Nikon D5100 Review
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 16.2 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6Mb.
The Nikon D5100 produced images of outstanding quality during the review period. The D5100 produces noise-free JPEG images at ISO 100-1600, with ISO 3200 also looking pretty good. ISO 6400 only shows a little noise, while the fastest settings of ISO 12800 and 25600 are quite a lot noisier and suffer from softening of fine detail and a loss of saturation, but the images are still perfectly usable for small prints and resizing for web use. The images were a little soft straight out of the D5100 at the default sharpening setting and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting for JPEG files. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and bulb mode allowing you to capture plenty of light. Red-eye was not a common occurrence with the built-in flash, and when we did encounter it, it was very moderate and easily cured by setting the flash to red-eye reduction mode. Active D-lighting managed to squeeze most of the dynamic range captured by the sensor into the JPEGs the camera produced.
Noise
There are 9 ISO settings available on the Nikon D5100 and the ISO speed can be adjusted in 1/3 EV increments. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting, with JPEG on the left and RAW on the right.
The Nikon D5100 also has ISO Sensitivity Auto Control, activated from the shooting menu. If set to On, the camera will automatically adjust the sensitivity if proper exposure cannot be achieved at the value chosen by the photographer. The user can put a limit on the maximum sensitivity selectable by the camera.
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JPEG |
RAW |
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ISO 100 (100% Crop) |
ISO 100 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 6400 (100% Crop) |
ISO 6400 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 12800 (100% Crop) |
ISO 12800 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 25600 (100% Crop) |
ISO 25600 (100% Crop) |
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File Quality
The file quality settings available on the D5100 include Basic, Normal and Fine for JPEGs, plus you can also store your photos in Nikon's proprietary raw format (NEF). Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.
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Fine (5.61Mb) (100% Crop) |
Normal (4.22Mb) (100% Crop) |
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Basic (1.47Mb) (100% Crop) |
RAW (16.3Mb) (100% Crop) |
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Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes by changing the Picture Styles.
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Original (100% Crop) |
Sharpened (100% Crop) |
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Flash
The pop-up flash on the D5100 has several settings including Auto, Fill-in flash, Red-eye Reduction, SlowSync, Red-eye Reduction with Slow Sync, Rear-curtain Sync and Off. The mode of operation can be TTL, Auto or Manual, and there is Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC) available as well. Note however that unlike the D90, the D5100 cannot control wirelessly slaved system flashes. These snaps of a white ceiling were taken at a distance of 1.5m using the kit zoom.
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Flash Off - Wide Angle (27mm) |
Flash On - Wide Angle (27mm) |
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Flash Off - Telephoto (82.5mm) |
Flash On - Telephoto (82.5mm) |
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And here are a couple of portrait shots. The built-in speedlight caused no red-eye effect in this test.
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Flash On |
Flash On (100% Crop) |
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Red-eye Reduction |
Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop) |
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Night
The Nikon D5100 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times of practically any length, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. There is an optional long-exposure noise reduction function that can be activated to filter out any hot pixels that may appear when extremely slow shutter speeds are used. Do note that this works by way of dark frame subtraction, which effectively doubles the exposure time. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 10 seconds, aperture of f/11 at the ISO 100 sensitivity setting. We've included a 100% crop for you to see what the quality is like.
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Night Shot |
Night Shot (100% Crop) |
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Image Stabilisation
The Nikon D5100 does not offer body-integral image stabilisation, but the kit lens bundled with the camera features Vibration Reduction, Nikon's proprietary lens-based optical stabilisation system. This allows you to take sharp hand-held photos at slower shutter speeds than with lenses that lack this function. To illustrate this, I took two photos at both ends of the zoom, with VR turned on and off. At a shutter speed of 1/3 second - which is very slow for this focal length - the photo taken with VR was still commendably sharp, but the one without VR was decidedly blurred, as the 100% crops below clearly show.
