# D5100 issues?



## G8trMom09 (Jan 23, 2012)

I'm looking to upgrade from my Coolpix P100 to either the D3100 or the D5100.  I'm leaning heavily towards the D5100, because it has more of the options I'm looking for, as well as the articulating screen similar to my P100's.  My main concern is that, in doing my research on the D5100, I've seen some reviews that were negative.  Every negative review I read was regarding the software issue that affects the memory cards or the issue with the blacked out photos that resulted in the camera having to go back.  It seemed like there would be 1 negative review for every 10 positive.  What worries me is how many of those that posted positive reviews ended up having either one or both of those issues and didn't update their reviews to reflect it?  I understand with anything electronic, it can sometimes be a game of chance - either you get lucky and have no issues, or you get a lemon.  There's no way to predict by looking at the item itself, or even by basing your decision solely on reviews.  I guess what I'm wondering is...has anyone here on this forum experienced either issue, and how long have you had your D5100's?  Would you recommend it?  I'm an amateur, but a pro amateur, if there is such a thing, and I'm ready to take the step up to a camera of this caliber.  My only concern is the reliability of the camera.  Thank you so much for reading such a long winded post and I hope everyone has a nice day!


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## MLeeK (Jan 23, 2012)

Actually, I've never heard that until you posted it! And there are plenty of the D5100's out there. 
Usually the very first wave has some kind of glitch in every camera that results in a firmware update. I am guessing that this is what it is/was. 
It certainly wouldn't deter me from purchasing one


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## MTVision (Jan 23, 2012)

G8trMom09 said:
			
		

> I'm looking to upgrade from my Coolpix P100 to either the D3100 or the D5100.  I'm leaning heavily towards the D5100, because it has more of the options I'm looking for, as well as the articulating screen similar to my P100's.  My main concern is that, in doing my research on the D5100, I've seen some reviews that were negative.  Every negative review I read was regarding the software issue that affects the memory cards or the issue with the blacked out photos that resulted in the camera having to go back.  It seemed like there would be 1 negative review for every 10 positive.  What worries me is how many of those that posted positive reviews ended up having either one or both of those issues and didn't update their reviews to reflect it?  I understand with anything electronic, it can sometimes be a game of chance - either you get lucky and have no issues, or you get a lemon.  There's no way to predict by looking at the item itself, or even by basing your decision solely on reviews.  I guess what I'm wondering is...has anyone here on this forum experienced either issue, and how long have you had your D5100's?  Would you recommend it?  I'm an amateur, but a pro amateur, if there is such a thing, and I'm ready to take the step up to a camera of this caliber.  My only concern is the reliability of the camera.  Thank you so much for reading such a long winded post and I hope everyone has a nice day!



I've never had a single issue with my camera - d5100. I've had it for around 7 months.


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## davesnothere11 (Jan 23, 2012)

I haven't had my D5100 for too long yet but no problems here. This is the first I've heard of those issues also and I did quite a bit of research prior to purchase.


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## KmH (Jan 23, 2012)

G8trMom09 said:


> I'm an amateur, but a pro amateur, if there is such a thing,


You bet there is such a thing.

There are a lot of people out there that have little idea how to actually do photography that are charging $$$'s to take photos for other people. We often get customers posting here on TPF about things like the 4,400 out-of-focus wedding photos some pro amateur shooter took and charged hundreds of $$$'s for. Many consumers shop sole based on price, so there is a market for cheap photographic work, 

The Nikon D5100 is one of Nikon's entry-level DSLR's and it's Nikon's 2nd best entry-level DSLR. The current best entry level Nikon is the Nikon D7000. Note however that the D5100 and the D7000 use the same image sensor. The D7000 has the advantage of more external controls which eliminate a lot of menu diving, more frames per second, dual memory card slots, better video, and other features the D5100 doesn't offer. 

The D5100 is designed to be compact to increase it's appeal to women. To make it and the D40/D40x/D60/D3000/D3100/D5000 compact, Nikon left out the auto focus motor and screw drive system found in all their other camera bodies. The vast majority of Nikon's current lenes have the auto focus moto in the lens so the compact Nikon's don't really need a focus motor in the camera body. Only older Nikon lenses don't have a focus motor in the lens.

