Product Features and Technical Details

Nikon D5100 Review

The arrival of the D5100 appears to signal the completion of Nikons refresh of its non-pro DSLR lineup. Its feature set and pricing mean that it sits very comfortably between the beginner-friendly D3100 and the high-end D7000 - it's clearly aimed to attract the attention of enthusiast photographers without cannibalizing sales of is sister models. A camera maker can judge the success of its market positioning by seeing how many people are wondering 'which model is right for me?' on discussion forums - and we think a D3100/D5100/D7000 progression would minimize such doubts. The official line is that the D90 maintains its position in the range, but both its naming and overlap with other models suggest that its role is now more one of historical interest than future significance.

The D5100 has a very similar 16.2MP CMOS sensor to the excellent one seen in the D7000 but, understandably, loses out on that camera's high-end build and feature-set. So there's no wireless flash control, magnesium alloy build or 39-point AF system but the underlying image quality is all but identical.

As has become standard for a Nikon at this price point, the D5100 offers a single control dial, pentamirror viewfinder and no built-in autofocus motor. However, it gains 1080p video capability (at 30, 25 or 24fps), saved using the efficient H.264/AVC codec, and a 920,000 dot fully articulated LCD panel to help shoot it. These are both significant gains over its predecessor the D5000, and the improvements extend to the D5100 having smaller, neater construction and a more conventional side-mounted hinge for that LCD.

These changes resolve two rather awkward aspects of Nikon's existing lineup: if the D5100 and D7000 end up being neighboring models it will avoid the inelegant overlap that existed between the D5000 and D90. It also ensures a more elegant appearance to the models themselves (the D5000 was many things, but pretty wasn't one of them).

Although the D5100 is listed as having an Expeed 2 processor, it's worth remembering that Nikon doesn't use this naming system to denote any specific components, so the actual chunks of silicon and capabilities aren't necessarily the same as those in the D3100 or D7000. However, in addition to a similarly specced 16.2MP sensor, the D5100 offers the same ISO settings as its big brother - extending up to an equivalent of ISO 25,600. It also inherits 14-bit Raw shooting - one of the factors that helps give the D7000 its impressive dynamic range - which is something Nikon used to offer only on its more expensive models.

Side by side

The D5100 is slightly smaller than the Rebel T3i/EOS 600D - probably its nearest competitor. Both are slightly larger than the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2, which is built around a smaller sensor, and of course lacks an optical viewfinder assembly (instead using a high quality electronic finder). Ergonomically, the G2 is the most 'involved', and has the most physical control points and a touch-sensitive LCD screen, but overall the three cameras are physically quite similar.

Compared to D5000

The D5100 is a smaller and (we think) more attractive camera than its predecessor the D5000. It is less bulbous, and closer to the D3100 and D7000 in terms of styling. The most significant design difference is the addition of a side-hinging LCD screen in the D5100, as opposed to the bulkier (and more awkward) bottom-hinged LCD used in the D5000.

Key Differences

• Higher resolution sensor (16.2MP vs. 14MP)
• 1080p video mode
• Wider ISO range (100-25,600 equivalent)
• Full-time AF mode (AF-F in live view)
• Dual IR receivers (front and rear)
• Side-articulated LCD screen (as opposed to bottom-articulated)
• 921k dot LCD screen
• 14-bit NEF (Raw) mode
• Effects modes
  

Viewfinder specs and view

The D5100 has a very typical viewfinder specification for its class of camera. It offers 0.78x magnification and a 95% field of view, which is pretty standard. As you can see from the illustration below, the D5100's viewfinder is pretty much the same size as the Canon EOS 600D/Rebel T3i and Canon's entry-level EOS 1100D/Rebel T3.

Viewfinder size

One figure hidden away in every SLR's spec is the size of the viewfinder (often in a format that makes comparison between competing models impossible). The size of the viewfinder is a key factor in the usability of an SLR - the bigger it is, the easier it is to frame and focus your shots, and the more enjoyable and involving process it is.

Because of the way viewfinders are measured (using a fixed lens, rather than a lens of equivalent magnification), you also need to take the sensor size into account, so the numbers in the diagram below are the manufacturer's specified magnifications divided by the respective 'crop factors'.

The Nikon D5100's viewfinder magnification is 0.78x, putting it in-line with its immediate peers once the crop-factor has been taken into account. This is not bad for an optical viewfinder at this price, but is much smaller than the 1.1x electronic viewfinder in Sony's competing A55 (Which would appear as 0.73x on this diagram).

Viewfinder crop

Most cameras at this level crop the frame slightly when you look through the viewfinder - in other words you get slightly more in the final picture than you see through the viewfinder. In common with most of its competitors the D5100 only shows 95% (vertically and horizontally) of the frame. What this actually means is that a small portion of the captured image doesn't show up in the viewfinder. The 'missing' 5% is illustrated below.

Nikon D5100: 95% viewfinder.

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