Retailing for approximately ￡670 body only or ￡750 with an 18-55mm VR kit lens, the Nikon D5100 replaces the D5000 as Nikon's advanced entry-level DSLR. Sitting below the enthusiast-level D7000 but above the bare-bones D3100, the D5100 takes some advanced specifications from the former and mixes...

Hi-resolution articulated monitor; Easy to use; Much improved live view AF

Special Effects a bit limited; No wireless flash control/DoF preview

Nikon's baby-of-the-range D3100 was our Editors' Choice at the close of 2010, so we have high expectations of 2011's addition to the range, the D5100 . With just £9 separating this from Canon's EOS 600D, the Nikon fields a lower 16.2-megapixel resolution.

Angle-adjustable LCD; built-in effects filters for JPEG shooting; solid build; large, well-labelled controls; good ergonomics

Manual focusing required in video mode

The latest addition to Nikon's updated consumer SLR range is the D5100, which slots into the series above the entry-level D3100 and below the higher-end D7000.

Noise handled very well up to 3200 ISO; Good general responsiveness (on/off; photo saving; Good build quality and swivel screen; 1080p HD video mode; Fun creative filters

Autofocus too slow in Live View and video modes; Automatic white balance doesn't work very well under tungsten light; Controls and menus could be better; Mono sound in video mode; Built-in flash isn't compatible with wireless slave flash units

Although there has been some overlap, digital SLR development has gone through some quite distinct phases. Initially the battle was to produce affordable models, and once this was achieved manufacturers turned their attention to producing cameras with higher pixel counts.

Although DSLRs are becoming increasingly complex and feature-rich, manufacturers are trying to make them easier to use. Nikon has been at the forefront of this development, over the last six months we've seen the Nikon D3100 and now it's bigger brother the Nikon D5100.

Nikon's latest mid-price consumer SLR is pitched to go head-to-head with the Canon EOS 600D The two cameras are uncannily similar, with very little to separate their dimensions, weights and prices.

Benefitting from some of the technology developed for Nikon's high-end D7000, this more affordable camera employs a similar 16.2MP sensor and EXPEED 2 processor, but gains a new articulated LCD screen.

May 8th. Nikon recently released the Nikon D5100 SLR, which serves an update to the Nikon D5000. The Nikon D5100 is designed to appeal to both novice and hobby photographers by offering a wide range of both automatic options and extended manual creative control.

Well-rounded feature set; top notch image quality (still and video); excellent low light/high ISO performance; beautiful 3-inch, high resolution articulated LCD; new special effects; full time AF in Live View and Video

Well-rounded feature set; top notch image quality (still and video); excellent low light/high ISO performance; beautiful 3-inch, high resolution articulated LCD; new special effects; full time AF in Live View and Video

No dedicated ISO button; requires AF-S lens with built-in AF motor; live View and video AF aren't lightning fast; special Effects parameters must be set in Live View

This 16.2 megapixel camera uses the same sensor as the more expensive D7000. The kit includes a Nikkor 18–55mm lens with vibration reduction. The swivelling LCD is high resolution. Movie mode is full HD at 30fps and it has an external microphone socket.

Image quality is excellent; The kit lens, though looking and feeling as though it has been made down to a price, is nevertheless quick to focus and produces sharp, high resolution images; The camera sits well in the hand and is responsive; Auto exposure is remarkably consistent

The penny-pinching omission of an auto-focus drive from the camera body limits the range of lenses that can be used in AF mode; This has been an annoying characteristic of entry level Nikons in the past; Sony, Pentax and Canon don't skimp in this way, why does Nikon