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Shutter Speed / Focal Length |
Image Stabilisation Off (100% Crop) |
Image Stabilisation On (100% Crop) |
| 1/3 sec / 27mm | |
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| 1/3 sec / 82.5mm | |
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D-lighting
D-lighting is Nikon's dynamic range optimisation tool that attempts to squeeze the full dynamic range of the sensor into JPEGs. The available settings are Off, Low, Medium, High, Extra High and Auto. The following examples demonstrate the differences between the various settings.
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D-lighting - Off |
D-lighting - Low |
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D-lighting - Medium |
D-lighting - High |
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D-lighting - Extra High |
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HDR
The Nikon D5100 has a HDR mode with three levels of manual exposure and an Auto setting. The camera only combines two shots, one under and one over exposed, to produce the final image, and it's only available when shooting JPEGs.
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HDR - Off |
HDR - 1EV |
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HDR - 2EV |
HDR - 3EV |
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Picture Controls
Nikon's Picture Controls are akin to Canon's Picture Styles in being preset combinations of sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation and hue. The available choices are Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait and Landscape. The following examples demonstrate the differences across these options.
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Standard |
Neutral |
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Vivid |
Monochrome |
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Portrait |
Landscape |
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Effects
New to the Nikon DSLR range is the Effects shooting mode. This provides 7 different creative filters that can be applied to both still images and movies.
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Color Sketch |
Miniature Effect |
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Selective Color |
Silhouette |
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High Key |
Low Key |
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Night Vision |
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Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Nikon D5100 camera, which were all taken using the 16.2 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
Sample RAW Images
The Nikon D5100 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Nikon RAW (NEF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).
1/640s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
82mm
Download original
1/320s · f/5.6 · ISO 400
27mm
Download original
1/800s · f/8 · ISO 200
33mm
Download original
1/125s · f/5.6 · ISO 800
82mm
Download original
1/200s · f/8 · ISO 200
27mm
Download original
1/40s · f/8 · ISO 200
27mm
Download original
1/20s · f/5.6 · ISO 1600
27mm
Download original
1/80s · f/5.6 · ISO 200
27mm
Download original
1/250s · f/11 · ISO 100
39mm
Download original
1/60s · f/11 · ISO 100
82mm
Download original
1/250s · f/5.6 ·
69mm
Download original
1/125s · f/5.6 ·
69mm
Download original
1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 6400
69mm
Download original
1/30s · f/5.6 · ISO 3200
69mm
Download original
1/15s · f/5.6 · ISO 1600
69mm
Download original
1/50s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
27mm
Download original
1/200s · f/8 · ISO 100
27mm
Download original
1/60s · f/8 · ISO 100
27mm
Download original
1/60s · f/5.6 · ISO 800
82mm
Download original
1/60s · f/5.3 · ISO 400
63mm
Download original
1/30s · f/5.6 · ISO 800
82mm
Download original
1/60s · f/4.8 · ISO 3200
48mm
Download original
1/80s · f/4.5 · ISO 400
27mm
Download original
1/125s · f/3.5 · ISO 400
27mm
Download original
Sample Movie & Video
The Nikon D5100 can record Full HD video in the MOV format. This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1280 pixels at 25 frames per second. Please note that this 13 second movie is 33.5Mb in size.
As of February 2025, we are no longer providing full size sample images or videos for download.
Please contact us if you have any feedback on our new policy.
Product Images
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera / Pop-up Flash |
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Isometric View |
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Isometric View |
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Isometric View |
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Isometric View |
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Rear of the Camera |
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Rear of the Camera / Tilting LCD Screen |
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Rear of the Camera / Tilting LCD Screen |
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Rear of the Camera / Tilting LCD Screen |
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Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed |
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Rear of the Camera / Info Displayed |
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Rear of the Camera / Main Menu |
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Rear of the Camera / Info Screen |
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Rear of the Camera / Info Screen |
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Rear of the Camera / Live View |
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Top of the Camera |
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Bottom of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera |
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Memory Card Slot |
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Battery Compartment |
Conclusion
The Nikon D5100 successfully bridges the gap between the beginner-friendly approach of the D3100 and the more complex D7000, with the latter's fantastic 16 megapixel sensor being the icing on the proverbial cake. The D5100 does have a few minor handling issues, most notably the positioning of the Live View switch and the secondary controls on the rear, and it could also be seen as being neither simple enough for complete beginners or feature-rich enough for more experienced users. All in all, though, the D5100 delivers excellent still and moving pictures with the minimum of fuss in a lightweight package and is a serious rival to the Canon EOS 600D and the Sony A55.
