For the opportunity Nikon D5100 body camera review Many thanks to Sergey Svirida.
Nikon D5100 review
I want to write everything at once about the Nikon D5100 - it's just awesome multimedia harvester, which manages to squeeze just the prohibitive image quality. In this review, information is only about the camera itself Nikon D5100 body. Very often, the Nikon D5100 is sold along with universal lenses, and this set is called Kit. Usually in a set Nikon D5100 Kit such lenses as:
- Nikon 18-105mm f / 3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX Nikkor
- Nikon 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor (or one of its 3 modifications)
- Nikon 18-200mm f / 3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkorcan be met very rarely
- Nikon 55-200mm f / 4-5.6 AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkoras optional included
- Nikon 55-300mm f / 4.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX Nikkor as optional in kit
The best option is an 18-200mm lens, it is enough for all occasions - from a wide angle for a landscape or a small apartment, to photographing birds and bunnies. If you still need to start somewhere, then the kit lens 18-55m is quite suitable, and do not believe that the kit lens is so terrible, just important how to take pictures, and not on what technique. For portrait shooting, I advise you to look towards the lens Nikon 50mm f / 1.8G AF-S Nikkor, and as a good sharp fast aperture fixed lens for every day can act Nikon 35mm f / 1.8G AF-S DX Nikkor.
View of the Nikon D5100 camera from different angles
Nikon D5100 - This is an amateur SLR camera from Nikon, a highly updated version of the Nikon D5000. The camera can shoot Full HD video and take pictures at a speed 4 frames per second.
Sample photo on Nikon D5100
Important points:
Matrix Nikon D5100 matrix based Nikon D7000. The matrix Nikon D7000 can give out a picture high dynamic range, excellent color reproduction and low noise at high ISO. The Nikon D5100 does the same. When I took the first test shots on Nikon D5100 and ISO 6400, I was just amazed at the image quality. The result was really very juicy and lively picture, and this is at 16,2 megapixels, because in this review there are many night photos as examples. ISO camera can be set from value 100 to 25,600, values ISO 12.800. и ISO 25.600. are denoted as Hi1 и Hi2, I do not recommend shooting at such high ISO.
Nikon D5100 installed CMOS 16.2-megapixel sensor. Yes, the Nikon D5100 has as much as 16,2MP, which is the same as that of Nikon D7000 and full frame Nikon D4. More megapixels can only be found in the very expensive Nikon D3x, Nikon D800,D800E, D3200, D600, D5200 (at the time of writing). The number of megapixels is not a serious indicator of the quality of a photograph, but still, the more the better. If you are chasing megapixels, I advise you to pay attention to my note Battle of Megapixels. I shoot 6.2 megapixel without any problems Nikon D40I advise you to go to the review page Nikon D40 and make sure that even at 6.2MP you can get an excellent image result.
Nikon D5100 uses a sensor manufactured by Sony, the same sensor is found in cameras:
- Nikon D7000
- Pentax K-30
- Pentax K-5
- Pentax K-01
- Sony a580
- Sony A55
- Sony NEX-5N
Photo on Nikon D5100 - saturated colors of the camera
Actually, the matrix is the heart of the camera, and the better it is, the better your photographs will be. Nikon D5100 has the same matrix size as the more advanced ones Nikon D7000, D90, D300s. The Nikon D5100 APS-C sensor available, which means that the matrix is 2.25 times smaller in area than the matrix of full-frame SLR cameras, such as Nikon D700 or D3s. This entails an effect. crop factor. When using lenses from full-frame cameras, the viewing angle will be narrower than on film or in a full frame. More details in the article Crop Factor.
Sample photo on Nikon D5100
Other important points that really affect the operation and functionality of the camera
- Large rotary display. The display has 921.000 points. Nikon D5100 uses the same number of pixels as the camera D3, D3s, D3x, D700, D300, D300s, D90, D7000, D3200 и Nikon D5200
- Very fast EXPEED-2 processor, with which the camera shows excellent speed.
- Nikon D5100 uses 11 focus pointsfor which the focus module is responsible Nikon Multi-CAM 1000. The same module is on such cameras as Nikon D90, D3100, D3000, D80, D200 and D5000. Focusing is accurate. Focusing speed is highly dependent on the lens and shooting conditions.
- Measurement exposure implemented using a 420-pixel sensor, the same as that of Nikon D80, D90, D60, D40x, D50, D5000 and D3100. The camera measures the exposure perfectly, the only one, because Active is on D-lighting the camera sometimes exposes the frame.
- The shooting speed is 4 frames per second. This is just a little less than 4.5 fps for a more advanced Nikon D90. 4 fps is enough for any type of shooting. Even a full-frame professional Nikon D800 can shoot a maximum of 4k \ s. Personally, I always have enough even 2.5 frames per second on my old woman Nikon D40. A high rate of fire is needed only for certain situations. A high rate of fire requires a large frame buffer and a fast memory card. For example, when I reviewed the Nikon D5100, the camera used a slow 8GB SD flash drive. Since I was shooting in RAW for review, the camera was very slow after 2 seconds of shooting in fast mode. Due to the fact that RAW files from the camera weigh about 15mb, I had to wait a very long time until the files were written to the memory card. Indeed, the whole charm of fast continuous shooting at 4 fps can be estimated by shooting only in JPEG.
- Frame buffer when shooting in RAW format is 11 frames. This is as much as that of Nikon D90 when shooting in RAW. How much the camera will slow down during serial shooting will greatly depend on the buffer capacity. In an earlier model Nikon D3100, frame buffer is 13 pieces in RAW.
- Attention: Nikon D5100 Nikon's first amateur camera to use RAW with 14 bit color depth. This is very good news for fans of processing RAW photos. Unfortunately, like all Nikon amateur cameras, the D5100 does not have a choice of RAW compression levels or a choice of color depth.
Example photo on the Nikon D5100. Snowy glass.
- Full HD movie shooting 1980 * 1080, with maximum quality you can shoot videos up to 20 minutes long. Believe me, 20 minutes is enough for the video. You can choose different shooting modes in different quality. Another important detail to shoot video on the desired aperture, you first need to install it, and therefore already enable Live View and start recording. When Live View is on, aperture change is not available.
- Convenient menu and overall camera ergonomics. At first, it might seem that controlling the camera with one hand is difficult, but then you can quickly get used to the control.
Example photo on Nikon D5100 at high ISO
- A bunch of useful additions - automatic correction of distortion, aberration, Active D-lighting, Breckening, Live View, Timelapse, etc. Important! Automatic correction of distortion and chromatic aberration is removed only when shooting in JPEG.
- The camera has one great feature - HDR. HDR takes two frames with different exposures and saves them in one file. Very comfortable and interesting. The HDR function is not available when shooting in RAW. The HDR function is conveniently programmed with the FN button.
Example photo on Nikon D5100 at very high ISO
- A little about the shortcomings - this is an amateur camera, because in the camera no many features from more advanced or professional cameras. Personally very important to me fast flash sync, flash command modeFine tune focus manual exposure metering and availability focus motor - Nikon D5100 doesn't have them. Highly I consider “picture braking” a strong drawback when sighting through Live View and approaching the image area 1 to 1 (or similar) - the picture slows down quite a lot. There is no such effect on Nikon D90. Such an approximation helps to very accurately sharpen the desired focus point.
All sample photos on the Nikon D5100 from this review were shot in RAW -> JPEG, without processing, only resized to 720 * 477 pixels with imprinted EXIF in order to be able to judge the shooting parameters. Please note that at high ISO photos are more or less acceptable.
Example photo on the Nikon D5100. Loss of juiciness of the color gamut when raising ISO
Recommendations
In order to speed up focusing, use the optical viewfinder. When focusing in Live View, the focusing accuracy will be very high, but the speed will be very slow, since the camera and the lens will need to measure contrast at different focusing distances and only then put the lens in the desired position. When focusing through the optical viewfinder (through the eye), the camera is much quicker to cope with focusing. It is for this reason that older cameras such as Nikon D300, D300s, D700 etc., there are two Live View shooting modes. These are tripod mode and hand mode. In hand-held mode and Live View on, when you press the shutter button halfway, Live View turns off and autofocusing occurs through the phase sensors, after a successful focus is achieved, Live View turns on again.
