Nikon D5100 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Auto Focus-S Nikkor Zoom Lens (OLD MODEL)

After 15 years of use, it can still take wonderful pics, with those reliable and lovely Nikon colors. I really don't know how many shoots has taken, but surely about tens of thousands. Replaced the lens kit with a collection of lenses, among them a couple of Tamrons 17-50 F2.8 (without VR - the first one died after 7 years and the second is dying -really GREAT lens for many kind of pics, but lousy quality for everyday or heavy use) a really wonderful Tokina 11-16 F2.8, and the marvellous Nikkor 35 f1.8 DX (also a 55-200 DX tele zoom, the favorite of my kid). After more than ten years of really HEAVY use (mostly personal work, travel and family, but also a lot of professional jobs), I stepped up to full frame and changed to a Sony A7IV and I'm still building my ecosystem. I really miss the out-of-camera Nikon colors, Sony still does not has that magic sauce, so now I shoot RAW and tweak the colors in post. Of course the dynamic range and resolution compensate that missing color science, but in comparison the D5100 is a hell of a camera. Really nice and small system, light, and VERY capable. Now is in my kid's hands, and still running.

I've always been interested in photography as a hobby but I've never had more than a compact point-n-shoot and usually resorted to using my iPhone 4s, which only produces decent images up close and in good lighting. I primarily enjoy landscape photography, especially sunrises and sunsets, as well as photographing nature in general (storms, animals, plants), all of which the iPhone is awful for. So I decided to get a DSLR and I knew that Nikons were pretty good. After much research I decided on this one and so far I love it. The D5100 has incredible value and bang for your buck. It's somewhere in between the D3100 and D7100 in terms of quality, but it's only a little bit more expensive than the D3100 (while offering a lot more, including significantly higher picture quality) and MUCH less expensive than the D7100, which is only slightly better. If you're looking for a high quality, non-professional camera at a reasonable price, this is the one to get. Canons are great as well, but a Nikon of equal quality tends to be a bit less pricey. I really have no complaints about this camera. The grip is nice, the design is intuitive, and it feels very sturdy and of high quality. The interface is fairly easy to pickup, with the question mark button available to anyone who isn't sure what something means (though it's not always the greatest description). My pictures almost always turn out sharp and colorful and if they don't it's usually because of user error (i.e. I didn't use the best settings for the occasion). The battery lasts surprisingly long if you turn it off when you're not using it (I've been on 5-6 hour hikes and taken over 1500 pictures with the battery still going at 2/3 bars, though I am not using the flash). A few suggestions to someone who was new to DSLR. First, the manual is your friend. I suggest learning to use M/A/S modes, as the auto modes on this can be pretty awful (e.g. the sunset one, which tends to mess up the colors). I also suggest buying a few accessories if you don't have them - obviously a memory card, a lens cleaner and cloth (really a must), a lens hood if you photograph outdoors, and possibly an inexpensive UV filter to protect the lens. In conclusion, I've had a lot of fun with this camera and it takes fantastic pictures. It's even more amazing with a higher quality lens (I suggest trying a 55-200 or 55-300 to complement the lens that the camera came with).

