8/25/2012

How can Nikon improve on the D5100, when it is such a good Camera?

By Jeremy Bayston


When Nikon launched the D5100, it won all the awards going and has proved, over the years to be a superb camera for enthusiast and professional alike. It boasted the sort of technology that graced some of Nikon's more expensive models. The 16 MegaPixel sensor came from the D7000, for example.

Whilst the D5100 doesn't have an inbuilt motor for AF-S lenses, autofocus is really very good and videographers have been very happy with the Tracking Mode.

The D5100 controls the contrast extremes with Nikon's own Active D-lighting software, which enables the camera to capture fine detail on both the brightest and darkest parts of the image.

And in car terms, the D5100 has plenty under the hood. Whilst 4 FPS isn't so much these days, it can shoot that almost continuously - up to 100 frames before the buffer is full.

Nikon, like most still camera manufactureres have seen the potential of video. The tiltable screen makes shooting from novel angles so much easier and the stereo Mic socket ensures that the sound is crisp and clean.

Many serious cameras have skimped on the Effects Modes that are common in consumer cameras. But Nikon have understood that sometimes even enthusiasts want to have fun with different effects. Color Sketch, which turns your picture into a childish drawing and Night Vision, which lets you shoot a BW image all the way up to 102,400 ISO are particularly good.

The built in flash is good enough to get you out of a hole, keeping the flesh tones really well though, of course, the hotshoe gives the option of as professional flashgun.

The feel of the camera in hand has always been important and the buttons are well placed for intuitive operation. The menus are also fairly straightforward, certainly easy for a beginner to find their way around.

Nobody could fault the image quality produced by the D5100. It is, after all, a Nikon. The only evidence that this is a cheaper camera than, say the D7000, is in the built quality. The technical specs are excellent. The massive improvement between the D3100 and D3200 means that Nikon have raised expectations for the forthcoming D5200. But if you can't wait, the D5100 is still a great camera.




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