Nikon D5100 Black Friday Deals 2011
Get Best Price for Nikon D5100 Black Friday Sale 2011, Buy Cheap Black Friday Nikon D5100 Deals
Black Friday Nikon D5100 Deals
The Nikon D5100 is a little late to the market, but it’s quite welcome. While we liked the preceding D5000 model, its larger size and especially the bottom-hinged swivel screen didn’t make it our favorite, among an overwhelming number of recent Nikon digital SLRs that fairly knocked our socks off. That’s changed with the Nikon D5100, as it pushes most all the right buttons. It’s also better aimed at the Canon T3i, its major competitor.
Walkaround. Unlike the T3i, the Nikon D5100 is smaller than its predecessor, about the same width and thickness, but noticeably shorter, which makes a nice, tight package, reminiscent of the Nikon D40, one of our favorite digital SLRs. Measuring 5.0 x 3.8 x 3.1 inches (127 x 97 x 79mm), the Nikon D5100 is larger than the D3100′s 4.9 x 3.8 x 2.9 inches (125 x 97 x 74mm), and smaller than the D5000′s 5.0 x 4.1 x 3.1 inches (127 x 104 x 80mm). Weight is slightly reduced compared to the D5000: 19.9 ounces (565g) for the new camera, 20.7 ounces (588g) for the old (with battery and card, without lens).
The grip, while nicely sculpted inside for the pads of the fingers, isn’t quite as deep as we’d like, causing our fingers to bottom out before they have a good hold on the camera. I can normally adjust my grip by wrapping the heel of my thumb around the back, but the 3-inch articulating screen makes that more difficult, as it’s pushed most of the controls far to the right on the back, leaving little room for that maneuver. As a result, I hold it more loosely than most SLRs. The Nikon D5100′s grip is made for smaller hands, as my medium hands are generally able to adjust to almost any size grip.
Notice also in the three-quarter shot above the placement of the Function (Fn) button just left of the D5100 logo, the mic and speaker holes just above the logo, and the large rubber port door on the right. This door covers the Accessory, AV Out/USB, HDMI, and Microphone ports, and opens as easily as it closes snugly.
Nestled in the grip of the Nikon D5100 Black Friday is the infrared port, for use with a wireless remote control. Just right of the shutter button is the AF-assist lamp, which also serves as a Self-timer lamp. Our kit lens was the Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR.
The top deck better shows the speaker holes left of the pop-up flash. Just left and behind the Power switch and Shutter button is the new Movie Record button. The Info button moves a little further back, and serves to turn the rear LCD off and on. Where there was a Drive mode switch on the D5000, the D5100 has a new Live view activation momentary switch. It’s disappointing that they couldn’t put it in the same place it is on the Nikon D7000 and D3100, but the articulating LCD is worth the sacrifice. Incidentally, if you’re used to using the power switch on a Rebel, the Lv switch may initially confuse you.
The Mode dial has a few new items, namely the Scene and Effects menu items. Unlike the D3100, there is no Guide mode on the Nikon D5100.
The left-mounted hinge on the Nikon D5100′s Vari-angle LCD has moved the left-side buttons most Nikon shooters are used to above and right of the display. I’m not sure they got all the placements right. I’m fine with the Menu button upper left, but the i-Menu button could be better placed for easier thumb access, perhaps where the Playback button is now. I’m fond of the quick menu that it launches, which is superior to the one on the D7000, by the way, with a good set of commonly changed items. The zoom buttons are probably better placed than any of the other buttons, as you generally drop your hold on the right side of the camera anyway to allow others to see your images, leaving your thumb ideally placed to actuate these buttons, as well as the trash button. A double-press on this button deletes any image you like.
The left-articulating LCD is better than the bottom-mounted hinge in several ways. First, you can use it while the “Nikon D5100 Black Friday” is mounted on a tripod, whereas the D5000′s hinge was often blocked by elements of the tripod’s mounting plate, if not the plate itself. You can also face this LCD forward to better monitor your self-portraits, whereas the old design was usually blocked by the tripod head. The 3-inch LCD itself has 921,000 dots, and is said to have a 1,000:1 contrast ratio.
One more thing, just lower left of the Menu button you can see a slightly darker dot: That’s the rear infrared sensor, a feature that is also found on the Nikon D7000 and P7000. It’s excellent for macro and studio shooting, because you no longer have to reach around with your ML-L3 infrared remote to activate the grip-mounted infrared sensor. Bravo, Nikon. If you’ve a preference for cabled remotes, note that the Nikon D5100 Black Friday also accepts an MC-DC2 remote via its Accessory port.
Sensor. On the inside, the Nikon D5100 Black Friday is based around the same 16.2-megapixel, DX-format (23.6 x 15.6mm), CMOS image sensor that previously featured in the D7000. The Nikon D5100′s imager has a total pixel count of 16.9 megapixels, a pixel size of 4.78µm, and yields maximum image dimensions of 4,928 x 3,264 pixels. Two lower-resolution options are also available–either 3,696 x 2,448, or 2,464 x 1,632 pixels. The Nikon D5100 can capture still images as .NEF-format compressed RAW files, JPEG compressed files, or as both types simultaneously. Unlike the prosumer D7000 model, the Nikon D5100 doesn’t provide an option for uncompressed RAW files.
