DSTE Pro Battery Grip (Battery Grip D5100+) for Nikon D5100, D5200, & D5300 Review

I purchased the DSTE Pro Battery Grip for the Nikon D5100 DSLR camera a few months after purchasing my Nikon D5300 even though I had a Meike Battery Grip (which I had purchased for my Nikon D5100 but works fine in my new Nikon D5300).

One of the reasons I purchased this new DSTE Pro Battery Grip (also called the Battery Grip D5100+) is that it supposedly supported using AA batteries in addition to using EN-EN14 batteries. Because the Nikon D5100 and the Nikon D5300 will reject generic/no-name EN-EL14 batteries that don't have a chip on them, I was skeptical that using AA batteries would work in my Nikon D5300 with the DSTE Pro Battery Grip.

When I received my DSTE Pro Battery Grip, I tried it on my Nikon D5300 and found that it worked without any issues. Since the Nikon D5300 is not exactly the same size as the Nikon D5100 which this battery grip is advertised for, the fit is not 100% on my Nikon D5300 (but I would say that it was very close). Still, I find that this battery grip fit my Nikon D5300 very well and the extra spacing is minimal.

The battery grip comes with 2 battery trays which fit through the side of the battery grip. One battery tray supports two (2) EN-EL14 batteries and the other battery tray supports/uses six (6) AA batteries.

I tested using six NiMH rechargeable batteries and I took over 600 photos during a photo session where I used my Nikon SB-910 external flash/speedlight with my Nikon D5300 so the AA batteries weren't powering the camera's flash. I don't know the exact limit of the number of pictures that I could have taken with the six AA NiMH rechargeable batteries since the photo session ended.

Unlike with the Meike Battery Grip where the EN-EL14 fits into the battery grip directly, with the DSTE Pro Battery Grip, the two EN-EL14 drops/fits into a battery tray and this tray is inserted into the side of the battery grip. The Nikon D5300 camera powers up and behaved normally with either the two EN-EL14 tray inserted or the six AA tray inserted (with batteries in the respective trays of course).

The box/unit also came with a remote control but since the Nikon D5300 supports WiFi and I can take pictures using my Android smartphone/tablet, I have never used the remote control that came with it.

Just like the Meike Battery Grip, in order to use the button on the battery grip to shoot pictures, you will need to use the included cable to connect the battery grip to the side of the camera.

Although this battery grip is a bit more expensive than the Meike Battery Grip, for the additional functionality of using AA batteries, I find that it is well worth the higher price and I really recommend them. Since AA batteries are very easy to find/buy, having the ability to use AA batteries is great just in case you think that your EN-EL14 batteries are fully charged and they are not or the EN-EL14 batteries you have no longer maintain their charge.

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Nikon D5300 Review (First Thoughts)

I purchased a Nikon D5300 a few months ago and I decided that I would give it a full test during my vacation last month. For Nikon's product brochure of the Nikon D5300, please click *HERE*.

Having come from a Nikon D5100, here are some of the things there are a few things that I'm not overly enthusiastic about with the Nikon D5300.

One of the things that I don't really like is that the control to move/navigate through the menus is a bit harder than it is with the D5100. The navigation controller on the D5300 requires a harder click than it does with the D5100.

One of the key features of the Nikon D5300 over its predecessors in the Nikon D5x00 line is that it has built-in Wi-Fi and built-in GPS. Having used both the Wi-Fi and the GPS, I find both lacking.

With the Wi-Fi, the camera allows you to connect to an Android or an iOS device. It does not allow you to connect directly to a wireless access point. The wireless is also limited in that it only allows you to transfer images from the camera to your device (Android or iOS). It does not allow you to update the GPS file via wireless nor does it allow you to do a firmware update over wireless. Both updating the GPS file and doing a firmware update require downloading the respective file onto an SD card, inserting the SD card into the camera, and then importing it into the camera. The wireless feature of the camera does allow you to remotely take pictures with the camera using your Android/iOS device.

