Nikon D5100 DSLR Review

The Nikon D5100 DSLR comes with a 16.2 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor, full 1080p HD video recording, new EFFECTS mode and a swivel Vari-Angle LCD monitor. But is it worth the $800 price tag? Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey take a look to find out.

What You Need To Know

• The Nikon D5100 DSLR comes as a kit with a body and lens for only $800.
• The swivel LCD is new and it rotates out instead of vertically.
• The DSLR feels good in the hands with its rubber grip and buttons accessible with your right thumb.
• The LCD can display all the information you would want or be switched to live view.
• There is a handy switch next to the function ring that will change the display instantly.
• The D5100 features the same 16.2 megapixel sensor as the one one the D7000 but for $500 less.
• The kit also comes with a lens that usually costs $200 on its own.
• This is an 18-55 mm lens so it's not the longest zoom in the world.
• VR is vibration reduction, which allows you to take substantioanlly sharper pictures at slower shutter speeds.
• The DSLR also allows much more light than previously possible and makes dimly lit photos pop.
• The color was actually average for a pro-sumer DSLR.
• It shoots 1080p video but you can shoot 30 fps instead of the 24 fps you'd find on the D7000, which cuts down on motion blur.
• There are also excellent noise levels on here.
• oVerall, sharpness was great and we were really happy with the video quality.
• As for images, the color reproduction was some of the best we have ever seen on Gadget Pr0n.
• There are 6 color modes to chose from and those can each be tweaked with menu controls.
• The noise performance was great.
• The ISO settings range from 100 to 25600.
• Outside images looked gorgeous.
• Whether they were close up for far away, the photos routinely impressed.
• We actually found it hard to take a bad photo.
• The DSLR also records mono sound but has a mic input

Price

• $799.00 on Amazon.

Rating

• 5 Seals of Approval out of 5
• The image processor is the same as the Nikon D7000. (How do we rate gadgets?)
• This DSLR comes with outstanding video and image quality.
• If you're looking to finally get into the DSLR game, the D5100 is a great place to start.

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