The arrival of the nikon D5100 appears to signal the completion of Nikons refresh of its non-pro DSLR lineup.

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.


Nikon D5100 Key Features
16.2 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor
Side-articulated 3.0" LCD monitor (920,000 dots)
11 AF points (with 3D tracking)
IS0 100-6400 range (Up to 25,600 equivalent when expanded)
HD movies (1080p, 720p or WVGA)
4 fps continuous shooting
In-camera effects filters in both stills and video modes
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

specificatioon

Price (Body only) • US: $799.95
• UK: £669.99
• EU: €729
Price (with 18-55mm VR Lens) • US: $899.95
• UK: £779.99
• EU: €809
Body color Black
Sensor • 23.6 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor
• Nikon DX format (1.5x FOV crop)
• 16.2 million effective pixels
• RGB Color Filter Array
• 14-bit A/D converter
Anti-dust measures • Image sensor cleaning system
• Airflow control system
• Image dust off from reference frame (using optional Capture NX software)
Image sizes • 4928 x 3264 (L)
• 3696 x 2448 (M)
• 2464 x 1632 (S)
Image quality • NEF (14-bit compressed RAW)
• JPEG fine (1:4)
• JPEG normal (1:8)
• JPEG basic (1:16)
• NEF (RAW) + Fine JPEG
Movie sizes • 1920 x 1080 30, 25, 24 fps
• 1280 x 720 30, 25, 24 fps
• 640 x 424 30, 25 fps
Movie format • MOV (H.264/MPEG-4), mono sound recording (PCM)
Color space • sRGB
• Adobe RGB
Lens mount Nikon F mount (with AF contacts)
Lens compatibility • AF-S, AF-I
• Other Type G or D AF Nikkor
• Other AF Nikkor/AI-P Nikkor

• Type D PC Nikkor

• Non-CPU



• IX Nikkor/AF Nikkor for F3AF
• AI-P NIKKOR
- All functions supported
- All functions supported except autofocus
- All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II
- All functions supported except some shooting modes
- Can be used in mode M, but exposure meter does not function; electronic range finder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster
- Cannot be used
- All functions supported except 3D color matrix metering II
Autofocus • 11 focus points (1 cross-type sensors)
• Multi-CAM 1000
• AF working range: -1 to +19 EV (ISO 100, normal temperature)
• Contrast Detect in Live View mode
• Manual focus [M], Electronic range finding supported
Lens servo • Single-servo AF (AF-S)
• Continuous-servo AF (AF-C)
• Automatic AF-S/AF-C (AF-A)
• Manual focus (MF)
AF Area mode • Single Point AF
• Dynamic Area AF
• Auto Area AF
• 3D Tracking (11 points)
Focus tracking Predictive focus tracking automatically activated according to subject status in continuous-servo AF
Focus area Can be selected from 11 focus points
Focus lock Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button
AF Assist White light lamp
Exposure mode • Auto
- Auto
- Flash off
• Scene Modes
Portrait
Landscape
Child
Sports
Close up
Night portrait
Night landscape
Beach/snow
Sunset
Dusk/dawn
Pet portrait
Candlelight
Blossom
Autumn colors
Food
Silhouette
Food
• Special effects
Night Vision
Color Sketch
Miniature effect
Selective color
High key
Low key
Silhouette
• Programmed auto (P) with flexible program
• Shutter-priority auto (S)
• Aperture priority auto (A)
• Manual (M)
Metering • TTL exposure metering using 420-pixel RGB sensor
• Matrix :3D color matrix metering II (type G and D lenses); color matrix metering II (other CPU lenses)
• Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 8-mm circle in center of frame
• Spot: Meters 3.5 mm circle (about 2.5% of frame) centered on active focus area
Metering range • EV 0 to 20 (3D color matrix or center-weighted metering)
• EV 2 to 20 (spot metering)
Meter coupling CPU coupling
Exposure comp. • +/- 5.0 EV
• 1/3 EV steps
AE Lock Exposure locked at detected value with AE-L/AF-L button
AE Bracketing 3 frames in 1/3 or 1/2 increments
Sensitivity • Auto
• ISO 100
• ISO 200
• ISO 400
• ISO 800
• ISO 1600
• ISO 3200
• ISO 6400
• ISO 12800 (Hi1)
• ISO 25600 (Hi2)
Shutter • Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter
• 30 to 1/4000 sec (1/3/ or 1/2 EV steps)
• Flash X-Sync: up to 1/200 sec
• Bulb
Cont. shooting • Up to 4fps
White balance • Auto
• Incandescent
• Fluorescent
Sodium-vapor lamps
Warm-white fluorescent
White fluorescent
Cool-white fluorescent
Day white fluorescent
Daylight fluorescent
Daylight fluorescent
Mercury-vapor lamps
• Direct sunlight
• Flash
• Cloudy
• Shade
• Preset white balance (up to 5 presets can be stored)