Canon quit putting a focus motor in any of their cameras starting back in 1987 when they introduced their Electro-Optical System (EOS) and EF-mount.

No doubt all consumer electronics inevitably have some % of failures, and that's why they include a warranty.


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## matthewo (Jan 23, 2012)

My d5100 worked fine, but i quickly sold it and got a d7000, i would look into the d7000, imo the few hundred more is worth it


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## ph0enix (Jan 23, 2012)

G8trMom09 said:


> I'm looking to upgrade from my Coolpix P100 to either the D3100 or the D5100.  I'm leaning heavily towards the D5100, because it has more of the options I'm looking for, as well as the articulating screen similar to my P100's.  My main concern is that, in doing my research on the D5100, I've seen some reviews that were negative.  Every negative review I read was regarding the software issue that affects the memory cards or the issue with the blacked out photos that resulted in the camera having to go back.  It seemed like there would be 1 negative review for every 10 positive.  What worries me is how many of those that posted positive reviews ended up having either one or both of those issues and didn't update their reviews to reflect it?  I understand with anything electronic, it can sometimes be a game of chance - either you get lucky and have no issues, or you get a lemon.  There's no way to predict by looking at the item itself, or even by basing your decision solely on reviews.  I guess what I'm wondering is...has anyone here on this forum experienced either issue, and how long have you had your D5100's?  Would you recommend it?  I'm an amateur, but a pro amateur, if there is such a thing, and I'm ready to take the step up to a camera of this caliber.  My only concern is the reliability of the camera.  Thank you so much for reading such a long winded post and I hope everyone has a nice day!



I'm just curious.  Where did you see all those negative reviews?  I just took at quick look on Amazon, Nikon USA and B&H Photo.  Here are the reviewer stats:



> Amazon:
> 208 Reviews
> 5 star: (152)
> 4 star: (31)
> ...


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## sm4him (Jan 23, 2012)

I've had mine for six months and been completely satisfied. The ONLY issue I've had is that a few times recently, I've turned it on and it says there's no memory card inserted, when I *know* there is--in one instance, I'd already taken a picture and THEN it told me there was no memory card. But taking the card out and re-inserting it has always taken care of the problem, and frankly, I'm nearly certain it's not a problem with the camera but with a particular card.

You're right, there ARE going to be some "lemons" in every batch...whether it's cameras, cars, or coffee makers. The D5100 certainly doesn't have a bigger "lemon" rate than any other camera you could possibly get, at least not in that price range.


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## G8trMom09 (Jan 23, 2012)

Thank you all who have replied so far.  To KmH...by "pro amateur", I didn't mean to imply that I sell my photography for money.  What I meant is that I haven't had any classic training, but I know my way around a camera and what I don't know, I quickly learn.  The pictures that I take are for family and friends.  I wouldn't dream of charging for my work.  I do photography because it's fun and it's a wonderful hobby.  Should I have said I'm a hobbyist instead?  I'm sorry.  

The negative reviews that I read were scattered about on Amazon.com, Bestbuy.com, and general review sites like CNET.  The general issues that I find people commenting on are the lack of sophisticated features, because it is basically just an entry level DSLR.  What does concern me are the number of people who have had the firmware issue and then the disappointing black photo issue.  

I appreciate those recommending the D7000, but that isn't a consideration at this time.  Being as I'm a "hobbyist", I don't want to end up with more camera than I need, or spend so much on the camera that I can't afford the extras that I'd like, such as a tripod and a speed flash.  I'm comfortable with the D5100 as my next camera - it's just the issues that are being reported that I'm concerned about.


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## G8trMom09 (Jan 23, 2012)

sm4him said:


> I've had mine for six months and been completely satisfied. The ONLY issue I've had is that a few times recently, I've turned it on and it says there's no memory card inserted, when I *know* there is--in one instance, I'd already taken a picture and THEN it told me there was no memory card. But taking the card out and re-inserting it has always taken care of the problem, and frankly, I'm nearly certain it's not a problem with the camera but with a particular card.
> 
> You're right, there ARE going to be some "lemons" in every batch...whether it's cameras, cars, or coffee makers. The D5100 certainly doesn't have a bigger "lemon" rate than any other camera you could possibly get, at least not in that price range.



