Fine Review, as always, Nasim. But i’d like to add – the D5x00 series, into particular the D5100 here – brings simply too much compromises to the table. For the raw performance D7000 – D5100 is virtually the same, but the AF system onto the D5100 is the old 11 point AF, which was originally being developed into 2005 for the D200, subtle upgraded only. A 2nd dial and top display is missing, the menu system is just for absolute beginners, no more the classic Nikon style, as the D40&D60 menu, for instance – but that GUI nonsense. I can’t complain really, i received the D5100 for <30 bucks. But as former D70s, D80, D90 & D7000/D700 user, for sure a real downgrade – compared to the D40(x) & D60, it's not even cute, it's a weird design, some curved edge, whileas others aren't. And no settings, -options for 12/14-bit compressed, uncompressed, or lossy compressed RAW, mediocre, small, dim-lit pentamirror OVF, etc…when it comes to DSLRs, i want 2 dials, a top display, and a bright, all glass pentaprism OVF. :-) YMMV. Sure, the D5100 gets the job done – but it's shutter life is also into contrast to the D7000 much reduced, according to Oleg Kikin Shutter Life Database – the oldest shutterlife website, i've known since forever, basically.
Sanjib Dasgupta
March 9, 2016 11:13 pm
Hello Sir,
Can you provide me with a review on Nikon D5200. I own one and would like to know more about it.
Thanks.
Regards, Sanjib Dasgupta
Piyush
October 5, 2015 4:59 pm
I use nikon D5100 with 18-55 mm lens, I am neither able to get sharp images nor good color compostion pictures, kindly please help me getting fixed to my problem. I usually shoot portrait and wedding photographs, so please keep this in mind while you reply to my question.
Jozef Dekkers
October 16, 2014 3:43 pm
You’re welcome Nasim. Actually today i upgraded from D5100 to D5300! Knowing it will take quite some time before i’ll be able to upgrade to a pro FX including new lenses (only my 50 mm prime is non-DX!).
A bit surprised you didn’t review the D5300 yet… or rather a little sad, because i must say i find your way of reviewing the real deal. Useful and informative. Way better than dpreviews (keeping comparing to Canon and repeating they’re missing touchscreen which both i don’t care about at all) if i may say so.
Well i loved my D5100 and learned to handle it pretty well, so i’m happy the D5300’s layout is for the most part identical.
Again thanks for your valuable blog.
Jozef Dekkers
October 11, 2014 7:23 pm
Typo. “ISO 6400 is my threshold on the D700 for worst case scenarios where I need to use a high ISO. D700 is still much cleaner than D7000 and it certainly retains a lot more details in shadows and highlights.” There’s no D7000 in this comparison. Must be: “… cleaner than D5100.”
Thanks for the well-done review. I am a pretty satisfied D5100 user for 4 years now. Lost apetite to upgrade to a D7100, another DX. Instead i will keep saving and one day upgrade to an FX, a D750 or similar. The detail and clarity at low iso!
Thanks for letting me know Josef, that was definitely a typo and I went ahead and fixed it :)
Ross
September 8, 2013 2:46 am
Nasim, thanks for the review on the D5100. It helped me (14 months ago) to decide to get one. It has been a fantastic camera, never a single problem and fantastic images. I took it along to a wedding and my shots were preferred to the ‘pro’ employed to shoot it. Of course, I was VERY careful to keep out of his way at all times and only stepped in when he moved off. Thanks for that, and now, on to my question.
The D5200 has been out since January 2013. I have been watching your site for a review but one has not come. In the end I decided to go for it, the (EVEN) higher resolution was one of the draws, but so was the 39 point multicam autofocus and 2k exposure metering. I can give an initial response to the camera, it truly does perform brilliantly. The new Toshiba sensor that Nikon brought to the body with this (not the same Sony one as fitted in the D3200) brings really clean noise free images. In most other respects it is a D5100 and I love it.
Upgrading so soon may seem mad to some, but I got lucky. The D5100 got a really good secondhand price, and I found a bargain deal online so the change up only cost me about 100 UK pounds – for that I couldnt resist. I just wish you’re review on the D5200 had been done, as I place a lot of trust in your considered views. As it was, I had to rely on some of the other reviewers, and base my decision on trusting them and Nikon. I think by waiting 8 months I did the right thing – buying the first off the production line risks buying an untested (and uncorrected) version of the camera, while, waiting a bit and buying a NEW one at month 8 means that hopefully, the glitches have been sorted out, and found their way on to the camera.
