Comparing Nikon’s 3 most popular cameras. D750 VS D7100 VS D5100

A lot of brands and models and who are the 3 most popular cameras from Nikon?

No matter what stage you are in the world of photography, often the big questions end up making our decisions a lot more complicated than they should be.

One of these questions is:

– Which camera to buy to start or progress on your photographic journey and get the best results?

Perhaps this article will help you decide, as you will see a comparison between Nikon’s 3 most popular cameras.

Nikon’s 3 most popular cameras are:

● Nikon D750 24 MP FX      

● Nikon D7100 24 MP DX      

● Nikon D5100 16 MP DX      

These 3 cameras are far from being launched, or any kind of novelty, but their price and popular appeal make them lead in sales of cameras of this brand.

The following comparison will give you an idea of ​​how these 3 cameras work in the practical world.

Comparing Nikon’s 3 most popular cameras. D750 VS D7100 VS D5100

These three models are the most used by photographers of all levels and across the planet, and are very reliable equipment.

This comparison will give you real-life examples to see which camera can meet your needs, expectations and why not pocket!

Landscape

It is very likely that you want a camera to use on your travels and take pictures of the places where you usually go!

And of course you want to do this in the best possible way, and not always with your cell phone , but do you really need a camera that will bankrupt you?

The comparison of this type of photography used a Tokina 12-28 F / 4 lens and a tripod, to keep the terrain flat between the cameras.

The use of Tokina, which is compatible with FX cameras and also with DX, allowed photography with very similar focal lengths to be taken.

The cameras were mounted on the same tripod and a remote control was used to shoot.

All were adjusted in almost the same way so that the results were approximate.

● Aperture priority mode (set at f / 8),      

● Matrix measurement, Auto WB,      

● Single autofocus mode (AF-S), single point focus,      

● Autofocus at the same point using the screen and not the viewfinder      

● Basic ISO for each camera (100 for the D750 and D7100 and ISO 200 for the D5100)      

These were the settings applied to extract the best files and quality possible from each sensor.

The raw files were processed in Lightroom to produce similar JPGs.

The results

Look at the photos below and try to guess which camera produced this image. The answer comes right after the photographs.

Answer: 1) D750 (left), 2) D5100 (center), 3) D7100 (right).

Here the deal is very simple, there is practically no difference between the 3 photos, so depending on the lighting conditions your D5100, the cheapest of the 3, has a performance very similar to the most expensive D750 in the group.

Social events

Meeting friends, events and family photos are also situations where it is good to have a camera close by.

And normally in this type of situation we can have a challenge for the capacity of some cameras.

In these situations we may encounter low light environments, then the context can change everything, from cameras, lenses to settings that you must adjust in your equipment.

The Tokina 12-28 f / 4 lens was also used here, it is not the best option for this type of photo, but it is the lens that made the comparison more balanced.

The settings on the 3 cameras were also the same:

● Aperture priority mode (at f / 4)      

● Measuring matrix      

● Auto WB, single autofocus mode (AF-S), single point focus      

● Focus on the viewfinder      

● Auto ISO without high ISO noise reduction      

With the use of auto ISO the cameras were limited to the maximum ISO that does not introduce much noise in the photos.

The pictures

And here do you find out who took each one of these photos? First you will see the Jpeg files without editing and then the files edited in Lightroom .

Here are the files edited in the same order.

Answer: 1) D7100 (left), 2) D750 (right), 3) D5100 (middle).

Exactly as in the previous scenario it is difficult to say whether it wins here, all 3 photos have very close quality and fulfill their role very well.

And again the choice is up to other features of this camera, and your choice should not only take image quality into account.

Sports

This is usually where we separate men from boys, or women from girls, when it comes to cameras.

Cameras made for the purpose of photographing sports usually come with a price tag that can be very intimidating.

Photographing movements, whether your loved ones playing ball in the yard or your favorite team in a competition will always be a good challenge for cameras and lenses.

And for these 3 Nikon cameras the challenge is no different.

In this type of situation you will probably use shutter priority as the main setting for your camera.

In this part of the battle, a monopod and a Tamron 70-300 f / 4-5.6 lens were used, which is compatible with both DX and FX cameras.

● Shutter-priority mode (aperture ranging between f / 4 and f / 5.6 over the entire zoom range)      

● Measuring matrix, automatic WB      

● continuous autofocus mode (AF-C), dynamic area AF mode (d9 for comparability)      

● Autofocus through the viewfinder and without high ISO noise reduction      

In darker environments you will depend a lot on the conjuration of your cameras, especially the ISO, so knowing how to use all the confirmations will help you a lot to get your photos.

For each photo, the shutter speed that best allowed the capture of light was selected, and not so much to freeze the moment, due to the low light where the photos were taken.

Le Photos

And here? Who’s who in this basket?

processed in Lightroom.

Answer: 1) D7100 (left), 2) D5100 (middle), 3) D750 (right).

Here we see that it is not for nothing that more expensive cameras have their place in the sun. It is clear that the D750 performs better here.

The tracking of objects to be photographed was better, the ability to stop time was better, and the colors look a little better.

The most advantage of the D750 in this type of scenario is its capacity of frames per second, which allows you to capture more photos and less time, so you don’t miss a moment.

Conclusion

Of the 3 most popular cameras from Nikon which is the best?

The answer depends. Everything will depend on what will be the application of this camera, on what it will take pictures.

If you don’t have the money to spend and you’re not going to take pictures of Neymar running across the pitch, maybe the D5100 solves your problems, of course it has its limitations.

But if you have a bad one left over there that you won’t use, maybe investing in a more expensive camera may be the answer. In the end it all depends on what you use it for.

And what cameras have you used, or are you looking to put them in the collection? Leave it in the comments. Mine is a Fujifilm XT-2.