I've read specifically about this issue in some negative reviews, and it's reportedly linked to a firmware update. Supposedly, if you update the firmware, the issue with reading the cards will correct itself.
​
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/editpost.php?p=2471681&do=editpost​http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/editpost.php?p=2471681&do=editpost


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## MTVision (Jan 23, 2012)

G8trMom09 said:
			
		

> I've read specifically about this issue in some negative reviews, and it's reportedly linked to a firmware update. Supposedly, if you update the firmware, the issue with reading the cards will correct itself.
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/editpost.php?p=2471681&do=editposthttp://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nikon/editpost.php?p=2471681&do=editpost



So I just read a bunch of negative reviews. Looks like there were some faulty shutters. Of course there will be some cameras with problems - just like every other product. 

Some of the other users complaints are IMO user error. Someone even said the d7000 images were so poor they went back to the d5100. Some complained about lack of sharpness out of the box. ISO is usually set to auto out of the box especially on auto mode. That will cause lack of sharpness as well as letting the camera choose where to focus. People were also complaining about the video and how their video cameras perform better. That's kind of a given - it's not a video camera. 

I think you will probably find issues with any camera. I've shot well over 5,000 pictures and have not had a single issue. Not one. And I've never updates the firmware either. 

I also don't find that it's noisy at high ISO's either. It will be noisy at any ISO if you Underexpose the image.


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## sm4him (Jan 23, 2012)

G8trMom09 said:


> sm4him said:
> 
> 
> > I've had mine for six months and been completely satisfied. The ONLY issue I've had is that a few times recently, I've turned it on and it says there's no memory card inserted, when I *know* there is--in one instance, I'd already taken a picture and THEN it told me there was no memory card. But taking the card out and re-inserting it has always taken care of the problem, and frankly, I'm nearly certain it's not a problem with the camera but with a particular card.
> ...



Possibly, but I've only had this issue a few times, all in the last month, and all with a new sd card. I'm still thinking it's the card, not the camera. And it's quite easily fix. Pull card, re-insert, problem solved.

I'm also on a couple of yahoo Nikon groups, and I've not heard a single complaint from anyone who owns a D5100 that is along the lines of what you're talking about. If you like the D5100, I say buy it! 
It's a really nice entry-level DSLR, and any issues that a very small number of them may have are certainly not prevalent enough to warrant any *real* risk in buying the camera, beyond the risk of buying any other camera.


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## Netskimmer (Jan 23, 2012)

matthewo said:


> My d5100 worked fine, but i quickly sold it and got a d7000, i would look into the d7000, imo the few hundred more is worth it



I did the exact same thing. Technically I didn't sell it, I returned it after nearly a month, but for the time I had it there were no troubles.


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## JohnYoga (Jan 29, 2012)

ph0enix said:


> G8trMom09 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm looking to upgrade from my Coolpix P100 to either the D3100 or the D5100.  I'm leaning heavily towards the D5100, because it has more of the options I'm looking for, as well as the articulating screen similar to my P100's.  My main concern is that, in doing my research on the D5100, I've seen some reviews that were negative.  Every negative review I read was regarding the software issue that affects the memory cards or the issue with the blacked out photos that resulted in the camera having to go back.  It seemed like there would be 1 negative review for every 10 positive.  What worries me is how many of those that posted positive reviews ended up having either one or both of those issues and didn't update their reviews to reflect it?  I understand with anything electronic, it can sometimes be a game of chance - either you get lucky and have no issues, or you get a lemon.  There's no way to predict by looking at the item itself, or even by basing your decision solely on reviews.  I guess what I'm wondering is...has anyone here on this forum experienced either issue, and how long have you had your D5100's?  Would you recommend it?  I'm an amateur, but a pro amateur, if there is such a thing, and I'm ready to take the step up to a camera of this caliber.  My only concern is the reliability of the camera.  Thank you so much for reading such a long winded post and I hope everyone has a nice day!
> ...



