As the old adage goes: the best camera is the one in your hands. It's something I've been told since I was a child, playing with my dad's bulky DSLR, not really knowing what I was doing with it. Now, as an adult and a tech journalist, I review the best mirrorless cameras day in and out, and it's wonderful the leaps and bounds these nifty gadgets have come.
After reviewing the Fujifilm X-T50 all the way back in June 2024, I'm now the proud owner of one, and I've taken many amazing photos on it. But like they say: you never forget your first, and my first "proper" camera was the Nikon D5100 that my parents bought me when I was 16.
The D5100's specs aren't much to write home about by today's standards. A 16.2MP CMOS sensor, no stabilization, an 11-point autofocus system, 1080P/30fps video, an optical viewfinder, and a 921,000-dot non-touch LCD monitor. Not the greatest specs, but frankly, I don't care. The D5100 is the camera that made me fall in love with photography, and to this day, 13 years later, I still find use in it.
I review the best cameras and best drones here at Tom's Guide. I've adored photography for as long as I can remember, and when I'm not working, I love taking my Fujifilm X-T50 on a walk and capturing the sights. My favorite subjects to photograph are animals, birds, and my partner. You can follow my work on Instagram.
Let me take you back to 2013
2013. It feels like such a long time ago and yet, I vividly remember when I first held the Nikon D5100 in my hands. I was in an all-girls' boarding school, and we were about to go on our annual school trip to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India. I remember my classmates showing off their Canon EOS 5D Mark IIIs, and I won't lie, I felt a pang of jealousy. I wanted a "proper" camera too, so I floated the idea to my parents.
My parents rarely said no to things I desperately wanted, within reason, and the kind people they still are, they agreed to take me to a camera shop to pick up my first camera. The salesman tried selling us on the most expensive cameras, but we (and by that I mean my parents) naturally had a budget in mind, and we settled on the D5100, which back in the day must have cost around $800 for the body only — and in Indian Rupees, it was a lot. My parents still bought it for me, along with an 18-55mm lens.
I thought I was a magician capturing what I considered were award-winning images — they were not, but in that moment, it didn't matter, because I was having fun.
I must admit, my photography knowledge back in the day was nowhere near as polished as it is today, so "18-55mm" meant nothing to me. All I knew was that I now had a camera that could take good photos of my friends, and the beautiful Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal. I thought I was a magician capturing what I considered were award-winning images — they were not, but in that moment, it didn't matter, because I was having fun. Photography is meant to be fun, and that's the most important lesson the D5100 has taught me.
Back to the present
Years went by and the Nikon D5100 remained a constant in my life. I took it with me to my undergraduate university in India, and brought it with me when I first moved to the U.K. for postgrad in 2018. The D5100 has been tossed around in luggage, thrown around on beaches, and it has been heavily used in all kinds of weather — including the rain.
I remember pulling out my D5100 at my first-ever press event in 2024 (for a Fujifilm instant camera), and one of the other journalists there remarked, "Oh, you're proper old school."
And it has survived. Battered, bruised, beaten, my 13-year-old D5100 still works, and up until I bought the Fujifilm X-T50, I used it on vacations, at work for product photography, and my partner used it as her primary camera for her art and video work. I remember pulling out my D5100 at my first-ever press event in 2024 (for a Fujifilm instant camera), and one of the other journalists there remarked, "Oh, you're proper old school." Every time I saw him at press events after, he'd go, "Still rocking the DSLR, eh?" with a smile on his face.
I think there's a lot to love about DSLRs, which is why I'm here, talking about my love for the D5100. When we think of DSLRs, we think they're bulky, slow, and a pain to use, especially when compared to fast mirrorless cameras that, like the Fujifilm X-T50, enable you to burst-shoot at 30fps. I'd argue that a DSLR can make you a better, more considerate photographer, and it's not always about having the latest tech in your hand.
Why I still use (and love) my D5100
Would you like to know why I still use and love my Nikon D5100? The photos in the gallery above were taken by my partner in Iceland. That's why. The D5100 is a capable and competent camera that takes beautiful photos — yes, even though it packs a 16.2MP CMOS sensor only. When my partner and I decided to take a trip to Iceland, I packed the Fujifilm X-T50 and she packed the D5100 — and the photos she took on the D5100 are nothing short of gorgeous (it, of course, helps that we were in a country best described as heaven on earth).
When I asked my partner why she enjoys using the D5100, her answer was simple: 'It's a camera that takes good photos, and I like taking my time with it.'
When I asked my partner why she enjoys using the D5100, her answer was simple: "It's a camera that takes good photos, and I like taking my time with it." I smiled when she said that, because it further proves that the best camera is the one in your hands, and that it's important to take your time with framing your shots. Sure, she had her 50MP Google Pixel 9 on the trip too, but she still opted for the D5100. Though the D5100 can't compete with the stupidly good autofocus systems on today's mirrorless cameras, it still proved quick enough on our Iceland trip.
What I love most about the D5100 is the colors it captures. Though I prefer Canon's and Fujifilm's color science now, the D5100 hasn't given me much to complain about. In the gallery earlier, I love that the bright highlights, seen in the waves crashing in the first slide, don't appear blown out, and the dark areas, such as the black sand on Reynisfjara beach, aren't grainy or noisy.
Similarly, in the gallery above, the colors have come out lovely and true to life. The deep blues in the sky, the vivid greens, the popping shades of pink and purple — they all look refined and pleasing. The photos are fairly sharp too, with each individual feather on the duck and pigeon (mostly) discernible.
The photographer that I am today
They say clothes maketh the man, and by that logic, the camera maketh the photographer. I don't believe that's true.
Fast forward to today. I'm a senior reviews writer testing the best tech day in and out. I've tested super speedy Canons, Sonys, Fujis, and even Leicas. But a Nikon started it all. I don't think I'm an extraordinary photographer — but I take photos of things that look pleasing to me, to immortalize memories, and I learn as I go.
They say clothes maketh the man, and by that logic, the camera maketh the photographer. I don't believe that's true. Your desire to take good photos, and your ability to learn and adapt are what make you a good photographer. I think it's great that mirrorless cameras are accessible, and it makes me happy that people younger than me are taking up photography. But I'd recommend everyone to try shooting on a DSLR at least once.
With the Nikon D5100 and other DSLRs which feature optical viewfinders (OVFs) instead of electronic ones (EVFs) on modern cameras, I've learned that relying on your gut instinct is very important. The only information you get in your viewfinder is basic shooting settings, like shutter speed and ISO in the margins.
There are no live histograms, digital levelling gauges, zebra lines for overexposure, or focus peaking. It's just you and your subject. When you adjust shutter speed or ISO, the change isn't reflected in the viewfinder; the OVF shows a real-life reflection rather than a digital preview, so I've had to learn how to read light and manually calculate exposure.
And therein lies the magic. I love shooting with my Fujifilm X-T50 and it's one of the best things I've ever bought, but I also enjoy the simplicity of my D5100. With the latter, it's just me and the camera, and I feel like if my parents hadn't bought the D5100 for me, I wouldn't be where or who I am today. It changed the trajectory of my life.
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