Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm VR Lens

It would be lovely to be rich, I could buy exacly what I want. But I'm not, so I find some of my more expensive purchases to be a balancing act, where I have to compromise my wants and needs against my budget. My Nikon D5100 is one such compromise. The problem with this camera is that it's like one of those sportsmen who's brilliant, but a bit of a pain to get along with. I really want to ditch it, but because it keeps delivering great results, I just can't bear to. And besides, where can I get the same level of performance for under £400? The D5100 is brilliant and undeniably a 5* bargain at under £400. Coming from my lovely little Panasonic G2, the D5100 is a big fat thing with a pokey viewfinder. And it is not particularly intuitive to use. On the positive side, it has a glorious articulated screen and it offers a pretty full selection of features. However it doesn't quite do everything I want it to do. Older auto-focus lenses don't auto-focus. Not a huge problem, but irritating. Really old manual focus lenses don't meter, which is VERY annoying. To put this into context, my Panasonic G2 DOES give TTL metering with my 1970's Nikon lenses, but this Nikon SLR doesn't. Hmmm! So something of a bow-wave of irritation and resentment towards this camera builds up, until I look at the results it produces. Suddenly all is forgiven. Yes, I could have spent another £300 and got the D7000 and the screw drive and metering, but then I'd lose the articulated screen (the D5100 is the only Nikon SLR with a fully articulated screen) and the D7000 is even fatter! The biggest problem with the D5100 is the user interface. It's a point and shoot SLR with a few more bells and whistles than the entry-level D3xxx series, but it's still a basic camera. So you lose control wheels and buttons which forces you to dive into menus to change things. The bottom line is that the D5100 takes great photos and is at real a bargain price. No it doesn't give me all the bells and whistles I am used to, but it does give me the best results from a digital camera that I've ever had. Ultimately, that's the most important thing. I'm hoping that in time, I'll grow to love the big lump! Update: I never did manage learn to love my D5100, and so I bought myself a cheap used D90. The D90 and the D5100 are chalk and cheese. The D90 is bigger and heavier, but has the extra control features that encourage you to explore the different capabilities of the camera and not just leave it on "Auto" or "Program". The pentaprison viewfinder is superior, too. I really can't fault the D5100, I just don't like it. Which I accept is a matter of taste. This is the problem with buying a camera based on reviews and a brief play. I have to spend time with a camera before I really get to know it. The D5100 does produce excellent results, and it's great for macro work due to the articulated screen, I just don't much like the way it handles and you might not, either.