What I find limiting with the GPS feature of the camera is that it will sometimes take over 30 seconds to lock onto the GPS signal even when the camera has the latest a-GPS (assisted GPS) file. Thirty seconds might not sound like a long time but when you want to take a picture and the camera hasn't yet locked onto the GPS signal, this amount of time might cause you to take a picture without the location data embedded into the picture when timing is critical. Also, when the camera goes into sleep mode, if you've configured the GPS to power off in order to save battery power, it will take on average ~15 seconds (during my tests) for it to reacquire the GPS signal.

I've noticed that sometimes the GPS location information isn't accurate even when the camera indicates that the GPS is lock is acquired with the 3 bars. During my vacation, when I took a few pictures and I uploaded these pictures into my Google account, GoogleMaps would identify that I was located a few blocks away from the actual location that actually took the pictures (for example, GoogleMaps would show that I took a picture while I was inside a building when the picture that I actually took was an outdoor shot/picture).

The Nikon D5300 can be configured to get its time via GPS or when it connects to a cellphone/tablet.  I have my Android tablet configured to get the time via NTP so the time on my tablet is accurate within a fraction of a second and when I connect my Nikon D5300 via wireless to my Android tablet, I know that the time on my camera is accurate.

The wireless and the GPS features use up a lot of battery power. For me, I didn't have an issue with battery power because I used the Meike battery grip that I purchased for my Nikon D5100 with my Nikon D5300. The battery grip worked very well with my Nikon D5300 and during my vacation I was able to take over 1500 pictures without having to recharge the batteries.

I find the pictures taken with my Nikon D5300 to be very good and better than what I was getting with my older Nikon D5100. I think part of this has to do with the difference in resolution since my older Nikon D5100 was 16.2 megapixel vs. the 24.2 megapixels of my Nikon D5300.

One other thing that I don't really like in the Nikon D5300 (but it is the same in the older Nikon D5100 that I had) is that the LCD panel is not a touch screen. Navigating through some of the menus would be a lot easier if the LCD panel was touch screen.

These are my first thoughts on my Nikon D5300 after having used it during my vacation.

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QuickPro Camera Guides Nikon D5100 DVD Review

I'm still suffering from a bad cold so I didn't write a blog entry last week and this week, I decided to write a very short blog entry on a DVD. I received the QuickPro Camera Guides Nikon D5100 DVD for Christmas and after watching it, I thought that I would write a quick review on it.

Having my Nikon D5100 for about 1.5 years and still not using it to its full potential, I look for various books/DVDs/videos specifically on the Nikon D5100.

The DVD is divided into 10 chapters with each chapter covering a specific topic or topics on the Nikon D5100. The majority of this DVD shows the video presenter describing the Nikon D5100's various menu options and makes a few suggestions on what setting to use for various situations (sporting events, portraits, etc.). While a Nikon D5100 novice who might not have read the Nikon D5100 user's manual might find the information found in this DVD to be very good, I found it to be somewhat boring especially since I purchased 2 books that cover the Nikon D5100 in depth.

If you are someone who doesn't like reading through user's manuals or books on your specific camera model, you might find this DVD to be useful. However, I believe that you can probably find a lot of free informative videos online (such as on YouTube) which might be better.

I can't really recommend this DVD unless you are a complete novice to the Nikon D5100 and you are the type of person who doesn't like reading through the user's manual or reading any book. While this DVD might make a great gift with the Nikon D5100, as a standalone gift/purchase, I can't really recommend it since I found the information to be very dry. Based on the suggested purchase price of this DVD, I would recommend a book specifically on the Nikon D5100 over this DVD.

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Meike battery grip for Nikon D5100 D-SLR camera review

I purchased a Meike battery grip for my Nikon D5100 D-SLR camera a few weeks ago and received it recently so I thought that I would write a review on the product.

Since the Nikon D5100 D-SLR is considered to be a mid-level entry camera, Nikon hasn't released a battery grip for this camera and probably won't so some companies have decided to fill in the void by creating their own battery grip for the Nikon D5100 camera.