I take thousands of close up macro pictures always using a 35 inch high copy stand. It was challenging for decades using SLR cameras because I had to gaze down into a viewfinder with one eye. Focusing was difficult. I've used Nikon Nikon D100 6MP Digital SLR Camera , Nikon D70S 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera , Fujis, Sonys, Panasonic, and others going back to the 1980's. Because of uncertainty of exposure caused by back lighting, I've made three sets of triple bracketed photos for each item. Recently some photos were needed using the copy stand where the camera needed to be over 3 feet high above the table of the copy stand. I had reached my limit as I used a ladder to be able to gaze down on the subject. There had to be a better way. My Panasonic DMC-FZ150K 12.1 MP Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor and 24x Optical Zoom (Black) just does not cut it for back-lit photos, but it has an LCD screen which swivels out and I would not have to climb the ladder. But the FZ150 does not work well with back lighting. Then I saw the reviews here of the D5100. It had the articulating LCD screen and was a Nikon SLR! But did it have bracketing of exposure? It does! With such a screen maybe I would not have to use one eye looking down on a ladder. I could not order the D5100 fast enough. While waiting a day for my D5100 to arrive I watched a video Blue Crane Digital zBC141 Introduction to the Nikon D5100 : Basic Controls several times to learn about the camera. Now for my experience with the D5100: It is much better than expected! The spot focusing actually works, even with back lit objects. I never could auto focus before for these photos. The AF-S stock lens is constantly focusing in auto focus mode, so I don't have to press the shutter button half way every time I want to focus. That method did not work well for macro close up shots with the older Nikons. With the D5100 use spot metering/focusing option, and move the little box around the screen for the exact spot to focus on. The auto exposure on aperture priority actually works too. I bracket anyway, but only have to take one set of 3 pictures for each item rather than three. The articulating screen is highly functional, and with the convenient position of the "live view" lever it's fast to go into that mode. The AE+- functions works in live view, so I can adjust the exposure while seeing the results on the LCD screen instantly before the picture is taken. The included 18-55mm lens does work for close-up work, and I can still use my old beloved Micro Nikor 60mm AF but without auto focus. Same with my Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro, also without auto focus. The exposure functions work perfectly though. But it's just a matter of time that I get more an AF-S micro lens such as Nikon 85mm f/3.5G AF-S DX ED VR Micro Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras for this camera. The battery life is so long I'm not using an AC adapter, which is a first for me. In summation, for production macro close up work using a copy stand: Great swivel LCD screen with Live View Auto Exposure Control that works in difficult conditions Auto Focusing on close up objects that works well in real time using spot focusing Battery life that goes on and on Convenient buttons Real time exposure control in LCD screen Ultra sharp photos Takes old lenses (no auto-focus) Accurate white balance (after calibrating preset, see pdf manual) Brackets 3 photos quickly, no shutter lag Probably a great point and shoot too, but I prefer to not change all my macro settings for that such as white balance, bracketing, exposure, so I use my Panasonic DMC-FZ150K 12.1 MP Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor and 24x Optical Zoom (Black) with the Leica Lens for that...

I have been a member of the Nikon family for over 30 years, initially with film cameras. My first digital was a d60 in 2008, then I moved to a d3100 in 2010. I was very pleased with that but wanted to move up to a higher level product at a reasonable price level. I read all the reviews (including ones for other manufacturers' cameras) but in the end it was clear to me: the d5100 had everything I wanted and needed for the level of photography that I'm at and where I am likely to remain (by choice). I don't earn my living with photography, but do consider myself an advanced hobbyist who really enjoys taking pictures of people, events and landscapes for my own amusement and my friends' amazement. The d5100 does all that and more for a great price. In particular, what I like about it includes the better (than the d3100) sensor, the additional shooting modes that really increase my capacity to create great pictures, the easy-to-use controls, the ability to use an infra-red remote (that should have been on the d3100), and the light weight. I use three lenses: the kit 18-55mm, the fixed f1.8 35mm, and the heavier 70-300mm zoom, which do a great job on sharpness and clarity of the images. Since I moved from a d3100 it did not take long to know how to use the d5100. For me, shooting in the P mode generally works the best, and I mostly use matrix metering and AF-A mode. The built-in flash is good but I prefer to use the very capable but (relatively) inexpensive SB-400 external flash unit. Auto ISO also works well for me, although I do play with it sometimes but find it's best not to go over 3200. While I am aware of the old and true saying that people take pictures, not cameras, I would add to that that having a wonderful camera with the features of the d5100 really helps this particular person take great pictures! I am very pleased with the d5100 which combines an excellent mix of reasonable cost, ease of use, and very high quality images.