I can't express in words just how this camera has changed my life. Until buying the D5100 I have only ever owned Compact cameras. SLRs scared me a little even though I always had a talent at taking good photos from a young age. I need not have worried as this baby is the absolutely BEST first time SLR to own. In short it offers you a great balance between affordability and having some really semi-pro features which give you a real feel of what is possible with a good SLR with a good lens. The kit you get here will fulfil the needs of most people who like taking anything from landscapes to portraits. You can of course buy additional lenses if you have the spare cash and push the boundaries of what is possible (i.e. buy a telephoto lens to snap concert performances or zoom in on far away wildlife). I however have just made the most out of what I got in the box taking the camera to North America in the Fall and the Middle East in the Spring. The end result are some of the best photographs I have ever taken in my life!! The clarity, the colours, the fast focus, the speed you can snap away just makes photography just such a joy. In fact I question why I waited so long to get an SRL. I feel I am now untied from any limitations and totally focus my attentions to being creative. Now I will warn a professional this may not be the model for you as the 7000 series is likely to attract you more. But if you are someone who has a family wanting to capture important landmarks or like me are someone who just has a passion for snapping your travels and people then this is likely to be a wonderful option for you. Here are some of the PROS and CONS I have found so far....and no I don't work for Nikon! ;-) PROS: - WORKS GREAT IN AUTOMATIC MODE IN A WIDE ARRAY OF SITUATIONS - OFFERS YOU LOTS OF MANUAL SETTINGS SHOULD YOU WANT TO EXPLORE - HAS A TILTING VIEW FINDER - PERFECT WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO HOLD YOUR CAMERA ABOVE A CROWD TO PHOTO THE QUEEN ON THE THAMES JUBILEE PAGEANT - COLOURS ARE SO TRUE TO LIFE IT ASTOUNDS ME - HD VIDEO IS SMOOTH, RICH AND GREAT TO HAVE IN AN ALL IN ONE DEVICE - THE 4-PICTURES-PER-SECOND-MODE MAKES PHOTOGRAPHING JUMPING SALMON A SNAP (WORKS SLOWER IF YOU NEED THE FLASH) - THE CAMERA CAN REALLY CAPTURE BIRDS DIVING AND PICKING UP FISH FROM RIVERS - IT HAS THE SPEED AND POWER PROCESSOR (AGAIN IF YOU ARE IN DAYLIGHT) - BATTERY LASTS ON FULL CHARGE FOR OVER 1000 SHOTS CONS: - THE 3RD PARTY COMPANY WHO OFFER THE EXTENDED 2 YEAR WARRANTY FOR NIKON ARE A JOKE. BADLY ORGANISED. BUT DON'T WORRY YOU'LL GET THERE IN THE END! Last word of advice is to protect the expensive lens do make sure you buy a Hoya 52mm UV Filter . It screws in at the end of your main lens and gives you "peace of mind" that if you do accidentally scratch it you don't have to pay out on a new lens. Also recommend you buy a Lowepro case! Oh once you get more adventurous think about buying an add-on flash which you can then direct to the ceiling when taking indoor shots - removing the shadowing around people/subjects you snap. ENJOY !!!!!!!!!!

Such a good camera! Takes such good photos and is very easy to use. The pictures come out bright and very colorful.

super

Nach längerem Nutzen möchte ich nun auch meinen Senf zu der Kamera abgeben. Ich besaß vor der D5100 eine Nikon Coolpix L810. Nach gut einem Jahr des Fotografierens und auch tollen Fotos waren die Wünsche, sich weiterzuentwickeln immer größer geworden und es musste eine neue Kamera her. Da ich recht wenig Ahnung von all dem technischen Gegebenheiten hatte, informierte ich mich erstmal und bin dann auf die Nikon D5100 gekommen und bis jetzt nicht bereut. Vom Designe her ist sie im Vergleich zur Coolpix erstmal ungewohnt groß, aber liegt trotz meiner 1,91m und großen Händen gut in der Hand, lediglich der kleine Finger ist nicht am Griff fixiert, was mich gar nicht stört. Besonders das klappbare Display empfinde ich als gelungen, da man damit doch schön spielen und auch Schnappschüsse von sich selbst oder mit Partner etc. knipsen kann. Auch bei ungünstigen Blickwinkeln ist das Display mit dem "LiveView" gut zu gebrauchen. Einen anderen Grund noch, das Display wird durch das Zuklappen automatisch vor Einflüssen außerhalb geschützt, was ich toll finde. Ich bin kein Freund von Schutzfolien und besonders bei der Coolpix kontne man nach einiger Zeit doch Verbrauchsspuren entdecken. Optik ist subjektiv, mir gefällt, was ich sehe. Es sieht weder "billig" aus, noch das es leicht zerstörbar ist. Die Auflösung des Displays ist wunderbar scharf, man kann beim Vergrößern keine Pixelklumpen erkennen. Zu den Funktionen hat die D5100 viel zu bieten, geht von den Standartprogrammen aus, wie Nahsicht, Landschaft usw. bis zu spezielleren Programmen wie Miniatureffekt, Silhouette und vielen weiteren. Wer das letztendlich wirklich beansprucht, ist eine andere Frage, man kann damit schön rumspielen und die Effekte genießen. Vom Strukturaufbau der Menuführung kann ich leider nur das sagen, was ich bei der ersten empfinde, ich habe da keine Vergleichswerte zu anderen Spiegelreflex'. Ich finde sie als gelungen. Man hat auf dem Display die ganzen Einstellungen auf einem Überblick, kann bei den Manuellprogrammen problemlos sie nach Wunsch modifizieren. Ich habe damit kein Problem, der Zeitaufwand ist gering. Man kann auch mit einem mir derzeit bewussten Knopf eine Funktion sofortzuweisen, aber das nutze ich eigentlich kaum. Schön finde ich den Infoknopf der Kamera, dessen Betätigung zu jeder Funktion erklärt, was die Änderung überhaupt mit sich bringt. Grade für Anfänger wie mich ist es zu Beginn sehr hilfreich gewesen. DIe Bildqualität der D5100 ist super. Klar ist es abhängig von den dazugehörigen Objektiven, Licht, Umgebung etc., aber ich habe bis jetzt gute, scharfe und farbenfrohe Bilder geschossen. Auch bis iso 1600 ist die D5100 gut verwendbar, alles Höhere macht sich dann doch mit etwas Bildrauschen bemerkbar. Über das LiveView kann ich wenig sagen, es interessiert mich fast nicht. Da ich auch hier keine Vergleichswerte habe, kann ich nur sagen, bei dem wenigen Nutzen ist mir nichts grundlegend verheerendes aufgefallen. Mag sein, dass es etwas zu langsam ist, aber wozu hat man sonst seinen Sucher? Was ich bei der Kamera nicht gut finde, für mich aber absolut nicht relevant ist, ist die Videofunktion. Je nach Objektiv hört man mehr oder weniger das Fokusieren beim Filmen. Der Autofokus ist da einfach viel zu langsam, macht nicht wirklich Spaß. Alles zusammen ist die D5100 eine tolle Kamera, die mir jedesmal ein prima Gefühl vermittelt und mit der das Fotografieren einfach Spaß macht. Ich freue mich auf weitere Stunden mit ihr.