I purchased my battery grip mainly because I heard/read that the battery grip will allow photographers to use non-Nikon OEM EN-EL14 batteries for their Nikon D5100 camera. As mentioned in my mini-review on the Nikon D5100 D-SLR camera, the D5100 detects a computer chip on authentic Nikon EN-EL14 batteries and will give an error message as well as not work when non-Nikon batteries are used. Even though I have 2 authentic Nikon batteries and I always like to carry 2 sets of batteries whenever I take pictures, I felt that because of the high price of the authentic Nikon EN-EL14 battery compared to the OEM EN-EL14 battery, one day I might decide to get OEM batteries and having the battery grip would be useful.

The first thing about the battery grip is that the colour matches the camera relatively well. You would have to look very closely to notice the difference in colour between the D5100 body and the battery grip. That being said, the battery grip is light and the plastic feels cheap when compared to the plastic on the D5100 camera body itself. The fit of the battery grip and the D5100 body is almost perfect. There is very little empty space between the camera body and the battery grip once the battery grip is secured in place using the screw that fits into the tripod hole on the bottom of the camera. The battery cover clip/lever on the battery grip is flimsy but it gets the job done by locking the battery grip's battery cover in place one the EN-EL batteries are inserted.

People should be aware that some people have modified the Meike battery grip for Nikon D3100 cameras by cutting/sanding one side of the battery grip. The side of the battery grip is the only difference between the Meike battery grip for Nikon D3100 cameras and the Meike battery grip for Nikon D5100 cameras. Personally the box that I purchased indicated that the battery grip was specifically for the Nikon D5100 camera.

In order to use the battery grip, you must first remove the battery cover from the D5100 body. To do this, you just angle the battery cover at roughly 45 degrees and pull firmly and the battery cover will pop off the bottom of the D5100. There is a holder space for the battery cover on the Meike battery grip so that people don't misplace/lose it.

Once the battery grip is attached to the D5100 body, it gives the camera a "better" look (in my opinion). For me, I find that the added weight makes it a little easier for me to take pictures.

The battery grip has a shutter release button (to take pictures). This makes it easier to take pictures while holding the battery grip (holding camera vertically). However in order to use the battery grip's shutter release button, you must use the included cable which connects the battery grip to the camera via the port on the left side of the camera.

I was going to test OEM EN-EL14 batteries in my Meike battery grip but I was pleasantly surprised that the OEM generic/non-Nikon EN-EL14 batteries that I purchased actually worked in my Nikon D5100 camera.

Based on some of the other reviews that I've seen, in order to use generic/non-Nikon EN-EL14 batteries in the battery grip, you first have to insert the authentic Nikon EN-EL14 battery into the battery grip (on the right side). After the authentic Nikon battery is inserted on the right side of the battery grip, you would then power up the Nikon D5100 camera and it will power on. After doing this, you turn off the Nikon D5100 camera and insert the OEM EN-EL14 on the left side of the battery grip. With this configuration/set-up, the D5100 will still power-up. After doing this, you can replace the authentic Nikon EN-EL14 battery on the right side with an OEM EN-EL14 battery so that there are two OEM EN-EL14 batteries in the battery grip and the Nikon D5100 will still power-up. Once this is done, as long as there is always 1 battery in the battery grip, you can swap out the other battery without any issues and the camera will still work. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your viewpoint), I wasn't able to test this (but I've seen videos showing this) since my OEM EN-EL14 batteries actually work in my D5100 camera.

I think that this battery grip is a useful accessory but since it is very easy to swap batteries in the Nikon D5100, I don't really see a point to the longer shooting time offered by the battery grip except if the person takes a lot of videos (or takes very long videos). In terms of whether I recommend the product or not, I think that it depends on whether the person plans on purchasing OEM EN-EL14 batteries in the future which may or may not work directly with the Nikon D5100 camera. For me, the OEM EN-EL14 batteries that I purchased surprisingly worked directly with my Nikon D5100 camera.

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Nikon SB-910 AF Speedlight/Flash Mini Review

I got the chance to try out the Nikon SB-910 AF speedlight/flash about a month ago and I thought that I would write a mini review of it. I didn't use it a lot but during my testing on my Nikon P5100 and on my Nikon D5100 D-SLR, I didn't encounter any issues with it.