Processor. The Nikon D5100 Black Friday uses 14-bit analog/digital conversion, and output from the CMOS sensor is handled by an EXPEED 2 image processor, as featured previously in the D3100 and D7000. Compared to the previous generation EXPEED, the latest generation EXPEED 2 offers improvements in processing speed, image quality, and power consumption. (Note that Nikon repeatedly tells us that EXPEED 2 isn’t necessarily the same processor in each camera; it’s a processing set that’s applied via various configurations of processors, which varies by camera.)
Although the Nikon D5100 features the same sensor and nominally the same EXPEED version as in the D7000, its burst shooting rate of four frames per second is a third slower than the D7000′s six frames per second, as you might expect given its more affordable pricing.
Lens mount. Like the D3000 before it, the Nikon D5100 sports an AF-S lens mount that lacks an in-body autofocus motor, which would support older AF lenses whose focus mechanisms were driven from the camera. These lenses have what looks like a little screwdriver slot on their mounting flange that couples with a protruding, screwdriver-looking shaft on the camera body, driven by a motor in the camera body to adjust focus.
More recent Nikkor lenses have motors built into the lens body, which tend to be both faster and quieter than the old-style drive system, as well as allowing the camera body to be lighter, smaller and cheaper. These newer lenses–of which there are now over 40 types–carry an AF-S or AF-I designation in their name, and they are the only types of lenses the D5100 can autofocus with. CPU-equipped lenses lacking built-in focus motors can be used in manual focus mode, and type G or D lens types will also support full 3D color matrix metering for more accurate exposures, particularly when flash is being used. (You can tell CPU-equipped lenses by the set of five electrical contacts arrayed on the top side of the lens flange.)
Helpfully, the Nikon D5100 can automatically correct for lens distortion in-camera.
Viewfinder. The Nikon D5100′s pentamirror viewfinder has the same 17.9mm eyepoint as that of the D5000, but mirrors that of the D3100 by dropping the on-demand grid display function of its predecessor, instead opting for a more traditional display with red LED indication of AF points. Magnification is approx. 0.78x and frame coverage is approx. 95% horizontal and vertical. The diopter is adjustable from -1.7 to +0.7m, and the D5100 uses a Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VII focusing screen.
Autofocus is unchanged from the system used in the Nikon D5000, although the viewfinder indication differs. The D5100′s autofocus system is based around an 11-point Multi-CAM 1000 phase-detection sensor module that’s previously appeared in the D3000 and D5000, among others. The Multi-CAM 1000 module offers 11 focusing points, of which the center point is a cross-type sensor. Detection range for the D5100′s AF system is -1 to +19 EV (ISO 100, 68°F / 20°C). While the AF sensor itself is unchanged, Nikon has updated the viewfinder point display. In the D5000, the approximate AF point locations were indicated with dense black marks in the viewfinder. For the Nikon D5100, these have been replaced with much fainter markings, each illuminated by red LEDs in the center. Like its predecessor, the Nikon D5100 includes 3D tracking capability that follows moving subjects from point to point as they traverse the frame.
Exposure modes in the Nikon D5100 include Auto, Program, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, Manual, Flash Off, Scene, Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close-Up, and Effects. The Scene mode position on the camera’s Mode dial groups the D5100′s scene modes together, rather than their meriting individual positions on the dial. Scene mode choices have been pared down just slightly, and now include Night Landscape, Party / Indoor, Beach / Snow, Sunset, Dusk / Dawn, Pet Portrait, Candlelight, Blossom, Autumn Colors, Food, and Night Portrait.
The D5000′s Silhouette, High key and Low key scene modes have now been relocated to the new Effects position on the Mode dial, which applies to both still images and movies. The Effects mode also includes new Night Vision, Color Sketch, Miniature Effect, and Selective Color options. We’ve seen similar functions to all of these on past DSLRs from Nikon or competitors, other than the Night Vision mode, which in particular bears a little explanation. This unusual mode raises the ISO sensitivity limit from its expanded maximum of 25,600 equivalents, all the way up to a whopping ISO 102,400 equivalent, but with a catch: you can only shoot monochromatic images in Night Vision mode. The Selective Color option is similar to that on Pentax’s DSLRs, and desaturates all but selected color ranges. Where Pentax’s function allows selection of two colors with a five-step control over how wide a selection around this color should be retained, the Nikon D5100 can select three separate colors, with seven-step selection control. Color Sketch provides a drawing-like effect, while Miniature Effect creates a graduated blur near opposing edges of the image frame, simulating a shallow depth of field and (if used well) creating a perception that the photo is of a model. This last effect slows the recording frame rate on movies, and so causes them to appear sped-up on playback.
Available shutter speeds range from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds in 1/3 or 1/2EV steps, plus a bulb position for longer exposures. The Nikon D5100′s shutter mechanism has a rated lifetime of some 100,000 cycles. Exposure compensation is available within a +/-5.0 EV range, in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps. The Nikon D5100 also offers three frame exposure bracketing, with a step size between exposures of up to 2 EV.
Nikon D5100 Black Friday Conclusion
| Pro: | Con: |
|---|---|
|
|
Click Here for Latest Offer on Nikon D5100 Black Friday
Enjoy Free Shipping & Secure Shopping
List Price : $849.00
Black Friday Deals!
Click Here for Latest Deals!