In addition to the excellent image sensor, the free-angle, tilting and folding LCD screen is the real highlight of the D5100, opening up lots of creative possibilities for both stills and video. Full 1080p HD footage is another fantastic feature on what is a relatively cheap DSLR, although full-time auto-focusing in Live View mode is still a painfully slow experience and not well-suited to fast-moving subjects. The new Effects modes can be used to add a creative flair to your images, although the inability to manually control the camera's key settings means that applying the effect during image playback is often the better route to take.
Tellingly, our biggest gripe about the D5100 isn't a very serious one, in that the illogical positioning of some of its controls, especially the Live View switch and the separate Movie Record button, probably won't stop the camera's target audience from enjoying it. The lack of a dedicated ISO button will definitely irk some users though, only being accessible via the reprogrammable Fn button, something that the previous D5000 suffered from and which should really have been fixed by now.
Ultimately the Nikon D5100 easily overcomes its few real weak points, offering a compelling mix of great image and movie quality, precise and quick auto-focusing, accurate metering and a fantastic LCD screen, all in a format that most users will find intutive and enjoyable to use. This is precisely what a DSLR that's competitively priced for the mass-market should deliver, and judged on that criteria, the Nikon D5100 is a very worthy winner of our Highly Recommended award.
| Ratings (out of 5) | |
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| Design | 4.5 |
| Features | 4.5 |
| Ease-of-use | 4 |
| Image quality | 5 |
| Value for money | 4.5 |
Review Roundup
Reviews of the Nikon D5100 from around the web.
whatdigitalcamera.com »
The Nikon D5100 updates the D5000 model, but continues to sit alongside the D90 in the range - quashing rumours that this latter model was to be replaced. The D5100 straddles the beginner and mid-level consumer market, merging entry-level 'fun' features such as Effects modes along with an image sensor pulled directly from the D7000 and many other features adopted from the D3100. Can the D5100 successfully fit snugly into the gap between those two cameras? The What Digital Camera Nikon D5100 review takes a look...
Read the full review »
ephotozine.com »
The Nikon D5100 is a newly designed camera improving on the Full HD video of the D5000 and introducing a new horizontally swivelling 3inch screen, and a new more compact body, that is 10% smaller than the D5000. It also introduces a new "creative effects" mode with 6/7 new filters, as well as a built in "merge to HDR" function, much like the feature you may have used on a computer to merge two (or more) different exposures to create a "High Dynamic Range" photo.
Read the full review »
dpreview.com »
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.