What led me to this awesome camera: ----------------------------------------------- 2 years back I started out as someone who simply wanted to take pictures. I didn't care about the quality that much, though I did want a decent amount of megapixels and video capability. So I bought myself a Samsung SL620 point-and-shoot with 12 megapixels and SD video capability. That camera died on me 6 months later. Christmas that year, I got a new Samsung SL820, which was like the 1st only with 720p video capability. That one also quit on me, but this time after 2 months. May 2010, I got the same camera and it only lasted 3 months, but I've taken over 1,000 pics with it. By then, I was starting to get an interest in photography and taking quality shots. Last fall, I borrowed my dad's Sony F717, which was a 5 megapixel bridge camera that he's now had for 8 years. I figured out that camera in just a few days. Unlike my cameras, the Sony had manual settings and manual focus. I was impressed by the blurred backgrounds, the color not so much. I had to fix the washed out colors in Photoshop. A couple weeks after Christmas, I had made enough money to get another point-and-shoot (Bad choice). This one was a Samsung TL240, which had 14 megapixels and a touchscreen. I got some decent shots with it, but they could've been better. A couple months later, one of my friends at school accidently knocked that camera off a table and the lens got stuck. After that, I decided I was gonna save up the extra cash and get an SLR so I could get better quality shots. I looked at several different cameras on this website. Some bridge and some SLRs. I wanted one that took decent HD video (with a reasonable amount of recording time per video), had a decent resolution, and had decent low-light. By the 1st week of April, I was gonna stick with a Samsung NX10, then I saw the Nikon D5100 on Amazon, although it wasn't actually available yet. It had everything I wanted and more. Review: --------------------------------------------- Photos: This camera takes very awesome pictures and I rarely need to use the flash. This camera stomps my deceased cameras and my dad's Sony into the ground. The focusing is very fast, except in live view. The articulating display is very helpful when I want to take self-portraits. I bought a remote so I could take self-portraits that were focused right. It totally beats the self-timer. The HDR feature is awesome, although it's only meant for still scenes and not action or anything with movement. I've used the 30-second shutter speed for shots after sunset and they come out quite nice. I only wish there were some longer shutter speeds. Holding down the shutter for a minute or 2 can be very annoying when using the bulb feature because I usually get some motion blur, even when I'm using a tripod. The effects are pretty awesome too. I used the sketch feature to sketch a picture of an Ingles store and I put it on Facebook saying that I drew it myself. My parents are in love with that feature. I can honestly say I haven't had any softness issues with my pictures, after I turned the sharpening up a notch. I also haven't had any problems with the reds being exaggerated. The colors are just great and this is the first camera I've had that took pictures that I didn't need to enhance in Photoshop before I upload them to Facebook. Video: The HD video on this camera is very clear, unlike the "HD" video on my older cameras. I bought the expensive external microphone and the sound is great and you don't hear as much of the autofocus noise. The video is a little bit wobbly when I move the camera kinda fast, but I'm pretty sure the older Nikon D5000 is much worse. Video is not my goal in life (If it were, I would've gotten a camcorder). I shoot random videos every now and then. I also have a show on Youtube that I do every once in a while. Camera in general: This camera is awesome. It may not be perfect, but no camera is or ever will be unless God makes one himself. I have absolutely no desire to return or trash this camera. It was money well-spent. Unlike the Nikon D40 (which I had borrowed from my photography teacher one time), it doesn't feel so awkward trying to get a self-portrait with just one hand. I plan on using this camera in college this fall and for a long time. Eventually, when I get rich, I'll step up to a full-frame camera. I'm not in any rush to do that though. Right now, I'm just using the kit lens included with this camera and the pictures are pretty good. I plan on getting more lens, such as the 18-200mm (for video), the 55-300mm lens, and a portrait lens. (Edit: I just realized that I can use my remote for the bulb feature.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 12/7/2011 Update: I've had this camera for 6 months now and it stopped working. Just kidding. This awesome camera is still working as great as it did when I first got it out of its package on June 7th. I've dropped it a few times, being the clumsy person I am, but it didn't affect the camera. However, I had to replace my kit lens in October after accidentally hitting it on a door and later making things worse when I took it off and put it back on the wrong way. I decided to spend the extra money and get the 18-105mm lens instead of the standard 18-55mm lens I am using my camera right now in my photography classes in college. I started shooting in RAW on a regular basis in September and I gotta say, if you want to get the best out of your images, shoot in RAW. I use Lightroom and the images are much sharper than than JPGs straight from the camera. I tried Capture NX, but for some reason, the RAW images turn out like the in-camera JPGs and aren't very sharp. Just thought I'd let you all know.

