millsart
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 p.3 #12 · Thoughts on a d5100 DX lightweight setup | |
Well camera came today so thought I'd share some first impressions of the overall handling and what not before anything about image quality, specific lenses etc
Remember I never looked at any models in the shop first as well so my first hands on was literally pulling it from the box.
Overall it seems both big and small to me. Having been shooting m4/3, Leica's, X100, various compacts like the LX5 and G12 and also my NEX system, it seems all and all pretty big. Certainly a rather thick overall camera body if your used to NEX or a GF1 etc, yet, at the same time, sitting next to a D3 it does appear quite tiny for a DSLR and quite light.
While "small" luckily the grip feels pretty comfortable. Might not want a SB900 and 24-70 mounted on it all day, but certainly feel I've got plenty to hold onto, which isn't always the case with smaller DSLR's I've found. Pretty ergonomic for my average sized hands.
Viewfinder also seems a bit small from what I'm used to as its certainly not FF, nor even up there with what I remember form my D300. Useable though, I mean its not great, but its not the worst I've ever seen either. Focus points are very small little dots though, hard to see and I'm sure glad they light up. I'm used to the big light red squares on the D3 so these are awfully small, but again, they do light up and as long as use the center one its pretty easy to figure out what your doing.
As for the LCD, well frankly its just AWESOME! Great image from the 912K pixel display and being able to flip it out is really handy. Whats even cooler I found is that if your shooting vertical, the info on the LCD flips around to match the vertical framing. Really Right Stuff even has a L bracket that will work with the LCD so this is going to be fantastic for landscape shooting I think.
Also good news is that the contrast detect AF is pretty quick. Not as fast as something like a GH2 in m4/3, but much, much, much faster than the 5-10 seconds I'm used to live view AF taking to work. Just testing indoors this seems to work in about 1 second or so, about as fast as a point and shoot more or less. Probably not great for moving subjects but for static stuff I can't see it holding me back any.
One thing Im not used to is that after you press the shutter it takes a few seconds to take the shot and the screen blacks out. Just how it has to work on a DSLR I guess, but certainly different again than m4/3, NEX etc. Again, for tripod shot hardly a dealbreaker.
The controls I have found a little confusing as well since there aren't dedicated buttons like on the D3 and no top LCD etc. Kind of confusing as the interface and menu buttons etc are all different than the D3/D300/D700 layout but doesn't seem too bad, not like I'm really going to be changing most of that stuff very often.
I suppose a dedicated ISO button etc would be nice, and maybe for more pro work it would get annoying, but again, given I'm probably going to do mostly tripod shooting I'm sure I'll just be at base ISO. Its really just a button push and then a menu selection away, but still, not quite like the direct controls of the D3
Phase detect AF seems quite good, no major lag, nor with the shutter and shot to shot times just messing around seemed good as well. Pretty responsive camera. Slower than a higher end model no doubt but I think under most circumstances it wouldn't leave anyone feeling the camera is slowing them down.
Overall it seems pretty nice for the money though I'd have to say. Again, not as compact as I'm used to but its not really like a GH m4/3 body fits into a coat pocket either, espcially with a couple of lenses so both would require a small bag.
Hopefully the better IQ, DR etc will more than make up for the added size/weight of the system.
I really think that the LCD display articulating alone is going to make it worth any tradeoffs this would have with any other body though. Again, can't stress how nice it is being able to comfortably see and compose on the LCD screen from any angle.
Worth mentioning that when in M mode the LCD doesn't reflect any adjustments in exposure though, which is kind of weird, but in Av mode, as you dial EC up or down, the display does get lighter darker so you can judge the exposure. Will have to test how well it matches my monitor.
I'd say bottom line so far, if you want a compact DSLR with a good sensor and will be doing lots of landscapes, tripods shooting etc, D5100 seems like the one to pick
If your more into doing PJ work, sports, weddings, etc, then D7k or even a higher end body still holds some advantages for that type of shooting.
More to come.....
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I'm green with envy at the idea of having a light-weight kit. 
Low weight is nice when climbing over furniture to get the following shot (taken yesterday). The flip-out screen would also be helpful (I took several shots with the Hail-Mary-overhead method).