Photo at Nikon D5100 at low ISO in low light
If desperately needed maximum frame buffer, then you need to turn off all functions that reduce the number of photos in the buffer. I think you will be surprised when in paragraph 5 it is written about 11 frames in the buffer, but in reality there will be less of them. The number of frames that the buffer can fit is shown in the lower right corner of the viewfinder when you press the shutter button halfway. Usually, with noise reduction turned on for high ISOs and slow shutter speeds, as well as when active D-lighting the number of frames in the buffer drops sharply. Therefore, by disabling these functions you can get the claimed 11 frames. Well, if you do not need RAW, then in high-quality JPEG with advanced settings enabled 16 frames - and this is for 4 seconds of continuous shooting. It is unlikely that someone takes a burst of longer than 4-5 seconds.
Photo on Nikon D5100
When you place the camera in a case (in a photo bag), turn the display with the dark side out, and the LCD monitor in the middle so that the monitor does not scratch during transportation. If shooting in JPEG, I recommend turning on noise reduction at high ISOs and slow shutter speeds. For a saturated picture you can use Active D-lighting in HIGH mode. You can also configure the FN programmable button, which is located next to the flash up button. I usually program the FN button for the ISO control function.
Sample photos on Nikon D5100 using a lens Nikon 50mm f / 1.8G AF-S Nikkor. Photos without processing.
Don't know what to choose?
Usually, a person who wants to buy a camera of this level stops at 2-3 Nikon models. it Nikon D3100, Nikon D5000, Nikon D5100, D5200. I recommend taking a simpler model Nikon D3100, which can do the same thing as the D5100, but its price is much less. D5100 is more suitable for those who like to shoot in poor lighting conditions at high ISO. Saturation and image quality on the D5100 and D3100 very similar to low and medium ISO. Of course newer Nikon D5200 in many ways beats the Nikon D5100.
| D5000 | D5100 | D5200 | |
| Exit time | June 2009 | April 2011 | November 2012 |
| RAW color depth | 12 bit | 14 bit | 14 bit |
| Number of megapixels | 12,20 | 16,08 | 24,00 |
| Burst Speed | 4 fps | 4 fps | 5 fps |
| Minimum ISO | 200,00 | 100,00 | 100,00 |
| Minimum Extensive ISO | 100 (Lo1) | - | - |
| Maximum ISO | 3200,00 | 6400,00 | 6400,00 |
| Maximum Extended ISO | 6400 (Hi1) | 25600 (Hi2) | 25600 (Hi2) |
| Video length max. qualities | 5 minutes | 20 minutes | 20 minutes |
| Video | 1280 x 720 24fps | 1920x1080 30fps | 1920 x 1080 60i |
| Sound | mono | mono | stereo |
| Display | 2.7 inches, 230.000 points | 3 inches, 921.000 points | 3 inches, 921.000 points |
| Focus module | Multi-cam 1000 | Multi-cam 1000 | Multi-CAM 4800DX |
| Number of Focus Points | 11,00 | 11,00 | 39,00 |
| Measurement exposure | 420-pixel RGB sensor | 420-pixel RGB sensor | 2016-pixel RGB sensor |
| Memory cards | SD,SDHC | SD, SDHC, SDXC | SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS-I) |
| Weight without battery, g | 550,00 | 510,00 | 505,00 |
| HDR | no | Yes | Yes |
I do not recommend buying an older Nikon D5000, it does not have autofocus when shooting video, and it is quite difficult for an ordinary user to focus on sharpness manually.
By the way here a list of all CZKs from Nikonmaybe he will help in choosing.
Photo on Nikon D5100
Prices for modern Nikon cameras in popular stores can look at this link.
Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment. Many different photographic equipment can be found on AliExpress.
Conclusions
Nikon D5100 gives a very good picture one click on the shutter button. Camera for photo lovers who just need a good result in a photo without unnecessary troubles. Full HD and a swivel display makes the camera even more attractive. Given that the camera has a matrix of very high quality Nikon D7000then Nikon D5100 can be used by advanced amateurs as well.
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
and which lens to take for a photo in a small room at full height?
And as the best full-time lens for Nikon-5100 of those considered: Nikkor -16-88, Tamron 17-50 or Sigma 17-50.
