very nice review on the camera, I request your advice on a lens you would recommend to take good landscapes (mountains, snow, green pastures etc) along with potraits (meaning persons with landscapes).
I have gone through your below pages, but still unable to make a decision…
http://mansurovs.com/first-nikon-dslr-and-lens
http://mansurovs.com/first-nikon-lens
The person @ local wolfcamera store recommended “AF-S 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR”. Please share your thoughts on this lens.
Karthik, I personally favor the Nikon 70-300mm VR over the 55-300mm. If cost is an issue, the 55-300 is still pretty good…
Hi Nasim,
Thank you for the response. I am still exploring my options for a second lens. I am looking into the below ones for my D5100 in my budget
The below ones are good for potrait pictures with high aperture and fast speed.
1) AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G
2) AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G
The below one is good for zooming…
1) AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
Karthik, the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G would be a better fit for your D5100.
Hi Nasim,
Thank you for the response. I have read your review on 35mm f/1.8 and seems a good fit my interest. Will go ahead for it.
Karthik, I recommend that you also read the following articles (and the comments of these articles):
http://mansurovs.com/nikon-50mm-f1-8g-review
http://mansurovs.com/nikon-35mm-f1-8g-vs-50mm-f1-4g
http://mansurovs.com/how-to-use-a-polarizer
In my opinion 35mm 1.8G or 50mm 1.8G will be the best first lens for you which would be good for portraits and 18-55mm will cover your landscape needs.
I use 35mm 1.8 for 90% of my photographs and 18mm end of 18-105 for the rest and I am very satisfied with 35mm 1.8 so far.
Thank you Amit for the reply and the advise. will go thru the shared links.
My one more suggestion would be to read as many reviews of an item as possible from reputed sites before making a decision related to purchasing. IMO these are good sites for camera and lens reviews: mansurovs, bythom, dpreview, kenrockwell. kenrockwell seems to be a fine photographer but his reviews at times seem to be way different than what others feel. For example he says that 18-200 is one of the best lenses but many would not agree to this so be a bit cautious before taking a decision solely based on what Ken says.
Out of the sites which I have mentioned, you can hope to get your queries answered by the article’s author only on this site and this is the reason I love this site.
For learning photography, I guess the best online resource is the ‘photography tips for beginners’ page of this site. I owe a lot to Nasim for these wonderful articles.
http://mansurovs.com/photography-tips-for-beginners
The best book for beginners in my opinion is ‘Understanding Exposure’ by Bryan Peterson.
Nice review….when the D5100 came out i knew it had to be good, i sold my old nikon D3000 and added some more to it and got the D5100. And it has been giving me great results so far. The sensor can produce 14 bit RAW images and the images look very stunning.
A friend of mine has a Nikon D300 but in terms of image quality and ISO performance the D5100 is better. Another friend of mine has a D7000 and it gives more or less the same image quality. However the D7000 has its performance advantages in other areas.
Pictures that i have taken with the D5100 can be seen here… any comments and suggestions are welcome..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malikdhadha/sets/72157627016020974/
I have also wrote an ISO performance article on my website…the article is nothing like your review..it just sample pictures nothing big thats all..
http://www.mohamedmalik.com/?p=1068
Great review….! Learning So Much From Your Stuff…Especially the article about bird photography…..!
Great pics!! Which lenses do you use?
Thank you Amit….i used the kit lens that came along with the camera and the Herons shots and other long range ones have been shot with a Tamron 70-300mm Di Macro!
Loved your gallery Mohamed, keep up the good work!
Thank You Nasim, it means a lot from you, im improving my skills day by day….also working towards portraits….will be getting a 50mm f1.4 AF-S within a few days….!
Just wanted to clarify something that i haven’t been able to figure out yet, something which was not available in my old D3000, In the D5100 in the customs menu a) Auto Focus > a1 AF-C Priority selection there are two options one is release and the other being focus, i have no idea what that means, which option should i use.
Thank You!!
Mohamed, leave them at the default setting, which is AF-C – Release and AF-S – Focus.