Read the full review »
Specifications
| Type | Single-lens reflex digital camera |
| Lens mount | Nikon F mount (with AF contacts) |
| Effective angle of view | Approx. 1.5 x lens focal length (Nikon DX format) |
| Effective pixels | 16.2 million |
| Image sensor | 23.6 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor |
| Total pixels | 16.9 million |
| Dust-reduction System | Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX 2 software required) |
| Image size (pixels) | 4,928 x 3,264 (L) 3,696 x 2,448 (M) 2,464 x 1,632 (S) |
| File format | NEF (RAW): 14 bit, compressed JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1 : 4), normal (approx. 1 : 8), or basic (approx. 1 : 16) compression NEF (RAW)+JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats |
| Picture Control System | Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape; selected Picture Control can be modified; storage for custom Picture Controls |
| Media | SD (Secure Digital), SDHC, and SDXC memory cards |
| File system | DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System) 2.0, DPOF (Digital Print Order Format), Exif 2.3 (Exchangeable Image File Format for Digital Still Cameras), PictBridge |
| Viewfinder | Eye-level pentamirror single-lens reflex viewfinder |
| Frame coverage | Approx. 95% horizontal and 95% vertical |
| Magnification | Approx. 0.78 x (50 mm f/1.4 lens at infinity, -1.0m-1) |
| Eyepoint | 17.9 mm (-1.0m-1) |
| Diopter adjustment | -1.7-+0.7 m-1 |
| Focusing screen | Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VII screen |
| Reflex mirror | Quick return |
| Lens aperture | Instant return, electronically controlled |
| Compatible lenses | Autofocus is available with AF-S and AF-I lenses. Autofocus is not available with other type G and D lenses, AF lenses (IX NIKKOR and lenses for the F3AF are not supported), and AI-P lenses. Non-CPU lenses can be used in mode M, but the camera exposure meter will not function. *The electronic rangefinder can be used with lenses that have a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster. |
| Type | Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter |
| Speed | 1/4000 - 30 s in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV; Bulb; Time (requires optional ML-L3 remote control) |
| Flash sync speed | X=1/200 s; synchronizes with shutter at 1/200 s or slower |
| Release mode | Single frame, continuous, self-timer, delayed remote, quick-response remote, quiet shutter release |
| Frame advance rate | Up to 4 fps (manual focus, mode M or S, shutter speed 1/250 s or faster, and other settings at default values) |
| Self-timer | 2 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s; 1-9 exposures |
| Metering | TTL exposure metering using 420-pixel RGB sensor |
| Metering method | 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 selected focus point |
| Range (ISO 100, f/1.4 lens, 20 °C/68 °F) | Matrix or center-weighted metering: 0-20 EV Spot metering: 2-20 EV |
| Exposure meter coupling | CPU |
| Mode | Auto modes (auto; auto, flash off ); programmed auto with flexible program (P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M); scene modes (portrait; landscape; child; sports; close up; night portrait; night landscape; party/indoor; beach/snow; sunset; dusk/dawn; pet portrait; candlelight; blossom; autumn colors; food); special effects modes (night vision; color sketch; miniature effect; selective color; silhouette; high key; low key) |
| Exposure compensation | -5 - +5 EV in increments of 1/3 or 1/2 EV |
| Bracketing | Exposure bracketing: 3 frames in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV White balance bracketing: 3 frames in steps of 1 Active D-Lighting bracketing: 2 frames |
| Exposure lock | Luminosity locked at detected value with AE-L/AF-L button |
| ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index) | ISO 100 - 6400 in steps of 1/3 EV. Can also be set to approx. 0.3, 0.7, 1, or 2 EV (ISO 25600 equivalent) above ISO 6400; auto ISO sensitivity control available |
| Active D-Lighting | Auto, extra high, high, normal, low, off |
| Autofocus | Nikon Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, 11 focus points (including one cross-type sensor), and AF-assist illuminator (range approx. 0.5-3 m/1 ft. 8 in.-9 ft. 10 in.) |
| Detection range | -1 - +19 EV (ISO 100, 20 °C/68 °F) |
| Lens servo | Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); continuous-servo AF (AF-C); auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A); predictive focus tracking activated automatically according to subject status Manual focus (MF): Electronic rangefinder can be used |
| Focus point | Can be selected from 11 focus points |
