D5100 - good first DSLR?

lmfy2k

lmfy2k

lmfy2k

Soldato
Joined
12 Feb 2004
Posts
7,390
Location
Manchester
hi all

im after an entry DSLR to learn the ropes with and get into photography, budget ~ £400

ive done some research and think the D5100 is the one to get according to reviews and price

mainly taking pics of family, my kids parties and anything else i can take pics of

plan to buy Understanding Exposure book aswell.

was first looking at the Canon 1100D @ Canon store on ebay, they going cheap with lens then i started reading reviews and forums and many people recommend the D5100

hdewcameras have it for ££419.99 delivered which is with the lens kit which i could do and has 3 year warranty.

DigitalRev also have it for £410 delivered with 1 year warranty

i think i would use the included lens until i was comfortable with the camera.

i take it if i was to buy a new lens i would have to get a Nikon G lens as it will have a built in motor?

anyway, what ya think? good idea or buy a cheaper model?

thanks
 
Last edited:
The Nikon 5100 is an excellent camera with a wonderful sensor. I prefer te d7000 body but that costs more.

You will need AF-S G lenses ( just on canon you need EF/EF-s lenses) to get auto focus, I am not sure there is a single AF-D lens you would ever want. However, all Nikon f-mount lenses will mount and operate correctly but you wont get metering on older lenses.
 
Last edited:
Is hdew grey imports? also is it a trustworthy company?

I was gonna buy a d3100 but tempted by a d5100 at those prices.
 
If you're considering an import check *******.com since I've used them a few times without any problems! You can get a further 5% off with a bank transfer payment to them and whilst it sounds a bit weird there are plenty of people out there who have used that method (including myself) for a good deal :)

Digital Rev are a little more expensive than ******* but seem a bit more established. I've only made one purchase with them which was a little slow in getting delivered but that was due to them waiting to answer my questions about postage before sending it.

As for hdew I can't say anything since I've never heard of them or tried them but some googling might help :)
 
lemonade said:
Is hdew grey imports? also is it a trustworthy company?

I was gonna buy a d3100 but tempted by a d5100 at those prices.
Click to expand...

As far as I understand, although a little more digging would help, Hdew sell grey imports but they are also fairly reputable. I'd just echo what Phal said regarding ******* as I've used them and will do again when I looking for something else.
 
The D5100 is a great camera and vastly better than the canon 1100D, which is their entry level body. The sensor is by far the best out of the camera's you mentioned and its shared with the even more expensive D7000 model. The iso performance on it and the dynamic range are solid, with nice colour rendition also. Has built in HDR, a decent movie mode and the flip out screen is more useful than it first appears, especially when doing very low down shots or above your head hand held.

The menu's on the camera are also very user friendly and are jam packed with features for when you get to learn more about the settings and how they affect the photos you take, but until then the default settings take care of you nicely. The 18-55 VR kit lens that comes with it (unless you get body only) is also disturbingly sharp for such a cheap lens and is nice and light so it doesn't make the camera weigh anywhere near as much as it would if you paired it with the very good AF-S 18-200mm VR which is solid metal lol.

You might have guessed, but I owned this camera for a while and used it extensively. The AF-S 35mm F1.8 lens is the camera's perfect partner to learn more about photography and start taking very nice photos immediately. Second hand prices for that lens are around £110-115 as well!
 
The D5100 is a brilliant camera and ideal for a first DSLR. I've recently got one and I love it. Go for the 18-105mm kit lens as it gives a nice range for you to find your style.
 
Depending on what you need from a bag, the AcmeMade Union Photo Messenger is nice, perfect for the D5100, spare lens, cleaning stuff etc.

I got a D5100 for my first DSLR too, really enjoying it.
 
dbmzk1 said:
I've got the 18-105mm and I've been thinking of getting the 35 f1.8 but is it really worth it?
Click to expand...

Absolutely, only by using a large aperture can I get decent shutter speeds with normal indoor lighting without having awful noise from a high iso setting, f/3.5 is just too narrow.

James J said:
The 18-55 VR kit lens that comes with it (unless you get body only) is also disturbingly sharp for such a cheap lens and is nice and light so it doesn't make the camera weigh anywhere near as much as it would if you paired it with the very good AF-S 18-200mm VR which is solid metal lol.
Click to expand...

Very good? From what I've seen it has shocking distortion and sharpness at the wide and telephoto ends respectively.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom