Nikon D5100
Announced April 5, 2011
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Strong
The Nikon D5100 is a capable entry-level DSLR that pairs a high-quality 16-megapixel sensor with a flexible articulated screen. While it provides excellent image reproduction for beginners, the camera lacks the advanced physical controls and fast autofocus performance that more experienced photographers often demand.
Weighted from 23 reviewer scores
Pros
- Excellent image quality and low-light performance
- Versatile articulated LCD screen
- Intuitive interface for beginners
- Compact and lightweight design
- Useful video features including external microphone input
Cons
- Limited physical controls and lack of dedicated buttons
- Slow autofocus performance, especially in Live View
- Suboptimal video mode implementation and manual control
- Lacks internal autofocus motor for older lenses
- Plastic construction and build quality concerns
- Launch price $799 (USD)
- Sensor 16.2MP APS-C CMOS
What the Reviewers Say
All 23 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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- DPReview 76/100
The D5100 sits just above the D3100 in Nikon's product lineup, and as such, it combines its younger sibling's ease of use with a slightly more advanced feature set.
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For its target market, though, the Nikon D5100 offers an approachable design that couples a great feature set with excellent image quality, and that combination makes it an easy choice for a Dave's Pi.
- Cameralabs 86%
Nikon’s D5100 is a successful upgrade over one of the company’s most popular DSLRs.
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It is hard to judge the performance of the Nikon D5100 without direct comparison against other cameras, which is why you should definitely check out the next pages of this review.
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As technology filters down from professional models, some pretty stunning features can appear in a consumer-level camera.
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The Nikon D5100 is a great digital SLR that provides excellent image quality, design and features, including full HD video.
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The Nikon D5100 successfully bridges the gap between the beginner-friendly approach of the D3100 and the more complex D7000, with the latter's fantastic 16 megapixel sensor being the icing on the proverbial cake.
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I would probably recommend this over the 3100 for the incremental stops and the better video and the better sensor for that extra hundred bucks.
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The D5100 provides several notable upgrades over the D5000 making it, in our opinion, a far more attractive package than its predecessor was at launch.
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The only real downside for enthusiast photographers is that there are few direct controls over image parameters. However, most features such as the white balance, drive mode and sensitivity settings are just a couple of clicks away via the Information Display system.
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In spite of the aforementioned “audio-syncrasies” and some rolling shutter issues, not at all uncommon with CMOS sensor based cameras, the D5100 produces beautiful images, both still and video, with excellent color reproduction.
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Photographing with the D5100 on an almost daily basis for three months made me learn a lot more about myself as a photographer.
- Digital Trends 8.5/10
If you’re in the market for a new DSLR you can hardly wrong with the Nikon D5100. It takes solid photos and videos, offering the response shutterbugs demand as they move from point-and-shoots to “real” cameras.
- CNET 7.7/10
An improvement over the D5000 in almost all respects, the D5100 acquits itself well enough on enough counts to make it a formidable sub-$1,000 dSLR.
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The Nikon D5100 delivers excellent images with a single press of the shutter button.
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[...] I absolutely love the Nikon D5100. It’s an easy-to-carry and easy-to-use entry-level DSLR. The image quality is impressive and Nikon’s growing line of AF-S lenses for use with the D5100 moves it to the top of my recommendation list for new DSLR owners.
- Photo Review 8.5/10
Nikon’s D5100 DSLR arrives just a year after the release of the D5000 it replaces, offering higher resolution, improved video performance and a more adjustable LCD monitor.
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[T]he D5100 presents a reasonable upgrade for D5000 users and will get novices and more experienced photographers great results.
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This distills the D5100 to image quality above all else which is essentially what most new DSLR users are looking for.
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The D5100 is marvelous. It handles very well, and the images look great. If you want a do-it all camera for everything and are considering the D5100, I recommend it.
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This one is for the educated user; it would frustrate the beginner. Having said that, the D5100 is an aspirational camera: it will give legs to the ambitious photographer and give wings to ambitions to capture advanced imagery.
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I'm sure you have gathered from that review that I absolutely love this camera.
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Now, it isn't the newest or best camera on the market, but if you can snag it for a great price, you will not be disappointed.
