Nikon D5100

Price

Body only	$437 - $520	With 18-55mm lens	$528 - $696
	all D5100 prices

Snapsort rank

Within its price range	#n/a of 4	Among similar cameras	#n/a of 17
	details		details

Key specs

Sensor size	APS-C 23.6x15.6mm	Screen resolution	920k dots
Megapixels	16.1 MP	Movie format	1080p @ 30fps
Screen size	3.0"	Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO
	see all specifications

Lenses

	Browse all Nikon D5100 lenses at LensHero

Nikon has replaced the D5100 with the D5200.

Nikon D5200 announced October, 2012

	Higher frame rate movies
	Much higher true resolution
	Many more focus points

Compare the new Nikon D5200 vs the D5100

"Sophisticated AF system for the price"

dpreview.com | talking about the camera's auto-focus

"On the whole the D5100's movies are look great, with smooth motion and impressively low noise in dim light."

dpreview.com | talking about the camera's video-quality

"At low ISO settings, the D5100 is on a par with the best of the competition, but at the higher ISO settings, it produces some of the best image quality that we've ever seen from an APS-C camera."

dpreview.com | talking about the camera's iso-noise

Canon EOS 600D (T3i) vs Nikon ...		Nikon D5100 Basic Guide		Nikon D5100 Hands-on Review
	Review Pro		Tutorial Photography		Review Preview Ergonomics Image quality

Report a correction

The Nikon D5100 vs other recent entry-level DSLRs

	Low noise at high ISO
	1,183 ISO

	Great overall image quality
	80.0

	Flip-out screen
	Great for movies

	More lenses available
	205 lenses

	Slightly larger than average sensor
	APS-C 23.6x15.6mm

	Short startup delay
	500 ms startup delay

	Movie continuous focus
	Makes it easy to get in-focus movies

	Inexpensive
	$436.95

	Very popular
	Among snapsort users

Report a correction

The Nikon D5100 vs other recent entry-level DSLRs

	Poor maximum light sensitivity
	6,400 ISO

	No weather sealing
	Need to shelter it from weather

	Contrast detection autofocus
	slower focusing

	Fewer focus points
	11

	Fewer cross-type focus points
	1

	Doesn't take 3D photos
	No 3d support

	Old
	April, 2011

	Below average viewfinder coverage
	95%

	Thick
	3.1"

	Full HD
	1080p @ 30fps

	No image stabilization
	Risk of blur

	Small viewfinder
	0.51x

	Lower true resolution
	16.1 MP

	Slow continuous shooting
	4 fps

	Lacks in-camera panoramas
	You could stitch photos in post

	Longer shutter lag
	273 ms shutter lag

	No focus motor
	Won't autofocus with all lenses

	Slow shutter speed
	1/4000 of a second

Image quality data for the Nikon D5100 provided by DxOMark

D5100

Nikon

Report a correction

Showing 25 comments

VK

(1:28 PM, March 07, 2014)

Hi,

I am using Nikon P500 since last 3 years and planning to upgrade to a DSLR. This will be my first ever DSLR.

My Questions are :-

1. Which is the best entry level DSLR with Budget below 30K ?

2. Preferably Made in Japan (not sure if it makes sense) ? Where can I get it in India (preferably in Pune)

3. Nikon or Canon ?

4. What kind of lens?

5. I will use it for atleast next 10 years. So please suggest which will be the best one in my budget

6. I am an amateur photographer. But have keen interest in photography. I want to grow and learn better photography, so upgrading to dslr. Also planning to join some professional photography school once I get a new camera.

Thanks in advance!
Best Regards

M.Ismail Mohamed

(9:51 PM, November 24, 2013)

i cant take shots at night what i do ...i have nikon d5100

Himanshu Gupta

(5:35 AM, October 16, 2013)

Hello everyone,
What will be the best lens combination (within budget) with Nikon D5100 for wildlife photography?

Pepe Le Pew

(11:05 PM, September 26, 2013)

Pentax K-30

Dany

(8:06 PM, July 28, 2013)

I absolutely love this site but I have a question for you snapshot.

I have a Nikon coolpix S3100 and I was looking at Nikon D5100 because I want to get into photography and I was wondering if this would the camera to start off with, since I already have my Nikon coolpix S3100.

Jay

(1:42 AM, July 22, 2013)

I have a d5100 and I love it! but does anyone know any sources or websites that could help me figure out more techniques, tricks, ways to use the camera?

Alex Deschamps

(1:39 AM, June 13, 2013)

Should I take D3100 with one lens 50-200 mm OR(WHERE) D5100 with the basic lens???

lilprince

(0:46 PM, May 30, 2013)

which is better canon 600d or nikon 5100 for beginner

Lagos Gradnja

(11:17 AM, March 01, 2013)

D5100!

Gus Kalashnikov

(8:48 AM, February 16, 2013)

i have it

Pawan Sharma

(1:15 AM, January 18, 2013)

great camera, only missing dedicated buttons for frequently used settings

Francisco

(9:27 PM, November 22, 2012)

Which ir better D5100 or T4i ?

Aaditya Kalia

(4:48 PM, June 17, 2012)

whatz the price right now!! i think 550$??

Alaa AlSayed

(4:51 AM, June 03, 2012)

I think one way around it is to use an external microphone. I also think it's possible to edit the video and trim out the frequencies of the audio the lens make, but I haven't given it a shot =).

Kamal Gaur

(0:00 AM, June 03, 2012)

The D5100, unfortunately, does make the autofocus sound which gets captured when you're shooting video. I wish there was a way around it, but I'm not aware of any.

Kamal Gaur

(11:57 PM, June 02, 2012)

I own a D5100 which came with the 18-55mm lens. I also purchased the 35mm f/1.8G and I must say, that it's become my go-to lens for almost everything I shoot. Admittedly, I don't shoot a lot of landscapes, but for everything else (parties, outings, portraits, low light, etc), the 35mm surpasses what you would expect from any normal camera or lens. I highly recommend it - it's an investment that will last you a lifetime.

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. :-)

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.

“This combination of Renaissance Faire and photo stats sets our nerdy hearts aflutter. Now, have at you, Sir Nikon!” - Photojojo	“Absolutely love this site for camera comparison, makes well known consumer rating sites look rudimentary” - @chris2pherlynn
“Killer web-app for camera nerds.” - Besser Wisser	“I'm still in love with Snapsort” - @JustinMoodie
“This is the Google of the camera review websites” - Karel Donk, Photographer
“The site works hard to simplify a complex topic” - Janice Chen, ZDNet

Nikon D5100

Summary Nikon D5100

Replacement

reviewsWhat are people saying about the D5100

Videos

Pros

The Nikon D5100 vs other recent entry-level DSLRs

Cons

The Nikon D5100 vs other recent entry-level DSLRs

dxomark

Appearance

Discussion

Showing 25 comments