Nikon D5100

Announced Apr 5, 2011 •
16.2 megapixels | 3 screen | APS-C sensor
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Product description
Announced Apr 5, 2011

The D5100 sits comfortably in the middle of Nikon's non-Pro DSLR lineup, carefully blending the features of the beginner-friendly D3100 with the image capabilities of the more expensive D7000. As such it features a 16.2MP CMOS sensor, 1080p (H.264) movie capability and an articulated 920k dot LCD in a relatively compact body. Like previous Nikons at this price it features a pentamirror viewfinder and 11-point AF system capable of tracking subjects by distance and color, as well as the still-improving full-time AF-F mode for use when shooting in live view mode. It also becomes the first Nikon DSLR to offer in-camera special effect filters while shooting either stills or video.

Quick specs
Body type Compact SLR
Max resolution 4928 x 3264
Effective pixels 16.2 megapixels
Sensor size APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm)
Sensor type CMOS
ISO Auto, 100- 6400 (plus 12800, 25600 with boost)
Lens mount Nikon F mount
Focal length mult. 1.5×
Articulated LCD Fully articulated
Screen size 3
Screen dots 921,000
Min shutter speed 30 sec
Max shutter speed 1/4000 sec
Format
  • MPEG-4
Storage types SD/SDHC/SDXC
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Weight (inc. batteries) 560 g (1.23 lb / 19.75 oz)
Dimensions 128 x 97 x 79 mm (5.04 x 3.82 x 3.11)
GPS Optional

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Our review

The D5100 sits just above the D3100 in Nikon's product lineup and as such, it combines its younger sibling's ease of use with a slightly more advanced feature set. The D5100's trump card, however, is it's advanced 16MP sensor - inherited from the D7000. Judged on its own merits the D5100 is a great camera, but we're concerned that an enthusiastic beginner might outgrow it faster than some of the competition.

Good for: Effective and easy to use features make the D5100 ideal for everyday photography/videography

Not so good for: Shooting fast action

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Silver Award
76%
dpreview score
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