Ho ordinato questo articolo il 14 di agosto e mi è arrivato dopo due giorni, nonostante il giorno festivo di mezzo. Il pacco esterno è arrivato un pò rovinato, ma quello interno, contenente la macchina fotografica, era perfetto, anche se consiglio a chi si occupa dell'imballaggio di aggiungere più pluriball protettivo per sicurezza. Quindi per quanto riguarda il rivenditore e la spedizione posso essere più che soddisfatta! Ma veniamo alla macchina fotografica, che reputo un vero e proprio gioiellino. Perchè l'ho scelta? per motivi di lavoro avevo bisogno di una buona risoluzione delle fotografie in formato Raw, il motore di elaborazione delle immagini è l'EXPEED 2, lo stesso utilizzato dalla reflex professionale nikon D7000, quindi sulla qualità non si discute. Il corpo macchina è robusto, un pò di difficoltà si riscontra nell'impugnatura (ma forse dipende dal fatto che ho una mano piccola, quindi è un fattore soggettivo), devo dire che la pesantezza non si sente poi così tanto, da una reflex non si può pretendere un peso piuma. Ho provato questa macchina ed è veloce, ha un sacco di effetti creativi e di modalità scene, facile nell'utilizzo, anche nell'impostazione manuale, intuitivo il controllo dell'apertura del diaframma, l'esposizione e tempi di ripresa. E' la mia prima reflex, e non ho incontrato grandi difficoltà nell'utilizzo... anzi:). Mi dispiace solo per il manuale cartaceo che è arrivato in tedesco e per la garanzia che è europea (quindi di 2 anni) e non italiana (4 anni). Per il resto sono entusiasta, il rapporto qualità/prezzo è davvero eccellente! Consiglio questa macchina? assolutamente sì

I had owned a Nikon d3100 which got a salt water splash. This replacement, recommended by Ken Rockwell, is an even better camera that uses my old batteries, lenses and of course chips.