This review is geared for those considering replacing an older Nikon DSLR with the newer D5100. If that's not you, there are other reviews here that are more comprehensive. I'll start by saying video features mean nothing to me personally so I'm speaking to the photography side of the D5100. My reference point for these comments is my trusty Nikon D50 which I still love but decided to replace mostly to see if Nikon has moved their technology forward in the seven years I've owned the D50. Pros: the D5100 is a bit smaller, lighter, quieter and faster. The BIG high resolution screen is a huge help. HDR mode is great for occasional use and was one of the reasons I chose the D5100 over the more expensive D7000. Its huge memory buffer and 4 frames per second are a real treat, at parties w/o flash you can "appear" to take just one picture of your subject, but in reality you took 15 and they don't know it - pick from the best and you usually have the shot. The rotating display with live viewing is a huge plus for holding the camera over your head in a crowd and getting the shot. The ability to "code" all your images with a digital fingerprint invisible to the viewers' eyes (such as your email address) is a big plus. The D5100's enormous memory pretty much only matters to video users or those shooting at full res - I keep mine stepped down to small file sizes but still it's nice to know I could go a whole year without maxing out the camera's memory. The ability to handle contrast is notably better with the D5100. I use Google's wonderful Picasa for all my photos, and previously loved its "I'm feeling lucky" feature for all my work with the D50. Now with the newer D5100, the images are so darned good that even Picasa can't make them prettier. That's impressive. No complaints about the menus, they all make sense. Cons: even with a fairly hot 35mm f1.8 lens the camera's autofocus is slow or inoperative under tough lighting situations - just like about every other autofocus camera I've used so this is not breaking news. There's no way to charge the battery with a USB cable, and to my great surprise this camera's battery life is LOWER than my older D50. The charger is tiny and light but good luck if you forget it on your trip. Nikon says 600 shots per charge and that might be about right - but it's disconcerting to see that after 150 shots the battery meter is no longer pegged to the right. In all the years I owned the D50 I never once had it go dead, but in a mere month with the D5100 it already happened. I'll learn to watch that more closely and it'll be fine, but never the less it was a surprise. If you're still curious about this great camera do yourself a favor and look at what Ken Rockwell has to say about it: (...)

This is easily the finest camera that I've owned and I've owned some good cameras hailing back to the Minolta SRT-201. I seldom use the viewfinder and instead tend to use the high contrast and very sharp monitor built into the camera. Focus is quick and accurate with the kit lens. Pictures are bright and color is very accurate. Vibration Reduction is better than I expected. With the camera on my tripod and VR off, I can tap the tripod and see the image resonate with the vibration in the tripod. With VR on, there is no discernable shake even with the 70-300mm lens on full zoom. Quite amazing actually. I can hear the VR mechanism working but it's not loud, just quietly working it's magic. With AF and VR on, it takes a second to take an image since everything has to stabilize before the picture is taken. Turning them off and doing manual focus allows a much faster process per picture. I also purchased a Tamron 70-300mm lens and all features work perfectly with this camera, both AF and VR (which Tamron calls VC) work pretty much the same on it and the kit lens. It's worth every penny. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. This camera makes ME smile. 1 Month Update: (June 27) We have a couple of thousand shots out of this amazing camera now. About 1500 images out in nature with the 300mm zoom all the way out capturing birds in flight, nesting and doing what birds do. Sure we throw a lot of them out. Every photographer does. The image is good, it's just not of anything worth keeping. This is not a camera problem. This is a photographer problem. Using the camera more is the answer. In the last two weeks, we've experimented with an older fully manual 55mm Micro-Nikkor-P lens with the 27.5mm extension tube. It takes a little experimentation to get the exposure but the images are exquisite. I never expected to be able to put a 40 year old Nikon lens on this camera but I did and with the camera set to manual you can use this ultra modern camera very similarly to how we took pictures 40 years ago. The manufacturing quality of those old lenses is amazing. There are tens of thousands of them on the used market and available relatively inexpensively. I have just over $100 in the used macro lens and extension tube and that gives us 2:1, 1:1 to .5:1 macro ability with a focal distance measured in inches out to infinity. The Micro-Nikkor lenses have legendary Nikon quality and performance and it's not at all lost on this camera. If you've always wanted to get those close up macro shots of bugs or flowers breaking into bloom, don't shy away from those old Nikkor lenses in manual mode. They take wonderful pictures with the D5100. As a bonus, my wife wasn't really solid with