The Nikon SB-910 AF is the update to the slightly older SB-900 AF. According to the reviews and videos that I've seen regarding the SB-900, the SB-900 has an overheating problem. According to these reviews and videos, after taking ~25 pictures with the flash in relatively short duration, the SB-900 would stop working in order to protect itself from overheating. The SB-910 doesn't suffer from this.

From what I've seen, the Nikon SB-910 accomplishes this by reducing the intensity/power of the flash so that you can continue to take pictures without fear of overheating the flash or the flash going into "cooldown" mode.

I've tested the SB-910 AF by flashing it manually while it wasn't connected to my camera (using the button on the flash) and it continued to flash even after 50 flashes where I would use the flash approximately 2 seconds apart from one another.

The Nikon SB-910 AF comes with 1 diffusion dome that fits over the flash and 2 filters (1 for when using it in incandescent light conditions which is orange in colour and 1 for when using it in fluorescent light conditions which is green in colour). It also comes with a small speedlight stand and a very nice soft case. There are 2 manuals/booklets with the SB-910 where one of the booklets is the user manual and the other booklet is a sample of pictures taken with the flash.

The Nikon SB-910 uses 4 AA batteries. During my tests, I used NiMH batteries and got good results (relatively fast recharge time between flashes and decent battery life).

What I like about the SB-910 is that unlike my smaller SB-400, the flash head tilts up and down as well as rotates horizontally. It also supports Nikon's new i-TTL system. Something else that the SB-910 includes remote/wireless support.

Unlike my smaller SB-400, the SB-910 has a display screen and has a lot more features and functions (categorized by an LCD panel with a menu system via a variety of buttons and a dial). The SB-400 only had a status LED and the locking switch. During my limited testing, I didn't do a lot of testing with the different features on the SB-910.

What I like about the SB-910 is that it allows for more control than the SB-400. However, this more control has 1 drawback and that is that the photographer using it must know what he/she is doing. In my opinion, this might be a bit overwhelming to D-SLR photographers just starting out. Another thing that I like about the SB-910 is that the flash head can be tilted/rotated so that you can employ "bounce" flash photography techniques. The SB-910's flash is of course also more powerful than the SB-400 which allows for light to go further and allows for the photographer to get properly exposed pictures which are a bit further away.

I tested the SB-910 on my Nikon D5100 D-SLR as well as on my point & shoot Coolpix P5100 and it works with both cameras. However, as you can see from the photos above, on the Coolpix P5100, it looks very awkward and feels very awkward/heavy since the flash is heavier and larger than the camera itself.

Nikon SB-910 AF on Nikon Coolpix P5100

Nikon SB-910 AF on Nikon D5100 D-SLR

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Nikon SB-400 Speedlight/Flash Mini Review

I purchased my Nikon SB-400 speedlight/flash over 1 year ago and I thought that I would write a mini review of it.

I purchased this speedlight for one of my Nikon digital cameras (Nikon Coolpix P5100) mainly because I wasn't satisfied with the built-in flash from the camera itself. I feel that the range for the built-in flash for most digital cameras (including the Nikon P5100) is very limited.

When I saw the SB-400 at a very good price I decided to purchase it.

The Nikon SB-400 is considered to be Nikon's entry-level speedlight/flash and it uses 2 AA batteries. I've used mainly rechargeable NiMH batteries in my SB-400 and find the battery life to be very good. I also like the fact that it is compact/tiny compared to the full-sized speedlights/flashes from Nikon. If I used one of the full-sized flashes on my Nikon Coolpix P5100, it would look very awkward since the flash would be larger than the camera itself.

Nikon SB-400 on Nikon Coolpix P5100

Nikon SB-400 on Nikon D5100 D-SLR

I find the recharge rate for the SB-400 to be good. It uses Nikon's i-TTL flash system so it is also compatible with my Nikon DSLR (Nikon D5100). In fact, even though I have a full-size flash (which I will write a mni-review at a future date), I still bring my Nikon SB-400 speedlight with me and will occasionally use it with my Nikon DSLR.

