DSLR Reviews

Nikon D5500 Hands On...

Nikon D5500 Camera Review

The Nikon D5500 is an entry-level DSLR camera with many high-end specifications and features. This 24.2 megapixel camera has an APS-C format image sensor with a Nikon EXPEED 4 image processor.

The D5500 DSLR features an autofocus system with 39 autofocus points including 9 cross-type AF points. It has a very wide native ISO range for its class with sensitivity of ISO 100 to ISO 25,600 resulting in sharp images even in inadequate lighting conditions.

This camera offers Full HD video shooting capability at 60 and 50 fps making it one of the few entry-level DSLRs with the capability to shoot slow-motion videos in Full HD. The camera also offers a respectable continuous shooting rate of 5 frames per second.

Other camera features include an articulated side-mounted 3.2 inch TFT display with tilt/swivel well-suited for shooting from awkward angles, built-in HDR, HDMI video out support, in-camera filters, in-built interval shooting support and Wifi capability for connecting to smartphones or tablets.

There are three available bundle deals including the D5500 camera body alone, the camera body with a 18-55 mm lens and the camera body with a 18-140 mm lens.

Specifications:

Image Sensor: DX 23.5 x 15.6 mm CMOS

Megapixels: 24.2 MP

Display: 3.2 inch TFT touchscreen

ISO range: ISO 100 to ISO 25,600

Supported video formats: Full HD 1920 x 1,080 at 60, 50, 30, 25 and 24 fps, HD 1280 x 720 at up to 60, 50 fps, VGA up to 30 fps

Storage: SD card, SDHC or SDXC

Battery: EN-EL14a or EN-EL14 Li-ion with a battery life of 820 shots

Interface: HDMI type C, USB 2.0, Wifi

Dimensions (W x H x D): 4.9 x 3.9 x 2.8 inches (124 x 97 x 70 mm)

Weight: 420 grams (14.9 oz)

Accessories: A wide range of Nikon D5500 accessories including Nikkor lenses, grips and Wi-fi remote controllers etc. are available.

Pros/Cons:

Pros

- A very slim and compact DSLR with excellent stills and video shooting quality

- Lightweight camera, over 60 grams lighter than its predecessor - Nikon D5300

- Built-in Wifi for connecting to smartphones or tablets

- Supports video out to HDMI

- Touch-enabled display is a handy feature and a welcome upgrade over D5300

- High continuous shooting rate (5 fps) for an entry-level DSLR

- Long battery life (over 800 stills)

- Side-mounted tilt/swivel display makes shooting at difficult angles easy



Cons

- Lacks built-in GPS offered by the earlier Nikon model (D5300)

- Small buffer memory limits continuous shooting in RAW mode

- Video mode lacks aperture control and automatic ISO adjustment

- The camera's smartphone app is of limited use

Comparisons:

Some of the competitors of the Nikon D5500 in the entry-level DSLR segment include Canon EOS Rebel T6i/s, Pentax K-S2, Samsung NX 500 and Sony Alpha A6000. Nikon D5500 compares well with these cameras thanks to its high-end features such as 60 fps Full HD (30 fps in Pentax K-S2 and Canon T6i), excellent autofocus quality (39 AF points compared to 19 in Canon T6i and just 9 in Canon EOS Rebel SL1) and great low-light performance.

Some of the other entry-level DSLRs do offer superior features such as faster autofocus speeds and quality (Sony A6000), 4K video (Samsung NX 500) and weather-sealing (Pentax K-S2).

Recommendations:

Some notable alternatives to the Nikon D5500 camera in the DSLR segment include Sony A6000, Samsung NX 500 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7. Sony A6000 offers an incredible 179 points autofocus while the Samsung NX 500 offers 28.2 megapixel resolution with 4K video shooting support and 205 point autofocus. Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 also offers 4K video shooting support with capable continuous autofocus though with only a 16 MP image sensor.

Nikon D5500 is an excellent entry-level DSLR camera that offers a good balance of ease of use and high-end enthusiast-friendly features in a lightweight, compact and rugged package.




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