| AF-area mode | Single-point AF, dynamic-area AF, auto-area AF, 3D-tracking (11 points) |
| Focus lock | Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button |
| Built-in flash | Auto, portrait, child, close up, night portrait, party/indoor, pet portrait, color sketch: Auto flash with auto pop-up P, S, A, M, food: Manual pop-up with button release |
| Guide Number | Approx. 12/39, 13/43 with manual flash (m/ft, ISO 100, 20 °C/68 °F) |
| Flash control | TTL: i-TTL balanced fill-flash and standard i-TTL flash for digital SLR using 420-pixel RGB sensor are available with built-in flash and SB-900, SB-800, SB-700, SB-600, or SB-400 (i-TTL balanced fill-flash is available when matrix or center-weighted metering is selected) Auto aperture: Available with SB-900/SB-800 and CPU lens Non-TTL auto: Supported flash units include SB-900, SB-800, SB-80DX, SB-28DX, SB-28, SB-27, and SB-22S Distance-priority manual: Available with SB-900, SB-800, and SB-700 |
| Flash mode | Auto, auto with red-eye reduction, auto slow sync, auto slow sync with red-eye reduction, fill-flash, red-eye reduction, slow sync, slow sync with red-eye reduction, rear-curtain with slow sync, rear-curtain sync, off |
| Flash compensation | -3 - +1 EV in increments of 1/3 or 1/2 EV |
| Flash-ready indicator | Lights when built-in flash or optional flash unit such as SB-900, SB-800, SB-700, SB-600, or SB-400 is fully charged; blinks for 3 s after flash is fired at full output |
| Accessory shoe | ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock |
| Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) | Advanced Wireless Lighting supported with SB-900, SB-800, or SB-700 as a master flash, or SU-800 as commander; Flash Color Information Communication supported with built-in flash and all CLS-compatible flash units |
| Sync terminal | AS-15 sync terminal adapter (available separately) |
| White balance | Auto, incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual, all except preset manual with fine tuning. |
| Lens servo | Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); full-time-servo AF (AF-F) Manual focus (MF) |
| AF-area mode | Face-priority AF, wide-area AF, normal-area AF, subject-tracking AF |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame (camera selects focus point automatically when face-priority AF or subject-tracking AF is selected) |
| Automatic scene selection | Available in auto and flash off modes |
| Metering | TTL exposure metering using main image sensor |
| Metering method | Matrix |
| Frame size (pixels) and frame rate | 1,920 x 1,080, 30 p/25 p/24 p, high/normal 1,280 x 720, 30 p/25 p/24 p, high/normal 640 x 424, 30 p/25 p, high/normal A frame rate of 30 p (actual frame rate 29.97 fps) is available when NTSC is selected for video mode. 25 p is available when PAL is selected for video mode. Actual frame rate when 24 p is selected is 23.976 fps. |
| File format | MOV |
| Video compression | H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding |
| Audio recording format | Linear PCM |
| Audio recording device | Built-in monaural or external stereo microphone; sensitivity adjustable |
| Monitor | 7.5-cm/3-in., approx. 921k-dot (VGA), vari-angle low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD with 170 ° viewing angle, approx. 100% frame coverage, and brightness adjustment |
| Playback | Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images or calendar) playback with playback zoom, movie playback, slide show, histogram display, highlights, auto image rotation, and image comment (up to 36 characters) |
| USB | Hi-Speed USB |
| Video output | NTSC, PAL |
| HDMI output | Type C mini-pin HDMI connector |
| Accessory terminal | Remote cord: MC-DC2 (available separately) GPS unit: GP-1 (available separately) |
| Audio input | Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5mm diameter) |
| Supported languages | Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish |
| Battery | One rechargeable Li-ion EN-EL14 battery |
| AC adapter | EH-5b AC adapter; requires EP-5A power connector (available separately) |
| Tripod socket | 1/4 in. (ISO 1222) |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | Approx.128 x 97 x 79 mm (5.0 x 3.8 x 3.1 in.) |
| Weight | Approx. 510 g/1 lb. 2 oz. (camera body only) Approx. 560 g (1 lb. 3.7 oz.) with battery and memory card but without body cap |
| Temperature | 0-40 °C (+32-104 °F) |
| Humidity | Less than 85% (no condensation) |
| Supplied accessories | EN-EL14 rechargeable Li-ion battery (with terminal cover), MH-24 battery charger, AN-DC3 strap, EG-CP14 audio/video cable, UC-E6 USB cable, DK-5 eyepiece cap, BS-1 accessory shoe cover, DK-20 rubber eyecup, BF-1B body cap, ViewNX 2 CD, User's Manual |
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