Back in April of this year, Nikon introduced their upgrade to the Nikon D5000 with the newer and enhanced D5100 model. Probably right off the bat, once you pick up this camera, you're going to notice a larger LCD screen (3.0") than the previous 2.7" screen. Next is the feel of the camera as it's a little lighter as well as thinner, but the LCD screen flips out to the side, rotates for easier composition in difficult situations and makes it easier for use on a tripod. The Nikon D5100 has the same 16.2-megapixel DX-format CMOS image sensor and EXPEED 2 processor as the Nikon D7000, as well as a Special Effects mode.
Some of the great features of the Special Effects mode are a Night Portrait mode, with up to 102,400 ISO sensitivity for shooting in extreme low light conditions, a Silhouette Mode, which removes all detail from the subject, a Miniature Mode, mimicking the effects of a tilt and shift lens, a Selective Color Mode so you can pick up to three elements in the frame to isolate in color against a black and white background and a Color Sketch mode, which lets the user adjust color and line density. All of these Special Effects features can be used for either still or video images and you can preview these before taking your shot. None of the Effects can be used in the RAW mode though, only the JPEG mode which may irritate some people.
Another great feature of the camera is the in-camera high dynamic range (HDR) imaging capability. A single press of the shutter captures two shots, with the first intentionally underexposed, and the second overexposed. The two are then combined in-camera to yield a final exposure with much wider dynamic range than is possible in a single exposure. This may be a nice feature for the amateur photographer that doesn't normally frame their shots as the avid and professional photographers normally do all the time, just to make sure and give them more leeway when processing.
If you're into capturing HD Video, then you're going to love the ability to record Full HD video (1920 x 1080 @ 30 frames/sec with a bit rate of 18 MBps at the highest quality setting) with sound for 20 minutes or until the file size hits 4GB. The camera records everything in monaural sound, but by adding an optional a stereo microphone you will then use the port on the side of the camera. Another nice feature of the video is the D5100 has the ability to continuously autofocus in movie mode which will keep things in focus, though the autofocus is slow to respond, and the noise of the AutoFocus motor will be picked up by the camera's microphone. I guess we can't have everything yet.
The D5100 also has one of the most feature-packed playback modes of any DSLR on the market today, which include slideshow, DPOF print marking, image protection, playback zoom and thumbnail view. Using the Retouch menu, you can perform redeye correction, crop, color balance, resize, distortion control, fisheye, miniature effect which makes a selected area of the photo appear small, with everything else blurred out, edit a movie trimming off unwanted footage and more. If that doesn't impress you, I don't know what will.
The features of this D5100 are somewhere between the simple and user-friendly D3100 and the prosumer D7000 cameras. The novice can just pick up the D3100, point and shoot, letting the camera do most, if not all of the work. Of course it does have many features that allow you to get away from this mode and allow for some creativity. That's not to say this is not a user-friendly camera because it is that, and much more. It may be a little slow detecting AutoFocus in live view and maybe the buttons could be placed differently on the body and only support autofocus for the newer Nikkor lenses, but it is still a quality camera for those looking to upgrade from their current DSLR. You'll love the feel of the camera, but if you have large hands, you may find the right hand grip a little too small for you.
This is as good a point as any to summarize by saying the camera takes great photos, has very good ISO performance, takes 4 fps, the 3" flip-side LCD is excellent, the battery life is super and probably better than other Nikon's, great HD movie capability and there are Help screens for every menu option
(a must).
So, what's not to like? Briefly, the movie mode is a bit slow and the AF is noisy and picked up by the microphone, it is slow when focusing in the live view mode, and could have used a wireless flash control. I don't know about you, but I like my manuals to be on a CD-ROM where I can print out specific pages when I need them as opposed to going through a pre-printed manual.
In summary, I think this is just a great camera from Nikon as it's a nice step up from the D5000 with all of the enhancements, but not yet in the category of the Nikon D7000 nor does it have the hefty price tag of the D7000 either. If you want more information about this wonderful camera, as well as of other Digital SLR's, please visit this website at
http://www.amazon.com/ Best DSLR Camera Reviews. I sincerely hope that you found this information of use as you are in pursuit of your next camera.
I have been taking photographs for 50+ years and love sharing my knowledge of cameras, techniques and the experience of the wonderful world of photography. On this web site,
http://www.amazon.com I strive to provide unbiased reviews of many of the best selling DSLR Cameras on the market at this time allowing you to decide which camera is best for you.
