Photography News issue 19

28

Camera test

FULL TEST

NikonD5500 Away from headline-grabbing full-frame models, Nikon’s cropped sensor DX DSLRs, like the D5500, are worthy contenders for your hard-earned cash

SPECS

PRICE £600 body only, £679 with 18-55mm kit lens

CONTACT nikon.co.uk SENSOR

DX CMOS sensor, 24.2 megapixels, 6000x400 pixels

ISORANGE 100-25,600 SHUTTER 30secs-1/4000sec, flash sync 1/200sec MAX FRAME RATE Up to 10fps continuous METERING SYSTEM 2016 pixel RGB sensor, 3D Color Matrix II with G, E and D lenses, centre- weighted and spot, 2.5% of the frame EXPOSUREMODES PASM, scene, effects EXPOSURE COMPENSATION Digital ESP with 324 areas, centre-weighted and spot SHOOTING SPEEDS Up to 5fps, self-timer (four options) and quiet mode MONITOR 3.2in vari-angle touchscreen, 1037k dots and eye sensor STORAGEMEDIA SD, SDHC, SDXC, UHS-1/II compatible BATTERY EN-EL14 rechargeable li-ion DIMENSIONS (WXHXD) 124x97x70mm WEIGHT 420g body only, 669g with battery and 18- 55mm lens

Words by Will Cheung

Almost inevitably it’s Nikon’s FX-format full-frame cameras that grab the most attention, and with a range including models such as the D4, D810, D750 and Df, it’s no surprise. But Nikon’s cropped-sensor DX APS-C DSLRs merit a great deal of attention too, with models such as the D7100 offering a great range of features in a compact body. The latest introduction to the DX range, the D5500 is a compact, lightweight DSLR featuring a 23.5x15.6mm APS-C sensor and it provides a sensible option for those keen to lighten their load and stick with Nikon. The brand does have its 1 series CSC, but its small format does not appeal to everyone, making the D5500 a great alternative. The D5500 is a highly specified camera and is in the shops for £600 body only or £679 with the 18- 55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II kit lens. For the money, the camera has an impressive features list. Top for many will be resolution: the D5500’s CMOS sensor packs 24.2 megapixels and lacks an optical low-pass filter (OLPF), enabling it to deliver a very high standard of image sharpness and fine detail. Nikon’s EXPEED 4 processor makes shooting at 5fps possible – we managed a burst of 25 full-size JPEGs, or six Raw files, before experiencing buffering. Granted, there are plenty of cameras with faster shooting capability, but such capacity isn’t needed by the majority of photographers. ISO sensitivity is typical for a modern DSLR, starting from 100 and topping out at 25,600, and the full range is available in Raw and JPEG modes. High ISO noise reduction at three levels is available too. Connectivity is big these days, so the D5500 has Wi-Fi for those wanting to post images on social networking sites. As someone who regularly switches from full- frame DSLRs to small CSCs, it’s clear that the D5500 is more like the latter in terms of size, and I did enjoy the camera’s compact form. That feeling is enhanced further by the kit lens that is small when in

It’s clear that theD5500 ismore like a CSC in terms of size, and I did enjoy the compact form. Where it is less CSC-like is in its handgrip, which is excellent and provides a really secure grip

use. By comparison, a CSC I was using at the same time was well into its second battery. It is clear that cameras with optical viewfinders have better battery efficiency, but that’s no real surprise. Overall performance, as you can see from the results here, is impressive. Both AF and exposure systems delivered what was needed time and again. Good images coupled with sound handling made the D5500 a great companion during this review. Handling exposure I had the Nikon D5500 for a couple of weeks so got to use it in a variety of situations, and having shot more than 500 exposures I am pleased with the way the camera performed. Most of the time I was using aperture-priority AE mode with Matrix metering, auto white-balance and single-zone AF, so my technique was typically straightforward. Looking through my Lightroom catalogue later, the results appeared very consistent. Exposure was accurate with hardly any duffs. Some underexposure was seen occasionally in impossible-to-handle shots taken into the light, but the system generally coped very well with a wide range of different types of lighting.

locked position and extends by about an inch when ready to use. Where the D5500 is less CSC-like is in its handgrip, which is excellent and provides a really secure grip. I felt comfortable walking around with the camera in the hand. Overall, I found handling to be smooth and pretty intuitive. Control layout is straightforward and the only minor issue is to do with the five buttons on the back panel – their small dimensions means you have to be careful what you are pushing. I really liked the monitor. Firstly it’s great for shots at low angles, but in addition image brightness is excellent and the touch functionality is very good. And where the camera’s physical buttons are on the small side, the virtual buttons on the monitor are much bigger. In the standard info interface, there is less to change depending on which exposure mode you’re using. So in aperture-priority you must touch the double-arrow symbol next to the aperture value before you can touch the up and down aperture adjust arrows. Also impressive is battery life. A fully charged cell gave me 500 shots before recharging was needed. This included a great deal of image previewing, menu contemplating and a fair amount of live-view

BELOWMaking good use of the vari-angle touchscreen I got down low for this shot at the seaside.

Photography News | Issue 19

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