Hello everyone, my name’s Mike and I’m new to this forum, actually so far this is the only camera/photography forum I’m registered on. This maybe a bit long and if it’s against the rules for length I’m very sorry but I have my first question/s to the D5100 users, please. I’ve spent the last 3-4 weeks going back and forth between Canon and Nikon, first with the T2i/T3i & the D3100 & D5100…then the D90 & 60D, and then ventured into the D7000; 700 and 300s then to the Canon higher ups; I have the money (retired and tax refund). Brief photography history; back about 30 years ago I had a Nikon FE, I know-entry level and not a F3 but it was manual and I got pretty good at it till the wife nagged about the cost etc. so it was put aside. 20 years later I sold it after it sat in the closet forever so long and got a cheap Nikon N4004 (didn’t know it was cheap model back then, it was $500 some 15 years or so ago) for the wife, this has been used occasionally but never extently (word?) till now the digital world…I never got a P&S but now have all sorts of time and discretionary money [not rich]. So far I can think my main interest is only in photos; maybe video later (because it’s on most newer cameras but right now only photos), no interest in sports videos per say maybe wildlife later but mostly landscape, buildings, and trees (landscape)… some of the trees here have the strangest shapes and would look great in B/W, not an Ansell Adams and don’t have the money for med. format but thought his photos were fantastic. So this is why, right now, I’m looking at the D5100/T2i or T3i. D5100 is supposed to have the D7000 sensor and the Rebels somewhat the 7D sensors. I keep coming back to the D5100 but it, and the T2(3)I are small; yes I know a lot of people like the smallness but I find it just doesn’t feel like anything till you get up to a 90D… so my question(s) are…took a long time to get to this point: THERE IS NO battery grip for the D5100. I’ve tried all sorts of wording on search engines and have only found 2 places where the aftermarket D3100 grip was put on the D5100 but only after filing/grinding down the GPS door side of the grip a little, but no one said if these, Meike, Keiko, and other Chinese grips worked 100% on their D5100, supposedly, I gather, there are no problems on the D3100, at least I haven’t read any, but since pretty much every forum/ review I’ve seen points to the D5100 over the D3100 as better image quality and edges out the Canon T2i&T3i in the same area, but the Rebels do have dedicated battery grips for them (contact points) I am wanting the D5100, and get good glass for it (decided that the D90. D7000, 700, 300s would too much of a learning curve right now, maybe latter but I figure you can get really good pictures with the D5100 and if need be edit them later…probably no need to spend an extra $400 -$1000 on something that is supposed to take as good images as the D7000… so surly some of you, or many of you, out there with a D5100 have wanted a battery grip either for the 2 batteries (thought I’ve heard the batteries are in parallel) or for the shear handling part (vertical shots and just to make it feel better in your hands) have put on the aftermarket D3100 battery grip on their D5100 or at least have known someone that did. Did everything function on the camera, did something not work that should’ve, did it breakdown shortly after, anything you can tell me about your experience because this is the deciding factor for Nikon at this stage, if it doesn’t really work right I guess I’ll go over to the T3i. Second question: are all of you happy with the Image quality? Any complaints, any I wish I would’ve gotten this instead of that? How high iso did you go and what glass do you use. Can you D5100 users help me out please?
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