The Release Of The D5100 Will 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 also the high-end D7000 – it is clearly aimed to attract the attention of enthusiast photographers without having cannibalizing sales of is sister models. A camera maker can judge the success of its market positioning by seeing how a lot of people are wondering ‘which model is right for me?’ on discussion forums – and we think a D3100/D5100/D7000 progression would decrease such doubts. The official line is that the D90 maintains its position inside the range, but both its naming and overlap with other models suggest that its role is now a lot more one of historical interest than future significance.
The D5100 has a very similar 16.2MP CMOS sensor to the superb one seen within 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 construct or 39-point AF method but the underlying image good quality is all but identical.
As has turn out to be common for a Nikon at this price point, the D5100 presents a single control dial, pentamirror viewfinder and no built-in autofocus motor. Nevertheless, it gains 1080p video capability (at 30, 25 or 24fps), saved using the efficient H.264/AVC codec, along with a 920,000 dot totally articulated LCD panel to assist shoot it. These are both considerable gains over its predecessor the D5000, and the improvements extend to the D5100 having smaller, neater construction along with 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 becoming neighboring models it’ll avoid the inelegant overlap that existed between the D5000 and D90. It also ensures a a lot more elegant appearance to the models themselves (the D5000 was numerous issues, but fairly wasn’t one of them).
Though the D5100 is listed as having an Expeed 2 processor, it is worth remembering that Nikon Camera does not use this naming program to denote any particular components, so the actual chunks of silicon and capabilities aren’t necessarily the same as those in the D3100 or D7000. Nevertheless, in addition to a similarly specced 16.2MP sensor, the D5100 provides 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 aspects that helps give the D7000 its impressive dynamic range – which is something Nikon employed to supply only on its far more pricey models.
The D5100 is slightly smaller than the Rebel T3i/EOS 600D – probably its nearest competitor. Both are slightly bigger than the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2, which is built about a smaller sensor, and obviously lacks an optical viewfinder assembly (rather making use of a high quality electronic finder). Ergonomically, the G2 will be the most ‘involved’, and has essentially the most physical control points as well as a touch-sensitive LCD screen, but overall the 3 cameras are physically very comparable.
August 19, 2011
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Posted by Jam Man
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