Nikon’s D5100 DSLR with Swing-Out LCD, Full HD and New In-Camera Effects

Camera Review

Melville, NY—Nikon introduced the 16.2 megapixel DX-format Nikon D5100 digital SLR, which boasts a host of new features aimed at giving photographers the tools to unleash their creative vision and tell stories with both photos and HD movies.

The D5100 employs a 3.0-inch 921,000-dot vari-angle LCD screen and Full HD 1080p movie recording with full-time autofocus, as well as in-camera effects that can be applied to both photos and movies.

“Now more than ever, consumers want to pack only one device with them when traveling on excursions both far away and close to home,” said Lisa Osorio, general manager, Marketing, Nikon Inc. “By providing consumers with a simple path to creative freedom for both stills and movies, the Nikon D5100 is designed to become an essential camera for capturing all of life’s occasions.”

The D5100 is designed to allow photographers of all levels to execute new, creative ways to tell stories. Whether shooting high over crowds or down low, the swing-out vari-angle LCD screen helps make it easy to compose and share images. The LCD has a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and the ability to rotate 180 degrees horizontally and vertically.

Creative features include in-camera special effects, such as: selective color where users choose up to three colors in a scene and the remainder of the scene is monochrome; color sketch, which creates photos and a stop-motion movie in a drawing style; miniature effect, to record photos and high-speed movies with the feel of a mini-scale scene; and night vision mode, which records photos in extreme lighting conditions or produces movies with a gritty appearance. Night vision utilizes the camera’s ability to shoot at ISO 102,400. 

In addition to the effects mode, users can create photos with an expanded tonal range by selecting the high dynamic range (HDR) function within the camera. With this selected, the D5100 will automatically expose two consecutive images in rapid succession—one over and one underexposed up to 3-EV stops to produce a finished photo with a range of mid tones and highlights that wouldn’t otherwise be possible in a single shot. Additionally, active D-lighting can be selected by itself or combined with HDR for an even more dramatic effect.

Other notable features are: full manual controls (P, S, A, M on the mode dial) to manage aperture and shutter speeds; 11-point AF; a 4-frames-per-second burst rate; a retouch menu to apply in-camera effects and editing options, like color and filter effects, red-eye correction and NEF (RAW) processing; an ISO range of 100-6400 (expandable to 25,600) for low-light situations, even handheld with low noise; a picture control system with a choice of standard, neutral, vivid, monochrome, portrait or landscape settings; an automatic scene recognition system with a variety of scene modes; 1080p movies with full-time AF, manual exposure control and variable frame rates and resolutions; AF functions, including face priority for tracking up to 35 human faces, subject-tracking and normal or wide-area AF; and HDMI output.  

To address the needs of the ever-growing community of DSLR HD video shooters, Nikon will also offer the ME-1 stereo microphone. Engineered specifically for a DSLR, the ME-1 microphone attaches to the hot shoe and has noise-dampening components designed to minimize noise resulting from AF operation as well as a low-cut filter to reduce wind and other noise not already blocked by the windscreen. 

Nikon’s D5100 DSLR camera will be available beginning mid April 2011 at an estimated selling price of $799.95, body only, and $899.95 for the body and lens outfit that includes the AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens. 

The new Nikon ME-1 microphone will be available in April 2011 and will retail for $179.95. nikonusa.com