Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100
Entry-level DSLR Entry-level DSLR
April, 2011

Summary Nikon D5100

Prices Price
Body only $500 - $597 With 18-55mm lens $600 - $697
all D5100 prices
Score Snapsort rank
Within its price range #1 of 4 Among similar cameras #4 of 22
details details
Specifications Key specs
Sensor size Help APS-C 23.6x15.6mm Screen resolution Help 920k dots
Megapixels Help 16.1 MP Movie format Help 1080p @ 30fps
Screen size Help 3.0" Light sensitivity Help 6,400 ISO
see all specifications
Lenses Lenses
Browse all Nikon D5100 lenses at LensHero
Nikon D5100Nikon D5100

reviewsWhat are people saying about the D5100

"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."
dpreview.com | talking about the camera's overall-performance
"Image quality is definitely the D5100's trump card. It offers effectively the same image quality as the higher-end D7000, at a lower cost."
dpreview.com | talking about the camera's image-quality
"Sophisticated AF system for the price"
dpreview.com | talking about the camera's auto-focus

Videos

Canon EOS 600D (T3i) vs Nikon ...

Nikon D5100 Hands-on Review

NIKON D5100 (English)
Canon EOS 600D (T3i) vs Nikon D5100 Review
  • Review
  • Pro
 Nikon D5100 Hands-on Review
  • Review
  • Preview
  • Ergonomics
  • Image quality
 NIKON D5100 (English)
  • Review
  • Promo

Browse all Nikon D5100 videos

Pros

The Nikon D5100 vs other recent entry-level DSLRs

Movie format Full HD Help
1080p @ 30fps
Color depth Good color depth Help
23.5 bits
Startup delay Short startup delay Help
500 ms startup delay
Movie continuous focus Movie continuous focus Help
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
HDR In-camera HDR Help
Combines multiple exposures
Light sensitivity (boost) High boost light sensitivity Help
25,600 ISO
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
$499.99
Popularity Very popular Help
Among snapsort users
Low light performance Very low noise at high ISO Help
1,183 ISO
Overall image quality Great overall image quality Help
80.0
Dynamic range Wide dynamic range Help
13 EV
Screen resolution High resolution screen Help
920k dots
Supports 24p 24p movies Help
For that film look
Screen flips out Flip-out screen Help
Great for movies
Lens availability More lenses available Help
169 lenses

Cons

The Nikon D5100 vs other recent entry-level DSLRs

Viewfinder size Small viewfinder Help
0.51x
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
6,400 ISO
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
4 fps
Panorama Lacks in-camera panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Lens focus motor No focus motor Help
Won't autofocus with all lenses
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Weather sealed No weather sealing Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Shutter lag Longer shutter lag Help
273 ms shutter lag
Cross type focus points Fewer cross-type focus points Help
1
3D Doesn't take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Fastest shutter speed Slow shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second

dxomark

DXOMark

Appearance

front photo of the Nikon D5100back photo of the Nikon D5100angle photo of the Nikon D5100

Discussion What do you think about the Nikon D5100?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of this camera here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 25 comments

diabetologist (3:01 AM, May 24, 2012)

i have been using point and shoot and now i am ready to upgrade.i have a number of questions.a. shud i go for dslr or try mirrorless. my photography expert friend said ......dslrb. i was disappointed to read that video shooting is not that good in dslr coz video continuous auto focus is a problem....and audio might catch the lens focusing noise.c. now amongst dslr, i have to decide between d3200 and d5100. both cost same. difference is d3200 is 20% lighter in weight, has expeed 3, 24 mpixels, wifi, guide mode and so on, while d5100 is time tested, it has auto bracketing, screen tilts and adjusts and so on. which one to go for.what am i looking for?well....i was looking for a device to shoot both video and pics.....but after reading that videos wont be that great.....nw i am looking for nice pics.....i have a research mind....and i tend to like the idea of bracketing. this gives me more chances of getting the perfect shot coz i wud be getting 3 shots. now right here i wish to clarify.....is it dire necessity to have a tripod to shoot those 3 pics....i am told ....all 3 shud be taken without shaking camera....i wont use tripod......but i can try to keep hand stable. like i said...i did like the idea of having one over and under exposed shot. now the software that comes with the nikon....will it be enough to do the editing for final pic on laptop or will i have to purchase another software.in real life...is bracketing done frequently...or no. 
what i like in d3200 is light weight, guide mode and so on.....but i dont know.....if d5100 is technologically more advanced. 
last thought.....d3200 is recently launched while d5100 is old and therefore d5200 is expected. but i guess it will be significantly more than d5200......may be it will be too costly for me. so lets stick to 700usd mark and decide between d3200 and d5100. 
kindly guide.
thx
k
 
