My new arsenal: Nikon d5100

I've finally bitten the bullet.

All these days I had a non DSLR camera. The Sony DSC H50 was by no means bad- I took several great shots with this, went to several trips and few countries with it and for past three and a half years, H50 did a great job as my primary camera. It was light, would easily fit into any bag, had excellent zoom that would put most of DSLRs to shame and took shots at par with DSLRs.

However I started realizing the shortcomings of the camera as I attended several events with fellow photographers and bloggers who had canons and nikons. I had been resisting the temptation of buying a DSLR since years, purely because I thought I can manage with my H50 and don't want all the burden that comes with a DSLR- heavy bag, expensive equipment, never ending spending on accessories and lens, risk of loss/damage and so on.

However, since mid 2011 I started seriously evaluating buying another camera. Options were unlimited with prices ranging from 30k to 5 lakh. I decided that I shouldn't spend more than 50k as I don't earn from photographs. Shortlisted on Nikon 3100, 5100 and Canon 600D. Many of my friends (Sankara, Deb, Mridula to name a few) had Canon but my comparison made me lean towards Nikon. Ram, Shande and few others confirmed that Nikon 5100 is a good model. 5100 didn't have a secondary display like D90, but I decided to live without that.

After zeroing in on 5100 I started searching for best deal. Got busy with few things and pushed the decision by couple of months. Then many of the sites- jjmehta, flipkart, Shetala cameras all showed that this model is out of stock. (Reportedly due to Thailand floods, not sure if it is true). Waited for another month or so and learnt that Shetala Cameras Chennai has a unit. Eventually gathered courage to part with 41k, went to the shop and picked up the unit.

Image from nikonrumors.com

Only have the standard 18-55 now. Next target of 55-300mm costs 25k, so that may have to wait for an year or so. I am trying to resist subsequent spending for now (camera bag, remote, accessories, second battery, lens, filters and so on)

Yet to explore the camera fully. Its high ISO sensitivity is the first thing I liked. (Rotating display is another) Below are two pics to help you understand the potential of high ISO sensitivity. The first picture is taken at 5.45AM at besant nagar beach, in normal mode, with flash. You can see the amount of darkness and how unclear the object is.

The second one is clicked with an ISO sensitivity of 6000, the highest possible in my camera, a minute later to above one. The difference is obvious- second picture looks so day like, eliminates any need for flash.

For day to day shots, the first few shots I tried, I felt my DSC H50 is at part with Nikon 5100. Below are two photos. The left side one is clicked by Sony DSC H50, while the right side one is clicked using 5100. DSC looks more colour rich.


DSLR gives extensive control to focus on specific objects, compared to a regular camera. I need to understand and use these features better.

Of course Nikon has lot of additional potentials and controls not available in Sony H50. I need to explore those features and start learning how to use them effectively. Since 18-55's zooming is limited, H50 will come handy in clicking far away objects.

Now that I have a DSLR, can I please please go back in time and re-visit all the places I've been to?

Will write a detailed review of the camera later, after using it for couple of months.

So from now, as an esteemed reader of my blog, you'll have the additional privilege of enjoying the photos taken from my d5100. Doesn't this also means I should start using heavy photographic jargons in my posts- f2.8, white balance, macro, aperture, shutter speed... :)

Also read: Panasonic FT3 review *