Yes! I have finally made my move to purchase a Nikon D5100 with kit lens as my next camera for my photography hobby. For those who have been following my pages here and at my Facebook, I have contemplating for many many weeks to decide which camera I will get next after I sold my Olympus EPL-3. I was deciding between a Nikon D5100, D7000, Canon 600D or 60D; and finally decided to go with the Nikon D5100!

If you’re wondering why I choose this one, here are a few of my personal and practical reasons why the Nikon D5100.

1. The Nikon D5100 has the same 16mp sensor as the D7000 which produces great low light ISO and wide dynamic range photos for a DX camera . I currently don’t need the latest 24mp for my picture taking. And since I am using an aging Intel i3 Core PC to do minor adjustments with Jpeg or Raw and re-size & upload pics on the web, 16mp is good enough for me.
2. I usually buy cameras which are ‘a generation behind’. That means if the latest ‘just released’ model is a D5200, I’d get the D5100 instead. I did the same with Nikon D200, Sony Nex C3 and Olympus EPL-3. Is it a bad move, you might say? Not at all peepz! I have gotten great photos in the past with those older cameras as they are quite capable to produce good pics even thought they are a generation behind.
3. I get quite good price deals for cameras which are a generation behind. They are usually  priced lower as they have to compete with the latest models. Therefore I get to save quite a bit, which I can then use the savings to purchase a nice prime lens or an external flash to improve my pics.
4. I decided to get a mid-entry level DSLR camera this time around. I have enjoyed using the Nikon D80 and the semi pro D200 in the past, but I haven’t tried a mid-entry level Nikon yet. By getting to know the D5100 system (and also my brother’s Canon 550D), I will be able to assist first time users (who purchased the cameras from me), and hopefully I can sell more of these entry and mid-entry level DSLRs too! 🙂
5. Mid-entry level cameras equals user friendly features! Especially useful when I ask a friend (who is first time camera user) to take some pics and record a video of me at my music gigs. It’d be easier to guide them on how to use the camera.
6. Articulate LCD screen! Yes folks, since I tried the Sony Nex C3 and the Olympus EPL-3, I have been hooked on using the articulate LCD screen to compose my pics and videos. A useful feature to compose high and low angle shots!

Will I go for the 24mp Nikons or the 20mp Canons in the future? Well maybe I will. Perhaps I may consider going into full frame DSLR for my next purchase! If budget permits, the next current ‘investment’ that I may look at is a affordable prime lens (a Nikon 35mm f1.8 or a 50mm f1.8) and an external microphone for my DSLR (Nikon ME-1). In the meantime, I am really excited with my D5100 and will look forward to take it out for my photo outings!

The Nikon D5100 with kit lens 18-55mm VR comes in a big elongated box.

Upon unboxing the D5100, you get the View NX CD, user manual and the other usual stuffs (not pictured) such as USB and video cables, battery and charger etc. My camera is a Japan import version and therefore comes with a user manual in Japanese. I have no qualms with that because there is a CD copy included which has the English language D5100 manual in PDF format. Well I never refer to the printed book anyway and prefer the PDF version (which I can also download to my phone) for reference.

Here is my current set up. The D5100 with kit will join my Tamron 90mm macro lens with 1.4 tele-converter and Nikon SB-600 flash which I currently have from my previous D200 set up.