Yusufbelen (0:36 PM, May 19, 2012)
most significant reason if you are  still photographer is the sensor image quality. sensor quality rating on d5100 is 80 whereas it is 60 in 600d
 
Yusufbelen (0:27 PM, May 19, 2012)
IS not on the body but on the lens that you buy. so there is no problem if you buy a lens with IS. in nikon IS is called VR so make sure when you buy your camera, it has a VR kitlens withhin.
 
Yusufbelen (0:23 PM, May 19, 2012)
Not only consider how much fps , but also consider the "buffer". I mean that once buffer is filled after lets say taking 20 raw or (raw+fine jpeg) photos, buffer will be full therefore your speed will go 1 fps even.  if you compare d5100 and canon 550d, nikon has more buffer. see the video http://youtu.be/zsLsOjeRkAg . starting from 7:00 you can see the action photo performance as well as buffer performance.

Regards,
Yusuf 
 
guest (9:01 AM, May 19, 2012)
Hi thanks for the great site.  Based on your reviews I am interested in the Nikon D5100 as an entry level DSLR.  My only concern is that it only offers 4fps compared to 10fps or more offered by the sony models.  A major use for the camera will be taking surfing pictures and other sport related activities.  Be grateful for snapshort's views on whether the Nikon D5100 would still do a good job of taking those types photos or whether we would be better off with a camera that offers a higher frame per second feature.  Many thanks.
 
Betty (5:46 PM, April 04, 2012)
I was wondering the same, and first I tought Nikon would be the right DSLR for me. Then i watched some videos where they compared the Nikon 5100d and the canon 600D, and I realized that the Canon took much better photos (and videos) than the Nikon. Of course it depends on the photographer a bit more than on the DSLR, but I think I'll choose Canon. If you want to go for photography, you should choose Nikon. (My opinion is still that Canon is better, but it's your choice.) The special effects on the Nikon 5100d aren't that great, but ok. If you want to go for videos and stuff you should buy Canon 600D. I also think that the Canon fits better in your hands and feels more "safe", but i would recommend to test both cameras before you buy one of them. The Canon lenses are much cheaper than the ones of the Nikon, and if you're a beginner and never have had an DSLR before, I would choose Canon. It's much easier and friendlier too use, I think.

Good luck, I hope this helped you at least a bit. :-)
 
Avatar for zaheerul zaheerul (5:32 AM, April 02, 2012)
hye snapsort,i have question,what is the best lens for movie mode, for d5100.and which one is better,60d or d5100.
 
Chris Jowett (11:44 AM, April 01, 2012)
Why is this camera recommended over the Pentax K-5, when the Pentax is rated so much higher by Snapsort?
I now have to double-check every Snapsort recommendation for any camera.
Please fix the apparent inconsistent bias.
 
James (9:04 PM, March 19, 2012)
I'm looking into a first DSLR, I'm a
novice, but have a lot of experience with full manual settings on my
Fujifilm Finepix HS20EXR, which I've enjoyed using a lot, but don't need the
zoom and would like to upgrade to having a DSLR's advantages, the main thing
I'm interested to know is what lenses to buy to produce the best quality images,
the setup I'm thinking of is:

 

Nikon D5100 Body

Nikkor 18-135mm
f/3.5-5.6 ED-IF AF-S DX 

 

If you can suggest any better setups or think this
would work, then please reply, thanks
to anyone who can help.
 
Andrade_ramiro (2:12 AM, March 15, 2012)
que desventajas tiene el no tener motor de enfoque 
 
Andrade_ramiro (3:28 PM, March 10, 2012)
quisiera saber si el echo de no tener  motor de enfoque influye mucho en algo a la hora de tomar fotografías. 
 
Npemberton6 (0:37 AM, February 25, 2012)
I am concerned that it does not have an image stabilizer.  Has anyone had an issue with this using the D5100?
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (7:55 PM, February 14, 2012)
Glad we could help. If you like Snapsort you might also like our new site Sortable.com you can search and compare lots of other consumer electronics. 
 
Someone@Singapore (7:07 PM, February 14, 2012)
I brought a Nikon D5100 about 2 months back, and most of my initial research to narrow down the camera was done at snapsort.com - a big thank you to the website and their team. What I like is the level of detail and the simplicity of it's presentation, and the fact that they go ahead and rank stuff and explain as necessary - allowing visitors to get the detailed information quickly and make their own decisions. I am very happy with my purchase and agree with their recommendations (which were shown as of Feb 2012) on Nikon D5100. I brought the camera especially for indoor shooting for kids photos, and couple this DSLR with a 35mm f/2.8 fixed length lens when shooting at home.
 
Faisal Wassan (0:06 PM, February 12, 2012)
Can anyone recommend me the best dslr camera for shooting web videos. Videos will primarily be in front of a whitescreen with studio lights. Options are Nikon D5100 and Canon 7D (or anything else you recommend). Videos will be shot at 24p. I need something that's simple and easy to use without a steep learning. Thanks in advance.
 
Ata M3 (1:32 AM, February 11, 2012)
is it a good enought camera for action photos?
 
Guest (9:56 AM, February 08, 2012)
Confused 600D or D5100...? Tell me why should i go with D5100...?
 
Ata M3 (9:43 PM, February 07, 2012)
is this camera enought good to take sport pics?
 
Avatar for Joe Joe (3:52 AM, February 07, 2012)
I think that d5100 is better than.
 
Avatar for Mónica Matos Mónica Matos (1:08 AM, February 03, 2012)
My first DSLR Camera. I bought it in November 2011 and upgraded from an award-winning bridge (Lumix FZ38). I'm a perfectionist, and I love close-ups and low light photography. This was the very best value for the money I could possibly find. The sensor is beyond phenomenal, even better than some low-end FX cameras. I'm amazed at the almost nonexistent noise I get from higher ISOs. Seriously, I'm in love. :)
 
H.Y.O. (1:48 AM, January 30, 2012)
I have been going back and forth between the Canon T2i and the Nikon D5100 for months now and I can't seem to decide. Most people I speak to are biased towards either brand. Whichever one I buy will be my first DSLR. I have played with both cameras and each one has good qualities that I couldn't find in the other. I noticed that the D5100 takes more time to focus but the pictures look a lot clearer and the quality is much better. The Canon feels more comfortable but I feel the colors are a little flushed. I'll be using the camera mostly for stills/portraits...so, any recommendations? And please elaborate! :)
 
Avatar for Merx LC Merx LC (4:22 PM, January 14, 2012)
Just got mine yesterday! It's definitely amazing for a beginner like me <3 Thank you so much snapsort for helping me choose! 
 
Avatar for Nuala Nuala (9:27 AM, January 14, 2012)
Is this a good camera for shooting fashion images? Are the colors true? I've had issues in the past with some camera brands not shooting true-to-life purple. Would that be more to do with white balance than the actual camera?  Thanks!
 
Avatar for Seeta Kaur Seeta Kaur (7:46 AM, December 29, 2011)
I see most of people complaining about the auto focus, is it that bad?
i'm totally newbie and planning to buy camera soon, at first my choice fall to D7000 but seeing the comparison of 'TIE' with D5100 it made me think twice, the difference almost $400

What i concern about is the auto focus and continues shoot, can someone help me to decided? i will use this camera as my first stepping  stone to  more pro photographer

any comment will be very appreciated
 
Avatar for sinnersaintjohn sinnersaintjohn (6:29 PM, December 28, 2011)
@Jordan. Agreed. Please don't think I was talking trash about Sony, I apologize if that was how I came across. You have probably seen the side by side comparison here at Snapsort so you know that for all intents and purposes these cameras could have been marked with equal scores. It was very close overall. However, I gave Nikon the nod only after a ton of research, and I was an Olympus and Canon man. So I felt like I was cheating on both companies, but neither offered what I wanted and Sony was slightly (and only slightly) more expensive. That being said I have found Sony overall in their entire product line..tv, bluray, entry level point and shoots, to be quite expensive. So unfortunately I questioned whether I was paying for the name, which I think is realistic. Also, I will agree with you about the lense compatiblities, but Sony offers less of their own brand of lenses (about half as many) as Nikon. I have also had great experience with Nikon binoculars and scopes so I knew that Nikon's primary target market was in the 'field' of vision per se. At my level I am beginning to steer away from autofocus and trying my hand at manual shooting in the RAW. So either camera would have suited me fine. My hope is that one day we'll both be looking at our photos in a photography magazine or book, and maybe even getting a check for it now and then! Good luck and Happy shooting!