D5100 Help. I Rented It First, Have a Few Concerns.

[Corey @ Faymus Media]

Well i was thinking about a D5100 strictly for video. I need a backup for video only to do all my reviews for youtube. I know the D800, D800E, and D4 in and out. I know the D5200 fairly well. However the D5100 has a few quirks that bother me.

First off the video is great quality. Perfect for what I need it for, images are pretty darn good as well. $400 well spent except 2 things.

1. the exposure is constantly adjusting. While that is good in video when I do some of my videos, I dont want to have to lock the exposure because then I have no way to brighten or darken the image without unlocking, then adjusting, then locking again. Is there any way around this?

2.aperature in live view, can I adjust it?

Thanks for the help guys.


P.S I added a hilarious photo. I think that huge Nikkor makes the D5100 look puny and weak LOL

 

[SkvLTD]

Don't believe you can. I've seen some guy on a different board get a perfectly good, mid-consumer range still camera almost exclusively for video work only to be disappointed by lack of such manual controls mid-recording.

As I and the whole forum said- you can't expect relatively specific and inexpensive product designed for A do B far better than its price level. Get video cameras for video, Canons, or a higher end Nikons.

 

[Corey @ Faymus Media]

The D5100 has great quality video for what I need it for. Just my YouTube channel and other video. Nothing major, it's exceptionally good almost good enough for a backup camera.

However the only thing that bothers me about the D5100 is the auto exposure. It has to be locked to prevent adjustment. Turns out the D3200, and D5200 both do that. The D7000 doesn't however you can't change aperture in live view on the D7000 or D7100.

 

[SkvLTD]

What about using manual aperture lenses? And 7000s are the high-end of the consumer grade, so it makes perfect sense for them to be well above entry and mid-level cameras.

And I was referring solely to the available features. Video quality really is pretty decent, but as you've seen, not many manual adjustments available. Hackers aren't focused on these either, so I doubt these features will ever come to these bodies.