Thanks for great review Nasim! I have a D700 but would like to buy a second body, which is lighter and smaller so I can take it everywhere I go. Also I’m interested in video. If the D5100 video had no restrictions this would be a no brainer. Having tested the camera would you advice the D5100 as a second body for a D700 user?
Paulo, absolutely, the D5100 would be a great backup body. Unless you are going to do advanced video work, the standard video on the D5100 works great…
HI NASIM
GOOD WORK!
CONGRATULATION!
ours
Thank you for your feedback!
@ nasim am following this site for some weeks now and i like how you entertain. you are level headed with balance views, comments and suggestions which is a must in managing site like this. Am from Manila Philippines. jopar_17@yahoo.com my email.
hi, I have read both your reviews for the Nikon D5100 and D700. Im still deciding between the two. I am a beginner, but looking for a long term camera to take mostly family photos and the occasional landscape when I take trips. Which would you recommend for me? Which do you find the most convenient to handle, regarding button locations, viewfinder or swivel vs built in lcd monitor? thanks so much!
@ nisha, 5100 is an upper consumer nikon dslr entry on dx format while d700 is a pro full frame entry. and seems to be we are comparing an ant and an elephant…gets? i have d700 as a b-day gift for years now which is actually my 2nd cam after fm2 ( filmed one ) years back. thanks heavens this d700 comes to me as a gift and i can die with it!. my status in life ( mid income and most filipino do ) nobody will dare to buy d700 that cost an almost a hundred thousand Philippine pesos enough to buy a second hand 1980 model car which will convey you from home to work, family shopping, weekend, long trips, etc and keep family bonding. so called professional photographers may buy and brag top of the line nikon and canon on their front lines. nisha get what suits and imperative to you. good day. happy shooting. God bless.
Hello Nasim,
First of all let me thank you for this gem of a site. You do really love photography, and it goes in explaining the effort you take in educating us and helping us out.
I have been a P&S camera person so far, currently using Canon ultra-zoom SX30 bridge camera. Was thinking of upgrading to a DSLR of late, when I came across your site 3 weeks back. Frequent visits to your web-site these past 3 weeks, reading a myriad of things, has convinced me I am ready to take the jump. The way you explain things so lucidly, comprehensively and with patience, I just can not thank you enough.
Now for my dilemma of deciding on the camera. This would be my first DSLR, but I wouldnt consider myself a total novice, have been using manual modes in my Canon as well. My budget is ~$1250. How does this camera package sound:
1) Nikon D5100
2) Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
3) 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
4) Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Prime Lens
Going through your links of Nikon Rebates at B&H, I could find Nikon 5100 + 18-55mm + 55-300mm combo for $970 (Thanks to you for this as well :)). The 35mm prime lens would come at further $200, so the total is within my budget. So is this a good package (having zoom lenses with focal length range 18-300mm covered, and a prime lens for fast/portrait/indoor shooting). Or should I looking at something else with my $1250 budget??
Thanks in advance !!!
Package looks good.
Go with it.
The longer you wait and noodle on other options the more pictures you are not shooting.
Hi Ram,
I bought it already !!!
D5100 + 18-55mm lens + 55-300mm lens for $860 (some recent Nikon promotions). Also bought 35mm f/1.8G prime (~$200). Excellent camera :) :)
Hi Nasim:
Love your site but I have no idea how you manage to work as a Professional Photographer, do the tests / write content for the website and have time for a life !
I’m curious about your recommendation re: skipping the D5100 if you have the D90/D5000…I find that in anything less than decent ambient lighting, when ISO above 400 is req’d, the D5100 output is much nicer, particularly for people shots where color fidelity is important.
I actually prefer the ergonomics of the D5000(I don’t like the heavier bodies), but since the D5100, I hardly ever use it.
Thanks for all the tips you graciously share !
Leon
namaste nasim,i m vijay from mumbai (INDIA) i liked ur review for nikon d5100 it is good and simple to understand.i love photography and like to shoot pictures of birds,animals,nature and love to capture diffrent expression of people.i love to do experiments in photography.currently i have kodak z915 camera and want to purchase nikon d5100 which is my dream camera but i dont have money to buy.can you teach me photography.even when i m walking on street or talking with people i think of photography.can u hel
Vijay,
Your request is ridiculous.