I am getting a slight problem with underexposing, but that is me, not the camera. It has differing modes and I need to re-learn a little technique, especially with bright backlighting, but I stress, this is not the camera, its me being stupid.
Those wondering why I upgraded, well, now I can cut one third of the shot in cropping, and still end up with the resolution of the D5100. We are not always able to see a composition ‘within a composition’ so with my interests in landscape, it is lovely to be able to know that I can crop out if needed.
If, however, I get it right and can use the whole image, wow! amazing quality. In image quality terms alone, I would find it very hard to justify a D600 or even a D800 given the huge difference in price, and I am not shooting for billboard adverts etc so the money would be better used to make trips and buy better lenses in my case.
So, when will the D5200 review be ready, there must be dozens of us waiting for your assessment of it?
Regards, Ross.
Kushal Kamra
August 14, 2013 3:03 am
I am a budding photographer and have been shooting with my Nikon Point-&-Shoot since about a year.I was planning to buy a DSLR and zeroed on Nikon 5100 and this review of yours has even strengthened my will to buy that. Very detailed article…Thanks !!!
Emad
April 18, 2013 10:14 am
hello thank you for all information about camera , I want from you to advise me which I choose nikon d3200 or nikon d5100 , please help me I’m bignar in photograhy thanks
Robert
April 9, 2013 7:38 am
Another stupid thing is the INFO button …. that shoot off\on the dislay…. in a camera that suffer from leak of button function like mettering or iso … that what nikon find to be important / a button that toggle the display on asnd off … any way the display shuts down by a timer and lights up on half press on shutter realise … so this is a biog waiste … nikon can fix these things in firmware apdate but thay prefer to piss on the custumer …
Robert
March 22, 2013 6:23 am
Hy Nasim .. great review ‘ one thing bodering me in the 5100 … the right arow on the keypad is very easy accidentaly presed by the rot of the right palm when holding the camera ( in right hand) that couses the autofocus crroshair to move right and the pic is out of focus of course that can hapen in single point area AF only – not in matrix. is very surprising that function ( to move the AF ) can not be cancceled in settings
Fine Review, as always, Nasim. But i’d like to add – the D5x00 series, into particular the D5100 here – brings simply too much compromises to the table. For the raw performance D7000 – D5100 is virtually the same, but the AF system onto the D5100 is the old 11 point AF, which was originally being developed into 2005 for the D200, subtle upgraded only. A 2nd dial and top display is missing, the menu system is just for absolute beginners, no more the classic Nikon style, as the D40&D60 menu, for instance – but that GUI nonsense. I can’t complain really, i received the D5100 for <30 bucks. But as former D70s, D80, D90 & D7000/D700 user, for sure a real downgrade – compared to the D40(x) & D60, it's not even cute, it's a weird design, some curved edge, whileas others aren't. And no settings, -options for 12/14-bit compressed, uncompressed, or lossy compressed RAW, mediocre, small, dim-lit pentamirror OVF, etc…when it comes to DSLRs, i want 2 dials, a top display, and a bright, all glass pentaprism OVF. :-) YMMV. Sure, the D5100 gets the job done – but it's shutter life is also into contrast to the D7000 much reduced, according to Oleg Kikin Shutter Life Database – the oldest shutterlife website, i've known since forever, basically.
Hello Sir,
Can you provide me with a review on Nikon D5200. I own one and would like to know more about it.
Thanks.
Regards,
Sanjib Dasgupta
I use nikon D5100 with 18-55 mm lens, I am neither able to get sharp images nor good color compostion pictures, kindly please help me getting fixed to my problem.
I usually shoot portrait and wedding photographs, so please keep this in mind while you reply to my question.
You’re welcome Nasim.
Actually today i upgraded from D5100 to D5300! Knowing it will take quite some time before i’ll be able to upgrade to a pro FX including new lenses (only my 50 mm prime is non-DX!).