Excellent! Thanks for that bit of research, Phoenix. The only complaints I have on my D5100: Battery life is a bit "short" per charge, the camera has a tendency to use very high ISO (2000+) in low light, even with flash (vs, say, putting it in P mode, where it stays under 800), long shutter delay in Lv mode. All can easily be overcome... I love the camera! John


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## MTVision (Jan 29, 2012)

JohnYoga said:
			
		

> Excellent! Thanks for that bit of research, Phoenix. The only complaints I have on my D5100: Battery life is a bit "short" per charge, the camera has a tendency to use very high ISO (2000+) in low light, even with flash (vs, say, putting it in P mode, where it stays under 800), long shutter delay in Lv mode. All can easily be overcome... I love the camera! John



The ISO issue is due to using auto or any of the other modes as well as auto-ISO.


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## EchoingWhisper (Jan 30, 2012)

No real problem (no malfunctioning) with my D5100, no problem that can't be solved by upgrading the camera.


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## digital flower (Jan 30, 2012)

Its good to read the reviews but I have come to the conclusion that there is a certain very vocal majority that cant/wont be satisfied with a product no matter what. So I take them with a grain of salt since these people often post on multiple sites.


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## TheCLEANSER (Feb 5, 2012)

Ive had mine for about a week now - It did not like my previous memory card and I had to by another. It came with the new firmware already preloaded and as I read the firmware should of solved this issue. With the price soo low for memory cards it didnt kill me to spend 35 bucks on a 32gb class 10 card. The one problem I cant seem to get around is while reviewing pics I cannot view the additional information. This is supposed to be acheived by pressing the up/down arrows but just wont work for me. 
Im left with 2 options here. Try and reload firmware and hope it works or take camera back to store and exchange for another.
Other than that its a great camera.


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## MTVision (Feb 5, 2012)

TheCLEANSER said:
			
		

> Ive had mine for about a week now - It did not like my previous memory card and I had to by another. It came with the new firmware already preloaded and as I read the firmware should of solved this issue. With the price soo low for memory cards it didnt kill me to spend 35 bucks on a 32gb class 10 card. The one problem I cant seem to get around is while reviewing pics I cannot view the additional information. This is supposed to be acheived by pressing the up/down arrows but just wont work for me.
> Im left with 2 options here. Try and reload firmware and hope it works or take camera back to store and exchange for another.
> Other than that its a great camera.



Have you actually gone into the menu to choose what information you want to see in the review? I have mine setup to show everything- shooting information, 3 color channel histogram and highlights (might be missing one)- then I just leave iron whatever I want to see when I review the image or I can use the arrow button to scroll through everything. 

32gb is a huge memory card. Memory cards fail all the time - that's a lot of pictures to lose if/when it does fail. You are better off buying a bunch of 2 or 4gb cards instead of one 32gb......


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## greybeard (Feb 5, 2012)

KmH said:


> G8trMom09 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm an amateur, but a pro amateur, if there is such a thing,
> ...



Good grief, now I'm using a girls camera..........what next.


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## MTVision (Feb 5, 2012)

greybeard said:
			
		

> Good grief, now I'm using a girls camera..........what next.



Least it's not hot pink


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## EchoingWhisper (Feb 5, 2012)

KmH said:


> G8trMom09 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm an amateur, but a pro amateur, if there is such a thing,
> ...



Quite true - and specifically for teenage girls. Not to insult them, but I notice lots of teenage girls with DSLRs taking self portraits (crappy), and I believe that's their main reason why they bought DSLRs - to get a nice profile picture on Facebook. I don't see that as often on teenage boys though.


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## TheCLEANSER (Feb 6, 2012)

Hello,
I came back here to post that I had indeed solved my problem, through the menu just as you had instructed. The card I replaced was a 16 gb card and with the price cut in half now i figured why not purchase a 32 gb card - I would never fill it up with photos as I was thinking more for video if ever I needed it.
Memory cards fail all the time? I was unaware of this. How exactly do they fail as there are no moving parts in them?


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## KmH (Feb 6, 2012)

They fail mostly because of user error.

Careless handleing when someone has a static charge on their body, poor memory card management practices like not formatting a card regularly, or formatting a card in their compute rather than in the device that will be writting to the card.

For stills photos I never used bigger than a 4 GB card to record Raw files (about 225 14-bit depth files per card - 12 MP camera).

A 4 GB card would hold over 1000 JPEGs.