You can’t just ask someone to teach you.
Nasim has enough information here on this site that you will be able to get started.
You may also find local photo clubs where you can interact with others and learn.
If do not have enough money try to save some money. You can probably take some good shots with your camera.
Hi I am a newbie in SLR photography. I bought nikon d5100 with a 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. I would like to get a lens which makes great bokeh pictures as I abolutely adore bokeh! I like smooth bokeh in some pictures but then I just love (and very often prefer) the one which some call harsh I think, with all those circles of different colours or shades. Which affordable but quality lens would you recommend? (for both creamy and circled bokeh – caues it depends on the situation to decide which type of bokeh suits the picture better)
I would also prefer if the lens would be usable for close up, kind of macro shots…
Thank you
Emma
Hi Nasim:
I have been using D700 for the past years and thinking of getting a backup body. I am shooting kids most of the time in both studio and outdoor.
I had dilemma choosing between used D300 and a new D5100 (at about same price). However after some consideration, I have decided that D5100 should be the one since i need the useful features such as swivel view screen which allow me to take pictures from all angles and video functions for shot clips
My only worry that all my lens (14-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, 60mm afs macro, 85mm afd) are consider heavy and if the plastic D5100 body is able to support the lens weight when I sling it with Black Rapid strap. Have you tried it with heavy lens and do you find any problem with the mount after sometime with the heavy lens load?
Ken
Help please!
I bought a D5100 from Costco a month ago, but after 2 week, I started to have this problem
- After i take a picture when the VR / FLASH ON it looks like the photo-viewfinder slightly “moves” to the left and comeback and you can hear a rattling. Nothing wrong with quality of the pic but I was worried, maybe something inside was not good. When the VR and FLASH are OFF I took a pic and absolutely nothing moves.
Yesterday, I exchanged it, now I have noticed the same issue from the beginning, additionally
-Even if the VR is OFF, the image and viewfinder moves in a different way without the noise but it is still annoying.
Please help me and tell if this is normal before I send to NIKON,
Thank you so much
Claudia
Nasim,
Your pictures in this review (and throughout your site) are stunning. Thank you for sharing your wonderful talent and insightful toughts.
I came across your site as I research to buy my first DSLR. Your insight has been very helpful as I debate between the Nikon D5100 and the Canon T3i and has caused me to lean towards the Nikon.
What are your thoughts on the advantages (or disadvantages) of the D5100 vs. the T3i? You seem to use mostly Nikons…what made you choose Nikon over Canon?
Thank you for any insight you might share.
-Mike
Hi Nasim,
I have bought Nikon D5100 after reading this review. This review was really helpful. Thanks.
I am looking for a telephoto lens and being a newbie not sure if I should opt for DX or FX lens (I am sure a few years down the line, I’ll move to FX breed of camera). Can you help me out with?
AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
I have read some reviews that FX lens works fine on DX cameras. But I am still skeptical on the outcome.
Seeking professional advice.
Thanks
-Jags
I have found the answer in this site. Going for AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm.
Thanks anyways.
-Jags
Thank you sir for this review. It really help me know more about my camera (the d5100) which I purchased a month ago. This is my first DSLR camera and wish to learn more things about photography from a pro like you. I didn’t know that my camera is capable of taking pictures like what you’ve posted here. I’m amazed! I’m more on portrait and landscape photography, what lens should I buy for the purpose? Right now I have the AF-S 18-105mm.
Thank you so much and wish to hear from you!
Let me inform time to time regarding DSLR Nikon 5100 performances in different shooting modes.
Hi Nasim, i am basically a p&s camera user.But, seriously thinking about taking a jump to DSLR photography.I have mostly made up my mind about purchasing D5100 but after reading your review of SONY SLT i am thinking whether SONY A35 / A55 would be a good choice.
I do not want to invest in lenses right now.I will once i get used to DSLR photography.
Also, please let me know how important it is to have post production software’s like photoshop etc. for a novice like me.
Thank you for your effort and this site is much responsible for my interest towards DSLR photography.
hi Nasim,
would u recommend to buy a used d5100 over a new d3100?
Could you help me any suggestion what should i do when buying used camera or lenses?
Thank you for your great site.