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Nikon D5100 Review by John
The last thing I needed was another Nikon DSLR but when I saw the specs and the giveaway price I persuaded myself it was just a back-up body I was buying to supplement my clutch of pro-bodies, a somewhat ancient D2x and a D2h, that have been weighing me down for the past 5 years or so.
Out of the box, and with the almost fully charged battery inserted, I could not believe how little it weighed, and how small it was compared to my old clunkers. I think if you had particularly large hands you may find it a little too small, but I found the fit quite perfect.
I tried my everyday Nikkor 17-55mm on the body and it felt very unbalanced with this heavy metalled lens attached. I then put on a Series 1 18-200mm VR Nikkor and it felt much better. In fact I have not removed it over several weeks of solid use, now over 9,000 shutter actuations! And being a Nikon, it hasn't missed a beat -yet!
I shoot mainly weddings and other event stuff as well as all the usual friends and family pics that we all do. From the start I found the resolution and image quality quite outstanding particularly when I needed to crank it up to ISO 3200 for some shots near dusk.
I have to say it just blows away the results I used to get from the D2x in those same or similar lighting conditions. The new generation 16MP sensor is now a generation or two ahead of the 12.2MP sensor aboard the D2x, and boy doesn't it show?
For a camera aimed squarely at the lower end of the "enthusiast" sector this offering from Nikon has made me wonder if professional photographers will continue to cough up for the D300s, the D700 and the base model D3. OK the latter two are full frame not DX and I can see the need for these expensive models in certain applications but heck, I can buy 2 the Nikno D5100 bodies for the price of a D300s and win on almost every count that I consider is of importance to my work.
Higher resolution, better image quality video autofocus and continuous video focus, lower noise at high ISO, Built-in HDR, a lot more dynamic range, significantly better colour depth, flip-out screen, 6400 ISO and better boost to 25,600. It's smaller , lighter and half the price. OK no built in motor for non AF-S lenses, and the 300s scores on speed, battery life and a few other areas over the D5100, which even scores heavily in an out of league comparison with the mighty D3s!
It is well made from high quality plastic, which would probably put off many enthusiasts and pro-users - but I have already put it through the high impact drop test - inadvertently, of course! I dropped it and the 18-200mm zoom on a stone floor from about 1.5
meters. The only damage was a broken card door which I can replace for under a fiver in the US. No other damage apart from a slight dent in the lens hood.
I haven't shot much video yet but what I have seen so far is of the highest quality imaginable when run at 1080 and 30fps - quite stunning footage I must say. I suppose I miss the easy screen and button based logic of the D2x and there is a certain clumsiness involved with the menu embedded functionality of the D5100 - but when in doubt , or short of time just head for the Auto setting or any one of the prescribed modes on the dial to suit your needs.
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