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## Balmiesgirl (Feb 7, 2012)

A close friend of mine had her auto focus go out when her D5100 was only two weeks old!


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## Kingsize (Feb 8, 2012)

Hmmm... Hope this isn't the case with mine, I should receive it today. I will check the firmware version as soon as it is in my hands. Thanks for the info!


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## Balmiesgirl (Feb 10, 2012)

TheCLEANSER said:
			
		

> Hello,
> I came back here to post that I had indeed solved my problem, through the menu just as you had instructed. The card I replaced was a 16 gb card and with the price cut in half now i figured why not purchase a 32 gb card - I would never fill it up with photos as I was thinking more for video if ever I needed it.
> Memory cards fail all the time? I was unaware of this. How exactly do they fail as there are no moving parts in them?



I have had several cards fail! I don't like to use huge cards because if they do fail I could loose a lot of photos! The largest card I use ( no video on my d3) is 8g... Don't like to "have all my eggs in one basket".


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## Vaira (May 21, 2012)

Hi, I have a Nikon D5100 that is 6 months old.  Everything was fine till yesterday when I started seeing partially black pictures.  Whenever I clicked a picture, the top portion of the picture (sometimes almost half of the top portion) turned out to be black.  And I also started hearing the shutter sound in a strange way that does not sound right.  I called Nikon service and they asked me to bring the camera for service and they suspect a shutter issue.  I did some research in the net and found that several users are facing this problem.  I will post an update once I have more info after this weekend.  The issue is real!


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## EchoingWhisper (May 21, 2012)

Having smaller and more memory cards also helps whenever you left one of your memory card at home. That way, you won't be restricted to take as little photos than you would if you bought less but larger memory cards. Also, if you were to lend someone else one of your memory cards, you would still have the others.


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## EchoingWhisper (May 21, 2012)

Vaira said:


> Hi, I have a Nikon D5100 that is 6 months old.  Everything was fine till yesterday when I started seeing partially black pictures.  Whenever I clicked a picture, the top portion of the picture (sometimes almost half of the top portion) turned out to be black.  And I also started hearing the shutter sound in a strange way that does not sound right.  I called Nikon service and they asked me to bring the camera for service and they suspect a shutter issue.  I did some research in the net and found that several users are facing this problem.  I will post an update once I have more info after this weekend.  The issue is real!



Yep, it's a broken shutter. Most likely your warranty will cover it, unless you took hundreds of thousands of photos in 6 months.


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## Vaira (May 21, 2012)

No Michael, I have not clicked that much - it is probably just under 3,000 in the last 6 months.  The camera was doing pretty fine for the first 2 shots I took yesterday.  I used the 'live view' mode to record some video and then I reverted to back to viewfinder mode.  That is when the problem started.  My worry is, quite a few people in various forums had mentioned that they had this issue fixed through the service center only to have the issue come back after 3 months or so.


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## EchoingWhisper (May 21, 2012)

Vaira said:


> No Michael, I have not clicked that much - it is probably just under 3,000 in the last 6 months.  The camera was doing pretty fine for the first 2 shots I took yesterday.  I used the 'live view' mode to record some video and then I reverted to back to viewfinder mode.  That is when the problem started.  My worry is, quite a few people in various forums had mentioned that they had this issue fixed through the service center only to have the issue come back after 3 months or so.



I think this is just a coincidence. Try sending it back again.


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## Vaira (May 22, 2012)

Michael, I think so too.  I was talking to a friend of mine today who owns a Canon and he told me that sometimes this could happen if you have setup some 'grid' option in the live view mode.  He also showed me the grid view setup in canon for the 'live view'.  I am not sure where this exists in the D5100.  Would you know?


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## Smokie (Jan 24, 2013)

I have owned a D5100 for a year and half.  Love it.  Awesome pics.  The only issue I have had after a year is black screen and Nikon Service is looking into it. (Two year warranty).
Nevertheless, this is a great  DSLR.  I should have opted for the D7000 though (more options and better)


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## ziggy84 (Jan 24, 2013)

I've had my D5100 since December and I haven't had any problems which what your describing @ all....

Dude, just get the D7000. I wish I did, but oh well, still a great camera!


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