What I like about the Nikon SB-400 is that it is small/tiny and light-weight. I also like that it uses two standard AA batteries and has a fairly quick flash recharge rate when compared to the camera's built-in flash. The last thing that I like about it is that it supports Nikon's new i-TTL flash system. I also like that it comes with a very nice form-fitting soft case.

What I don't really like about the Nikon SB-400 is that it does not have a swiveling head. It does allow the flash to be tilted up to 90 degrees (in certain increments). The flash also doesn't have any "zoom" feature nor does it have any wireless support. It also has no on-screen display nor any controls (there is only an on/off switch, an status LED, and a flash/camera locking lever).

Based on the price that I paid for my Nikon SB-400 speedlight/flash, I've been satisfied with my purchase. I take a lot of indoor shots and I find that not only with my Nikon Coolpix P5100 but also with my Nikon D5100, the speedlight extends the range of the built-in flash. It also conserves some of the camera's battery for taking pictures instead of powering the flash.

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Nikon D5100 D-SLR Mini-Review

Even though I don't get a lot of hits for my reviews/thoughts on digital cameras that I've used, a few of my friends asked me about the D-SLR that I used and what I thought about it.

I wanted to get a D-SLR late last year and when the opportunity presented itself, I purchased the Nikon D5100 based on a the specifications and a few of the reviews I read or saw on YouTube. At the time that I purchased it, I was looking for an entry level or mid-entry level D-SLR. Since I've never had any major issues with any of the Nikon cameras that I've used/purchased, I decided to go with a Nikon camera.

At the time that I purchased my Nikon D5100, there were only 4 entry-level to mid-level Nikon D-SLRs available. There was the D3000, the D3100, the D5000, and the D5100 (the new D3200 was not available when I made my choice). Based on these four Nikon D-SLRs, I decided to go with the D5100.

In terms of the specifications for this camera, it is a 16 megapixel camera that takes pictures with a maximum resolution of 4,928 x 3,264. It saves in 14 bit RAW format (NEF - Nikon's proprietary RAW format) and the industry JPG standard. It uses SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards. For taking pictures in continuous mode (especially in RAW format) or for taking HD quality video, it is recommended to use Class 10 cards. The camera does have an internal memory buffer so you can take photos in continuous mode in RAW+JPG formats and it will move these photos to the memory card (in case your memory card is not fast enough to store the photos immediately). Once the internal memory buffer is filled, it won't allow you to take any photos. The camera is capable of taking full HD video at ~30 fps. For further detailed specifications, you can refer to Nikon's website on the product.

What I like about the D5100 is the vari-angle LCD viewscreen monitor. I also like the fact that it uses SD memory cards and that fact that the entry-level Nikon speedlight (SB-400) that I purchased for my Nikon P5100 is fully compatible with my Nikon D5100. I also like the weight and size/feel of the camera although compared with Nikon's professional series of D-SLRs, you do notice the difference in material and weight.

What I don't really like about the Nikon D5100 is that it uses proprietary Nikon batteries (like most of Nikon's digital cameras). It uses the Nikon EN-EL14 format. However because of a computer-chip on the battery (and the fact that the Nikon D3100 & D5100) actually look for this computer-chip, 3rd party EN-EL14 batteries are not likely to work in this camera so you are stuck purchasing the more expensive authentic Nikon battery. There are reports that using a 3rd party Nikon battery grip for this camera (Nikon doesn't make a battery grip for this camera), you can use a non-authentic Nikon battery as long as you have an authentic Nikon battery as one of the batteries in the battery grip. I have not tested this yet since I don't really see the point in purchasing a battery grip that basically allows for 2 batteries that that camera accepts by default since it is very easy to swap out the battery in the camera once it is exhausted but have seen various video reviews on YouTube showing this to work. The only benefit that I can see to getting this 3rd party Nikon D5100 (or Nikon D3100) battery grip is if it does accept 3rd party EN-EL14 batteries and/or if you plan on taking a lot of long videos where it isn't very practical to swap out the battery once it is exhausted. Having mentioned what I dislike about the Nikon D5100 battery issue, even though I have 2 authentic Nikon EN-EL14, I have never run out of power during a day of shooting photos requiring me to swap out my Nikon EN-EL14 battery so in my opinion the original Nikon EN-EL14 batteries do appear to last a long time between charges.