Arkady, please tell me! When you press the shutter button completely in the viewfinder, it is as if the instantaneous tilt of the mirror in the horizontal plane is visible, is this normal ?!
The mirror rises when the shutter is released.
I understand that, but why is this not visible in 5000, I thought maybe some kind of marriage ...
They most likely have different shutter lags, so visually it can be imperceptible.
ARKADY AND ANOTHER QUESTION, JUST I HAVE BEEN CUSTOMIZED ON CANON ALREADY AND CANON 650 WILL NOT GO TO REMOVE GIRLS IN A SMALL ROOM IN FULL GROWTH WITH MAKE-UP AND HAIRDRESSES. OR ALWAYS BETTERLY REMAIN IT NEVER BETTER?
A huge request not to write in capital letters, this is not cultural. 650d and d5100 cameras of about the same level and with whale optics will give a similar result.
Which one would you prefer? and why?
I would be interested to play around with a 650D touch screen
In order to shoot girls in a room with makeup and hairstyles, and even in full growth, the PHOTO CAMERA is not needed at all :)
I need your help. Initially I was going to buy Nikon D5100, but now for some reason I started to think “should I buy D90”. Please tell me what would be better to buy?
The video doesn't really interest me. The main quality of the picture.
If not difficult, write to me in PM (vk.com/dmitriy_chibisov)
otherwise I can forget to stop by to look at the answers here. Thanks.
D5100 generally has better image quality than D90, you can read about the choice of camera here - https://radojuva.com.ua/2013/01/what-camera-nikon-shoud-i-buy/
I am so ashamed, but I can’t download the photo from the camera :( ViexNX2 in English. I almost cry.
Hello. Arkady! Tell me. Why are two images recorded on a memory card? Probably something in the settings clicked on? Thanks.
Perhaps RAW + JPEG
Arkady tell me. I would like to buy a Nikon D 5100 current in our city it is sold with a whale lens 18-55 (and nothing more) to go somewhere far away and there is no time. on the shelves in the store there are 18-200 Tamron lenses (only there are still a lot of letters. I probably should have written them off)))) and the signature is macro) .. please tell me which marking lens you can take for the kit considering that there is no D5100 .. uh .. like a motor (screwdriver) .. Thank you in advance
There are different tamrons 18-200, ask the seller if it is suitable for D5100
bought an extra digital battery on the Nikon 5200 with the same marking as the native one, and the text appears on the screen: the battery does not fit, insert the original. Can I use this battery?
Arkady, do you think you can change D5100 to D7000? I want to improve the park, but I don’t allow finance. Chi is more beautiful than taking D300 or D300s?
If you pay for d7000, then there will be even less finance, the question here is rather slippery.
Good day. Please tell me what is the length of a video clip of max quality 20min. Is it like 20min and that's it, or is the maximum non-continuous file size formed?
20 minutes is the maximum recording length for one movie.
Please tell me there is an opportunity to take Nikon d5100 from the area 18-105 or take from 18-55 and buy 55-200 which is better to take?
Arkady, good afternoon! Please tell me there is a Nikon 5100 + kit. I want to buy a lens, with pom. which you can shoot in full length on human nature so that the background is beautifully blurred. Thank you in advance for your reply.
Full-length shooting with a blurry background is quite problematic, for this you need a fast telephoto type 80-200, and you will need to decently move away from the model. Of the low-cost options, you can look in the direction of fifty dollars like this https://radojuva.com.ua/2012/04/obzor-nikon-af-s-50mm-f-1-4-g/ and 85 current, such as https://radojuva.com.ua/2012/11/obzor-nikon-n-af-s-nikkor-85-mm-1-4-g/
For a studio photo, which is better (also with full-length background blur) Nikon 85mm f / 1.8G AF-S or 70-300? Thank you
I think that 85tk is better for these purposes.
Selective Color - select one color and display the rest in black and white. How to configure this effect in Nikon 5100?
It is necessary to transfer the camera to Live View and select Selective Color in the Menu, then select shades, etc. The best thing is, if you have instructions, then there is a step-by-step description of how to do this, if there is no instruction, then it can be downloaded on the Internet.