WB fine tuning Yes, (except preset manual)
Viewfinder • Eye-level pentamirror single-lens reflex viewfinder
• Frame coverage Approx. 95% horizontal and 95% vertical
• Magnification Approx. 0.78x (50mm f/1.4 lens at infinity, –1.0 m-1)
• Eyepoint 17.9 mm (–1.0 m-1) • Diopter adjustment –1.7 to+1 m-1
LCD monitor • 3.0" Vari-Angle TFT LCD
• 921,000 dots
• 100% frame coverage
• 170° viewing angle
• Brightness adjustment
Built-in flash • Auto, Portrait, Child, Close-up, Night portrait, Party/indoor,
• Auto flash with auto pop-up,
• Manual pop-up in P, S, A or M modes
• Guide number approx. 12/39 at ISO 100 (am/ft)
• Guide number approx. 13/43 at ISO 100 (m/ft) in manual mode
Sync contact X-contact only; flash synchronization at shutter speeds of up to 1/200 sec
Flash control • TTL flash control by 420-segment RGB sensor.
• i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR and standard i-TTL fill-flash for digital SLR available when CPU lens is used with built-in flash, SB-400, SB-800, SB-900 and SB-600
• Auto aperture with SB-800/SB-900 and CPU lenses
• Non-TTL auto with SB-900, SB-800, 80DX, 28DX, 28, 27 and 22s
• Range-priority manual with SB-900, SB-800 and SB-700
Flash mode Auto, Fill flash, rear-curtain with slow sync, slow sync, slow sync with red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction
Flash compensation • -3 to +1 EV
• 1/3 steps
Nikon Creative Lighting system Advanced Wireless Lighting when using SB-900, SB-800, SB-700 or SU-800 as commander and SB-900, SB-800, SB-700, SB-600 or SB-R200 as remotes; Flash Color Information Communication and FV lock supported with all CLS-compatible flash units
Shooting modes • Single frame shooting (S) mode
• Continuous shooting : 4.0 frames per second
• Self-timer
• Quick-Response Remote
• Delayed Remote
• Quiet shutter release
Self-timer • 2, 5, 10 or 20 sec
Playback functions • Full frame
• Thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images or calendar)
• Playback with Playback zoom
• Movie Playback
• Slide Show
• Histogram Display
• Highlights
• Auto Image Rotation
• Image Comment (up to 36 characters)
Orientation sensor Yes
Storage • SD / SD HC / SDXC
Video output NTSC or PAL selectable
Connectivity • USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed)
• A/V out
• HDMI out
• DC-IN (optional AC adapter and adapter connector)
Languages Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
Power Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL14
Working environment • 0 to 40°C (32 to 104°F)
• Less than 85% humidity
Dimensions 128 x 97 x 79 mm (5.0 x 3.8 x 3.1 in.)
Weight (no batt) 510g (1 lb 2 oz)
Weight (inc. batt) 560g (1 lb 4 oz)


sumber