Enemy territory 5100!

[Roosta]

Hi all,
Out of my depth here, I have a mate looking at the Nikon 5100, of which I know nothing about. He is new to the dslr world, and looking for a reasonable enter level camera. I'm guessing the prefixing is much like Canon the Dxxxx is at the bottom of the food.

Are they any good? As in general everyday use, probably won't get out of Auto I'm guessing. Do they have a lens choice when buying a kit, and if so, what would be the better lens to go for and why?

Thanks in advance.

[Lance B]

I don't know all that much about the D5100 from Nikon but I do know that the high ISO ability is very good as it uses the same sensor as the D7000 and Pentax K5. It gets a good write up on DP Review site, which may be a good place to see what it is like.

This is the conclusion page:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond5100/22

[AVALANCHE]

The D5100 is a superb body and is near identical to the D7000 sans a few buttons here and there and some slight performance differences. I recommend it.

As for lens choice and everyday use....you really can't go past the 35mm f/1.8. It's light, cheap ($260 approx) and is great for low light shooting. It is a fixed lens, meaning you cannot zoom with it as it has a fixed focal length, so your friend will have to 'zoom' in and out by moving closer or further back from the subject. :)

If shooting morning to dusk...the kit lenses are a great choice. the 18-55mm and the 55-200 kit lens covers your total focal length from 18mm (wide angle shots for landscape etc) to 200mm (zoomed in, good for shooting objects, portraits etc) and are light, so your friend can walk around with them all day without any real problem. Then at night, throw on the 35mm, easy!

[Redpaso]

I bought one a few months back as a return to photography after a long break. Love it, twin lens kit is a great start, camera has loads of features, great in low lighting, is very light ( compared to others I looked at). I would definitely recommend it. All reviews in my research stated it is great value for money.

[Epoc]

How would the 5100 compare to the 3200? I have a mate who is in the same boat, delving into DSLR for the 1st time. I told him to look at the 3200 for the high resolution and ISO. Wonder what the 5100 has over the 3200?

[Roosta]

Thanks all, did read Mr Rockwells account of the 5100 and also Dp Review, but was interested in real feedback from users on AP. Ken Rockwell also mentions the 35mm as the goto lens, so thank you all for backing the usual suspects.

I shall advise him of your feedback, as well as getting him onto this site.

Thanks again.

[arthurking83]

I've played extensively with the D5100, and have a few sample images with it(but none worth posting :o) ..

good little camera, I find the controls frustrating, but then again I'm a controls freak, and the minimum camera level I'd want is a D300 level camera which even places the D600 in a zone I wouldn't be comfy with.

But my bro got a D5100 based on my advise for his budget consideration.
If your mate is getting new, then the 18-105VR is about the best value for money option to begin with which will probably do most of the type of work an non photographer would probably do.
If they eventually get into it more seriously, then other lenses will of course need to be got too!

D5100 certainly has lower resolution compared to a D3200(as the 3200 is newer), but it also have a few more hardware features that the 3200 doesn't have which can(eventually) be important.

If all they want is to take happy snaps of their family and friends, then a high end P&S or even a bridge camera could be a better option.

At the photo show in Melbourne earlier this year, the Nikon crew replaced a D3s, mounted on their battery of 400-600mm lenses, with a D3200(red). Stood out like a sore thumb because of the cherry red colour, and it seemed that no one wanted to play with it ... everyone else gravitated(and waited) for a D3s and D4 to become free instead. So I went to play with the dinky lil D3200.
Firstly the body is too small... my daughter may like it .. but it'll be too big! :p

Shoots wayyyyy to slow in continuous mode, and even the D5100 feels slow.
They're quiet enough in operation tho(shutter/mirror sound) when compared to the loud clak of the D300 .. this can be important in some situations.

If it were me, and they were the two choices I had, I'd definitely go with the D5100(having played with it).
D3200 sounds tempting due to it's massive 24Mp resolution, but I seriously doubt that a non interested person, more likely to use it in Scene Mode is ever likely to get full use out of that resolution anyhow!

D5100 + 18-105VR :th3:

[leanne0333]

I have the D5100. Been very pleased with it. The colour reproduction is great even shooting in middle of the day. Its light and easy to carry around and it has a multi angle screen which is awesome for getting down low or up high away from eye level. Can get some really interesting perspectives without giving yourself a bad back! I do find it gets quite noisy above 500 iso but reviews actually reckon its less noisy than similar cameras - guess I only have experience with this and a D70.
I use a 18-105, 55-300, 35mm prime and a tokina 11-16. The kits lenses are fine to start with and the 18-105 is a really good focal length. But they can be a little soft for landscapes and distant work. The 35mm would be a good starting lens as it gives good quality at a low price (more like $150 on sites like e global) and would give them chance to leave about bokeh.

Pretty much all my photos have been taken with a nikon D5100 and mostly with kit lenses as my other lenses are new. For examples, here is a link to my flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leanne0333/

[Roosta]

Thanks AK83, informative as always. Had forgotten about the 18 - 105, my brother in law uses it a lot on his D90, with some great results.

Thanks Leanne, good to see some actually work with the target body.

Thanks to you both.