learning the relationship between shutter speed, f stop and ISO until a week with the manual lens on. Now she's all over it. Because you HAVE TO LEARN to make it work at all. Depth of field now makes sense to her and now she knows how to achieve it. Or not. 3 Month Update: (August 3) Just shot a wedding in Duluth and the north shore of Lake Superior. (not as the paid photographer) Two days, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner campfire/cabin, wedding and reception. Took 430 shots. Left the camera on automatic 99% of the time. About 20 shots were really great photos. About 15 of them were motion blurred, badly focused or missed target. The rest of them were acceptable shots. Nearly all of the motion blurred were from the Tamron 70-300 in full zoom. Half of those, the subject moved in the frame. Overall I'd rate it a success. Two of the photos were real winners. Pictures that told a story and caught emotion. I can't fault the camera or lenses for anything. They just worked. Very happy with the setup. I had an external flash on, the Nikon SB-400 AF Speedlight. I also had the diffuser for it from Stofen, the OM-400. This flash was really not up to the task for a big room like a church. Thankfully the room was well lit. For smaller rooms around 30 x 20 or less, the flash and diffuser was excellent. The room really needs a white ceiling for the diffuser to work properly since it directs a lot of light up at a 45 degree angle. I took nearly all of the church interior pictures hand held with no flash and let the VR lenses do their magic. I got a lot of good shots from the balcony with the 70-300 lens and the camera balanced on the railing. Outdoor pictures near dusk in low outdoor lighting came out way better than any camera I've had in the past. Until it got dark enough to simply not support picture taking, the dusk pictures pretty much look like the daytime pictures. The D5100 really is amazing in low light conditions. Battery life was very good. I went through two batteries in the camera. I'm sure the external flash helped battery life. I can't speak to battery life in the flash since I recharged them once that night and can't tell how far they were run down. The flash always recharged VERY quickly. Wrap Up: Cameras take images. Photographers take pictures. The Nikon D5100 is way more capable than most of us. I have yet to demand something from it that it hasn't delivered with excellence. With this much capability, we can work on and improve our abilities. And with digital images being micro-pennies vs dollars in old school terms, it's an inexpensive way to get an education in photography. And you're going to end up with some great pictures in the process. Get it.

Let me start of by saying that I love cameras and photography, I consider it as a way of expressing myself when you can't describe a situation with words, an image can speak a thousand!! (A short rambling about the cameras I owned - Skip to the next paragraph for the review) So, I got a hotshot flashless camera (Rs.200 in 1993) as a kid which took a film roll and would allow me to click 24 shots (broad sunlight required for anything to appear on the photo - even indoor pictures appear very dark). Then I decided I had to get a camera with flash. So, I saved my pocket money and got a camera worth Rs.500 in 1998 (this camera let me click 36 photos - standard film roll) which I enjoyed for a while and then came the zoom cameras and I instantly wanted one. So, I took my savings of Rs.6500 and got the Yashica zoom camera in 2002, believe me it had an infrared remote! On getting busy with college, I ended up on a break with photography. Then, In 2010 came to the US for my masters and decided I had to get the super zoom cameras with certain manual settings. So, got the Kodak Z981 ($200 - 2010 BlackFriday) and enjoy the camera till date. The only complain I have about it is that it is extremely bad in low light conditions. So, I only could dream of clicking those awesome pictures you find on the internet. I again got busy with studies and work that I could not think of pursuing my hobby. Now, I finally got some time and I decided to try some dslr's out and started with the Sony alpha A57 (Instant Love) but found out that the low light performance was kinda bad through reviews. Then, started showing interest in Canon T3. Somehow, Nikon was my last choice. But, I just wanted to give it a try before I bought any camera and tried out the D3100 at a local store. This is when I really started liking Nikon (Best in class for lowlight situations) and I think there was an interest for low light photography buried deep inside of me when I was a kid ( just the fact that my first camera was not able to click in low light). So, this is when I started reading reviews and blogs and what not!! I rekindled my inner desire for photography. I decided I wanted something more professional than the D3100 and the professional full frame cameras intimidated me and that is when I decided I had to get the D5100 which is perfect for me and for my needs on the long run!! Believe me, I enjoy every thing about this camera. This is the best camera I ever had and its now helping me capture very precious shots that I could only dream of, Its making them come true!! If you are really into manual modes and want the perfect gear without being intimidated by the so called professional cameras, I say go for the D5100!! Suits the Budget, Serves the Need!!