Other than my complaint about the battery, I don't have any major complaints about this camera. The built-in flash is not that powerful but this is the same with all digital cameras that I've used.

If you have any questions/comments regarding my experience with my Nikon D5100 (or anything written on this blog), please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section. Please note that comments are moderated and any comments that contain a URL link or hyperlink will automatically be flagged as being spam and will not be posted.

Nikon Coolpix L120 Mini Review

Even though there doesn't seem to be a lot of interest in cameras based on the hits from my previous blog entry about the Nikon Coolpix P5100, some of my friends/colleagues asked me about my thoughts on the Nikon Coolpix L120 after I used it on my vacation so I've decided to write my thoughts about the L120 on my blog.

Even though my old Nikon Coolpix P5100 still worked (and I was/am happy with the picture quality), there was a sale on the Nikon Coolpix L120 at the time so I decided to purchase it as my point and shoot camera. Because of the smaller and more compact size of my old Nikon Coolpix P5100 (and the fact that it can use an external hotshoe flash which I own) and it can take high quality pictures/videos, I bring this camera with me most of the time but when I go on vacation/trips, I normally will bring my Nikon Coolpix L120.

One of the things that I like about the Nikon Coolpix L120 is the fact that it takes standard AA batteries (it uses 4 batteries). This is somewhat unusual for Nikon since most of their cameras use proprietary Nikon batteries with the newer Nikon D-SLRs using proprietary Nikon batteries where 3rd party batteries can't be used at all because of a chip on the battery that the camera looks for.

The fact that the Nikon Coolpix L120 uses standard AA batteries was the reason I purchased this camera when it was on sale since it has happened to me in the past where my camera batteries ran out of charge during my vacation and I wasn't anywhere near my hotel room so I couldn't recharge my batteries. By using standard AA batteries, I can purchase these batteries almost anywhere/anytime if my rechargeable batteries run out of power. Also, since I have a lot of rechargeable AA batteries, I don't really expect there to be an issue with me running out of power when I am taking pictures.

Another thing I like about this camera is that the zoom is very good (21x optical zoom wide) and it is better than on my older P5100.

Another reason for my purchase of the L120 when it was on sale was because it offered a slightly better resolution over my P5100. The resolution of the Coolpix L120 is rated as being 14.1 MP whereas the Coolpix P5100 is rated as being 12.1 MP. However, megapixels are not everything when it comes to picture quality. The picture quality is largely dependant on the lens and I've never had any problems/issues with the lenses from the Nikkor lenses on my Nikon cameras.

Compared with my P5100, my L120 is a simpler camera to use. It is a simple point and shoot camera (whereas my P5100 had some camera picture taking control/settings similar to DSLRs). The Nikon Coollpix L120 has pre-set scene shooting modes (indoor, outdoor, portrait, landscape, etc.). There are 17 scene modes.

It doesn't have an optical viewfinder. When taking pictures, if it is very bright, it might be difficult to see your subject using the LCD screen. My old P5100 had both a optical viewfinder and the LCD screen.

The L120 being more of what I would consider to be an entry level simple point and shoot camera, doesn't support external hotshoe flash.

In terms of the picture quality, I find that it takes very good pictures outdoors. Indoors, you have to remember to change the settings for the shooting scene mode since I've found that the easy auto scene mode doesn't handle the white balance very well indoors.

This was taken with the easy auto mode. You can see how there is an orange-like colour because of the white balance. The above picture was taken at the MGM Grand - Las Vegas.

This picture was taken with the indoor scene mode. This picture was taken at the Venetian Las Vegas.

