Nikon's D5100 impresses, captures children's birthday parties with incredible clarity

We're not the only site to put Nikon's new mid-range DSLR through its paces. Plenty of others have taken the D5100 for a spin and we thought you might like to know: they're all pretty impressed. The new 1080p30 video mode was much appreciated as was the larger, higher resolution swivel screen around back. The biggest props generally went to the improved high-ISO performance (which was already quite respectable on the D5000 it's replacing) and the boost in autofocus speed, especially when using the LCD as a view finder in Live View mode. Oddly, the built-in effects also garnered a lot of attention. The Miniature Effect (a tilt-shift simulator) and Selective Color mode impressed reviewers the most with their surprising level of sophistication for in-camera processing. All of the effects can also be used when shooting video, so you can make your HD footage look like black and white 8mm by turning on Night Vision. Criticisms were relatively minor and applicable to most mid- and entry-level DSLRs -- primarily that the body is plasticy and there is a slight lag in focus and shutter performance. The D5100 is an obvious upgrade over the D5000 and more than holds its own against its competitors, but if you want to dig deeper check out our review and the ones below.

Read - DPReview
Read - Photography Blog
Read - CNET
Read - Nikon Rumors
Read - Pocket-Lint
Read - Pocket-Lint (2)

Nikon's D5100 impresses, captures children's birthday parties with incredible clarity originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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