Hello Arkady !! This will be my first SLR. I want to choose a camera within 5-6 thousand. Tell me, will the Nikon D5100 camera be a good one so as not to be disappointed ?? Or maybe you will advise me something else ?? Thanks a lot))
Yes, it will be a great camera.
Thank you very much, Arkady)
Tell me, I have a Nikon d 5100!) And what kind of lenses go to it! filmed on a whale lens, which was attached) is now thinking about buying a new one! but only BUT as it turned out, only AF-S go to it, and I can’t pick up anything Nikon AF-S 50mm f / 1.8G for, and what other lenses can I choose!
I will be VERY GRATEFUL! THANKS!
There are two more popular options - this is https://radojuva.com.ua/2011/03/obzor-nikkor-af-s-35mm-f1-8-dx/ and such - https://radojuva.com.ua/2011/03/obzor-nikon-55-200-dx-vr-otzuvu/
Why am I lacking sharpness at the maximum zoom? If you just look, then the photos are acceptable, but if you enlarge to a real size, you can immediately see that everything is not so clear. How to achieve 100% clarity of images so that they are so crystal clear?
Try shooting with closed apertures and slow shutter speeds (or using the flash). In Picture Control, set maximum sharpness.
Thanks for the advice.
Cool site. The information is awesome on any topic on cameras and lenses. Thank you very much. By the way, regarding the Nikon D5100 I recently came across one article on the Internet that described this camera. There are a lot of reviews about the positivity of this camera. I am shocked. In 2012-2013, this camera is the most bought in Russia, among amateur DSLRs. It is even called an advanced camera. The photo examples are just amazing. I have Nikon D300 I’ve been engaged in photography for 2 years. I get great pictures. But the D5100 certainly shocked me. This is the best I've seen.
Hi, Arkady !!! I want to share with you my joy, yesterday I finally bought a NIKON D5100 18-105 VR camera! A 32 giga-sandisk memory card, a tripod and a set for cleaning optics - to walk like that ... I put it on the car, took it off, I don't remember impressions of such quality and performance with the previous models (though there were only soap dishes) for Sonya sibershot's daughter, but it slows down a lot ... I am satisfied with the purchase, like an elephant ... it remains to understand the intricacies of shooting, it seems that there is nothing so complicated, everything is described in the primer in some detail and clearly, you just need to read carefully. I take pictures of plots, I will be exhibited in VK, and then evaluate it. See you!
Hello everyone! Arkady, thank you very much for the site! I read your reviews, watched the tests, but still ... If you took for yourself, which model would you choose as for a beginner. D5100 or D3200? Thank you!
D3200 would choose, in more detail here - https://radojuva.com.ua/2013/01/what-camera-nikon-shoud-i-buy/
Arkady, hello! Thank you very much for your advice, very helpful! Tell me, please, I want to buy a camera for a maximum of $ 750. So far my choice has fallen on the nikon 5100 and canon 550. I am a novice, I did not hold a DSLR in my hands and really do not want to make a mistake :) Tell me which one is better in your opinion or advise something else :) thank you in advance !!
In general, I think the D5100 model is more successful, I recommend it.
Hello Arkady. Thank you so much for your reviews and advice! special, for your advice on choosing a device. 650 Canon turned out to be a really great thing, and although they say that “a person is shooting”, the results are beyond all expectations. Advise, if not difficult, the lens. I now have a whale 18-55, but I want to use the device, if not to the full, then close to this, but as versatile as possible (a portrait and what is further away)
Good afternoon, tell me. I want to buy the first DSLR after the usual Lumix TZ-4, there isn’t much money, help me choose Nikon d80 with a lens 17-70, + 2 batteries for $ 500. Or is it better to buy Canon 1100d, or add on Nikon 5100 ?? I have a modest budget of $ 500-600. Thank you in advance !!
For me, the main thing is the quality of the photo. And neither the screen size or the convenience of management, I want more juicy beautiful photos. Thank you
Hello Arkady, but can you tell me what is the difference between tamron and VR lenses? I want to buy a nikon d5100, but I don’t know which lens is better. Thank you in advance)
The question is incorrectly worded. About different designations here - https://radojuva.com.ua/2012/03/different-lens-main/