Camera Labs

This looks like a wonderful entry level camera for a growing market of consumers.
However, I don't understand why there is a lack of index finger dial. This dial was the biggest selling point for me when entering the market. It was far more intuitive and, combined with the thumb dial, allowed me to understand the mechanics of aperture and shutter speeds. The controls are "right there". :T

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Best regards,

Daniel

dmdesign
Nikon D80 · Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF
Sigma Foveon sensor fan... future owner, promise!
flickr me!

people shooting 99,9% of the time in FULL AUTO dont need this dial, the more you put on a cam, the more sophisticated it is for people that buy this cam to take snapshots. This cam is not for the advanced photographer that wants an upgrade.

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- Wout -
Nikon D80 with 18-70 DX, 70-300 VR, 35 1.8 DX
Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod with 488RC0 midi ballhead
Lowepro CompuRover AW and Nova 200 AW

Oprah gave these away on her show. I bet that the professional photographer in the audience had a good laugh at Oprah with a DSLR.

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-Evan

Gear: 7 Nikon Nikkor AI-S and AF-S lenses, SB-700 flash, Nikon D7000, Nikon FM, variety of accessories

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."
- Ansel Adams

I need to get someone to explain to me what DPReview is smoking.
Conclusion Pros:
Unusually fast Live View AF for an SLR (but still relatively slow compared to mirrorless competitors)

Conclusion Cons:
AF still a little sluggish in live view mode

Why first say it is unusually fast, and after take it down by saying it is sluggish, which one is it?

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- Wout -
Nikon D80 with 18-70 DX, 70-300 VR, 35 1.8 DX
Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod with 488RC0 midi ballhead
Lowepro CompuRover AW and Nova 200 AW

I guess that does make sense.

It is unusually fast for a DSLR in live view,

But....

Live view still isnt really fast enough to use for moving subjects.

I agree though it is a little strange to write it as a pro and a con. Good ol' Dpreview!

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Nikon D5000 and D300 with 12-24mm, 35mm f1.8, 50mm f1.4, 60mm f2.8 Macro, 18-200mm, 17-55mm f2.8 (all Nikon)

LV AF will always be slow presumably, but I guess that they're saying it's better compared to other DSLRs. None the less, it's very awkward to phrase it like that.

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-Evan

Gear: 7 Nikon Nikkor AI-S and AF-S lenses, SB-700 flash, Nikon D7000, Nikon FM, variety of accessories

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."
- Ansel Adams

Not to get too much off topic, but live view speed should increase as soon as they integrate the focus sensors into the image sensor (see Fujifilms implementation).

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- Wout -
Nikon D80 with 18-70 DX, 70-300 VR, 35 1.8 DX
Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod with 488RC0 midi ballhead
Lowepro CompuRover AW and Nova 200 AW

Adding on to that, it's interesting that on Sony's A33 and A55, the only reason that they had the mirror was for the image to be able to AF. AF sensors on the image sensor would be great.

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-Evan

Gear: 7 Nikon Nikkor AI-S and AF-S lenses, SB-700 flash, Nikon D7000, Nikon FM, variety of accessories

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."
- Ansel Adams

Yes Evan, that would be pretty neat

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Ruben

Panasonic DMC-FZ18, Panasonic DMC-FZ28, Canon G5, Canon 350D, Canon 50D + BG-E2N
Tamron 17-50 2.8, Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM,
Canon 18-55 II plus lots of Minolta MD/M42 lenses and bodies

Hello ladies and gents!

I am new to the forum, but not to the website. I have few question that I want to address.

Should I buy Nikon D3100 body now + Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 HSM? I know the rule... Spend more on the glass.

OR

Should I wait for Nikon 5100? (Not sure if this is the naming scheme) Will it have useful features that Nikon D3100 does not have?

Will Nikon release it soon? I've read it's a must update for to Nikon D5000. Recently, price for D5000 went down a bit, so I figured there is an upcoming release? Same pricing happened for Canon T2i. Last couple of weeks, the price for the body went down as low as $595, and then the T3i was announced.

I am not entirely sure if this is the right place to address my concerns and questions. I apologize in advance!

Regards,
Leonard

Hello and welcome!

Well, if Nikon replays what they did when they launched the D5000 (which was taking many features from the D90), you can expect to see some nice things taken directly from the D7000 in the "D5100", with the nice articulated screen being the icing of the cake. If you don't mind the wait and the extra $$$ then I think it could be worth the wait.

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Nikon D90 | AF-S 18-200 VR II | AF-S 35mm f/1.8 | Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 | SB-600 | Gorillapod + Manfrotto 484RC2

I would say the D5100 will take the sensor of the D3100 as the one in D7000 (pardon my words) is overkill to newcomers. But in general it will be the same as the D5000 was to the D90.

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- Wout -
Nikon D80 with 18-70 DX, 70-300 VR, 35 1.8 DX
Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod with 488RC0 midi ballhead
Lowepro CompuRover AW and Nova 200 AW

Thanks for your response, guys.

Now, I was wondering... Do we have a time frame when Nikon D5100 will be released? I don't expect anyone to know that directly, but I thought looking back at history of Nikon DSLR releases, someone might have an answer.

Regards, Leonard

Well, I can tell is not going to be now, there's currently a relevant photo shop at Japan ("CP+" I think it was called) and there are no new releases from Nikon in their stand. My guess is that it won't come any soone than this summer, but this thing change from one day to the other, perhaps the release of the T3i will make Nikon rush things a little bit... Who knows?

Now is up to you if you're willing to wait for a new release or buy something that's on the shelves at present. BTW, since you seem to want something more advanced than the D3100, have you considered the new D7000? Is one of the nicest DSLRs in the market and it's just out of the oven, take into account that when the "D5100" is released it definitively won't be much cheaper, at least during the first few months after its release

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Nikon D90 | AF-S 18-200 VR II | AF-S 35mm f/1.8 | Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 | SB-600 | Gorillapod + Manfrotto 484RC2

My assumption would be April release, if I am correct that is the next moment for Nikon to show something (Start of a new financial year or such). On NikonRumors is being said that the entire DSLR line-up will be refreshed by the end of this year. So besides D3100 and D7000 we will see the D5100 - D400/D9000 - D800 - D4 at the very least.

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- Wout -
Nikon D80 with 18-70 DX, 70-300 VR, 35 1.8 DX
Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod with 488RC0 midi ballhead
Lowepro CompuRover AW and Nova 200 AW