A bit surprised you didn’t review the D5300 yet… or rather a little sad, because i must say i find your way of reviewing the real deal. Useful and informative. Way better than dpreviews (keeping comparing to Canon and repeating they’re missing touchscreen which both i don’t care about at all) if i may say so.
Well i loved my D5100 and learned to handle it pretty well, so i’m happy the D5300’s layout is for the most part identical.
Again thanks for your valuable blog.
Typo.
“ISO 6400 is my threshold on the D700 for worst case scenarios where I need to use a high ISO. D700 is still much cleaner than D7000 and it certainly retains a lot more details in shadows and highlights.”
There’s no D7000 in this comparison. Must be: “… cleaner than D5100.”
Thanks for the well-done review. I am a pretty satisfied D5100 user for 4 years now. Lost apetite to upgrade to a D7100, another DX. Instead i will keep saving and one day upgrade to an FX, a D750 or similar. The detail and clarity at low iso!
Thanks for letting me know Josef, that was definitely a typo and I went ahead and fixed it :)
Nasim, thanks for the review on the D5100. It helped me (14 months ago) to decide to get one. It has been a fantastic camera, never a single problem and fantastic images. I took it along to a wedding and my shots were preferred to the ‘pro’ employed to shoot it. Of course, I was VERY careful to keep out of his way at all times and only stepped in when he moved off. Thanks for that, and now, on to my question.
The D5200 has been out since January 2013. I have been watching your site for a review but one has not come. In the end I decided to go for it, the (EVEN) higher resolution was one of the draws, but so was the 39 point multicam autofocus and 2k exposure metering. I can give an initial response to the camera, it truly does perform brilliantly. The new Toshiba sensor that Nikon brought to the body with this (not the same Sony one as fitted in the D3200) brings really clean noise free images. In most other respects it is a D5100 and I love it.
Upgrading so soon may seem mad to some, but I got lucky. The D5100 got a really good secondhand price, and I found a bargain deal online so the change up only cost me about 100 UK pounds – for that I couldnt resist. I just wish you’re review on the D5200 had been done, as I place a lot of trust in your considered views. As it was, I had to rely on some of the other reviewers, and base my decision on trusting them and Nikon. I think by waiting 8 months I did the right thing – buying the first off the production line risks buying an untested (and uncorrected) version of the camera, while, waiting a bit and buying a NEW one at month 8 means that hopefully, the glitches have been sorted out, and found their way on to the camera.
I am getting a slight problem with underexposing, but that is me, not the camera. It has differing modes and I need to re-learn a little technique, especially with bright backlighting, but I stress, this is not the camera, its me being stupid.
Those wondering why I upgraded, well, now I can cut one third of the shot in cropping, and still end up with the resolution of the D5100. We are not always able to see a composition ‘within a composition’ so with my interests in landscape, it is lovely to be able to know that I can crop out if needed.
If, however, I get it right and can use the whole image, wow! amazing quality. In image quality terms alone, I would find it very hard to justify a D600 or even a D800 given the huge difference in price, and I am not shooting for billboard adverts etc so the money would be better used to make trips and buy better lenses in my case.
So, when will the D5200 review be ready, there must be dozens of us waiting for your assessment of it?
Regards, Ross.
I am a budding photographer and have been shooting with my Nikon Point-&-Shoot since about a year.I was planning to buy a DSLR and zeroed on Nikon 5100 and this review of yours has even strengthened my will to buy that. Very detailed article…Thanks !!!
hello
thank you for all information about camera , I want from you to advise me which I choose nikon d3200 or nikon d5100 , please help me I’m bignar in photograhy
thanks
Another stupid thing is the INFO button …. that shoot off\on the dislay…. in a camera that suffer from leak of button function like mettering or iso … that what nikon find to be important / a button that toggle the display on asnd off … any way the display shuts down by a timer and lights up on half press on shutter realise … so this is a biog waiste … nikon can fix these things in firmware apdate but thay prefer to piss on the custumer …
Hy Nasim .. great review ‘ one thing bodering me in the 5100 … the right arow on the keypad is very easy accidentaly presed by the rot of the right palm when holding the camera ( in right hand) that couses the autofocus crroshair to move right and the pic is out of focus of course that can hapen in single point area AF only – not in matrix. is very surprising that function ( to move the AF ) can not be cancceled in settings