Camera Review: Nikon D5100

A non-technical review by a traveller.

The Nikon D5100 is a great entry level D-SLR which gives you the ability to start taking photography more seriously, without costing you an arm and a leg. It isn’t a budget camera, but it fits somewhere happily between point-and-shoot and professional cameras. It has a full set of controls to help you get the shots you really want, although when you’re feeling lazy, you can simply put it into automatic mode. It offers good quality video recording and there are a large range of lenses available for whatever you choose to shoot.

What’s Good?

Great image quality
Lots of controls
Audio jack for improved sound quality
Fully rotational LCD screen
Works well in low light
Preset shooting modes for lazy days
Interchangeable lenses
Quick start up time

What’s Bad?

More expensive than a basic camera
Terrible autofocus in video mode
You need to know a little bit about what you’re doing
Lenses are expensive

Who should get this camera?

People who want to experiment with photography and take it a bit further than point-and-shoot

Summary

Initially I was torn between purchasing this or the Canon 600D. In the end, this came through as the majority of the reviews I found indicated that this was the better and lower priced camera. This is the camera I use for the vast majority of shots in my photo albums and gives you an indication of the quality. This camera is great for playing around with photography, although I haven’t used half the features that I should have used. If you won’t use any features, go for a small, more portable camera. I also carry a zoom lens and this works incredibly well for long distance shots.

Overall this is a great camera to get you into using an SLR. My one problem with it is the quality of video footage. It just doesn’t get it as cleanly as I like and has a really irritating autofocus that makes a lot of noise. Of course, you can turn this off when only shooting video at one focal length. For the price you pay however, this camera is great value.

Sample Images