One of the things that I don't like about the L120 is that it uses a clip/click-on lens cover. The reason I don't like it (or I prefer the lens cover on my Nikon Coolpix P5100 which uses an automatic lens cover) is because sometimes I've forgotten to remove the lens cover and I've turned on the camera either purposely or accidentally. This causes the lens to extend but the lens cover prevents the lens from extending. This can damage the lens camera motor (which has happened to me in the past with one of my digital cameras when it accidentally turned on while it was in my tight/small camera bag).

I find that this P&S camera is fairly large for a point and shoot camera. This camera won't fit into my older camera bags because of the size. What takes up the majority of the size is the lens which is larger than what you get with most point and shoot cameras.

If you have any questions/comments regarding my experience with my Nikon Coolpix L120 (or anything written on this blog), please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section. Please note that comments are moderated and any comments that contain a URL link or hyperlink will automatically be flagged as being spam and will not be posted.

Nikon Coolpix P5100 Mini Review

Friends and colleagues have asked me what digital camera I have/use and I thought that even though one of my digital cameras is a bit old, it would be a good time to write my impressions on one of my digital cameras. I have a few digital cameras and the digital camera that I still use occasionally because of it's functionality and size is my Nikon P5100.


You can find lots of reviews on the internet regarding this phone since it is a few years old so I will just write about what I like regarding the camera and what I don't like regarding the camera. For the exact details (specs) of the camera, you can do a search on Google for one of the many reviews.


It is basically a 12.1 megapixel camera with a 3.5x optical zoom with stabilization.


One of the things that I like about this camera is that it combines the ease of a point and shoot (P&S) automatic camera with some of the features of a SLR without the interchangeable lenses.

The first thing that I like about this camera is the size. It is obviously smaller than my D-SLR but has many of the features of my D-SLR. It gives me almost as much control over my picture taking (shutter, aperture, and manual exposure modes). It also has quite a few scene modes that make it as easy to use as a regular P&S camera.

Another thing that I like about this camera is that it supports Nikon Speedlights (flashes). I find this to be a very useful feature because like all digital cameras that I've used/seen, most of them take very good pictures in the sunlight but indoors the built-in flash is lacking.

Something else that I like about this camera is that you are able to use the optical viewfinder as well as using the LCD display to take pictures. I find the optical viewfinder to be great when taking pictures in the bright sunlight since sometimes it is difficult to use the LCD display.

When I purchased this camera a few years ago, my previous Nikon camera didn't support SD-HC so it was limited to SD cards (less than or equal to 2 GB). Now, most digital cameras support the various SD formats so it isn't a big deal.

Here is an example of a picture that I took outside.

Here is an example of a picture that I took indoors using the built-in flash:

I find that it takes excellent pictures outside but like all digital cameras, doesn't take very good pictures inside using the internal flash unless the subject is only a few meters away from the camera. I've had to reduce both image resolutions so that they show up properly on my blog but the original pictures were roughly 4000 x 3000.

The form factor of this camera is also good since it has a sort of a handle/grip on the side of the camera instead of being perfectly rectangular.

One of the things that I like about this camera is that it has a built-in automatic lens protector. When you turn on the camera, the lens protector automatically opens up and when you turn off the camera, the lens protector closes, automatically protecting the lens. With some of the other digital cameras that I've used, the lens protector is basically a circular lens cover that clips to the lens. If you forget to remove it when you turn on the camera, you run the risk of damaging the motor controlling the lens which has happened to me with one of my digital cameras.

One of the things that I'm not too crazy about with this camera is that it uses Nikon proprietary batteries. I have to mention that most Nikon cameras use Nikon proprietary batteries. Unlike with my Nikon D-SLR, with this camera, it does support 3rd party batteries. My Nikon D-SLR only supports official Nikon batteries. I would prefer if the Nikon P5100 supported the standard AA batteries since it has happened where after almost an entire day of picture taking, the two Nikon EN-EL5 batteries that I had with me ran out of power and I still wanted to take pictures.

If you have any questions/comments regarding my experience with my Nikon P5100 (or anything written on this blog), please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section. Please note that comments are moderated and any comments that contain a URL link or hyperlink will automatically be flagged as being spam and will not be posted.