P5100 or not (1 Viewer)

Hi, Its time to update my P30 and theres been a lot of talk about the P5100 But what I would like to know is there anything out there at the moment that you would consider better than the Nikon P5100. I will be useing it with a Zeiss 15 x 45 diascope T_FL 65mm.
Thanks,
Greg.

NOT! I luv Nikon's dSLRs but their digicams are seemingly made by the marketing division, not the folks who make their dSLRs and actually take pictures. Given their comparable prices, I'd choose a D40 dSLR over the P5100 or any other premium digicam out now.

Frankly, I'd look back a few generations in the megapixel race for a digicamera in the 5-7MP range. More than enough resolution for 8"x11" prints. Generally cleaner ISO performace too than these new 10-12MP models. Maybe hard to find now but you will get better pics and a cheaper camera too! Megapixels are not as important in digiscoping since you can use the 3x-4x OPTICAL zoom of the camera and eyepiece magnification to get insane focal lengths up to 6000mm so you won't be cropping your pics that much.

More important for digiscoping is a good user interface with good manual control of ISO, Exposure, White balance, Shutter Speed (hard to find though), Sharpness, Saturation and Contrast. Quick, easy access to these settings with dedicated buttons is best. You don't want them buried deep in a confusing Menu (ala Nikon) as you will change them often. A realtime histogram display will also be helpfull. Also must have a decent continuous shooting mode too as you will need to fire off multiple exposures to get a sharp pic if the target is moving or you have vibration from wind, etc. A IR remote release option is ideal with 1-2sec delay timer capable of at least 3 conituous exposures a minimum. Finally, an OEM scope designed mounting system helps though their are several third-party solutions that can adapt most cameras to a scope. Worst case is you will have to DIY an adapter, but you will find lots of ideas here in the forums.

FWIW, my digicam of choice is a 4yr old Pentax Optio S5z. If I had a do-over I might choose a Fuji F31 because of its unbeatable ISO performance and great optics. The Canon A5xx series looks nice too.

In the end though, if your goal is to take great pics a dSLR is the way to go.

cheers,
Rick

If you are going digiscoping then the 5100 is a cracking camera. Mine did break down tho. I had a canon 590is for a while but lost it some where. it was a good wee thing but not as good as the 5100. i have just had a frend strip and repair the nikon and i an delighted to have it back on the go. I dont reckon you will go far wrong with one. I did look for a fuji f31 but its a discontinued camera and hard to find new. There is a good thread on the 5100on the boards,have a look at it. Hopefully it will give you a fair picture of what its capable of.

regards

Daf

p5100 _ F31

Thanks for that, why would you perfer the Fuji F31 over the 5100.I looked at a 31 this morning and was wondering if it would be any good. Yes I can still bye one new in New Zealand.
Thanks.

The F30/31fd uses a sensor that is best in class. Most reviewers feel it has excellent ISO performance up to ISO400. Most, if not other all digicams start to suffer from noticeable noise "blurring" at ISO200 and higher. Note as Fuji has increased the pixel count with the F51 and later cameras, their ISO performance has also declined.

Its a cliche, but photography in general and digiscoping especially is all about capturing the light. By using a fieldscope as a lens you are restricting the light that can hit the already tiny sensor. Less light usually means slower shutter speeds for proper exposures. Slow shutter speeds at the insane focal lengths of digiscoping (600-6000mm!) invaribly leads to blurry pics. Digiscoping wildlife demands FAST shutter speeds to counter mechanical vibration and "freeze-frame" constantly moving wildlife. Digital cameras can allow faster shutter speed in light-challenged conditions by increasing ISO. But it is no free lunch as physics and sensor limitations will eventually foil you. While you be lucky to catch a good pic 1/30sec shutter speed, your best pics will come at 1/250 and higher. To get that speed ISO400-1600 is generally required in most digiscoping scenarios when available light is best in early morning or late afternoon.

But all that great sensor sensitivity and image resolution is useless if the camera interface is difficult/complex/confusing to use and gets in the way of taking your "pic of the day." Fuji, Pentax, and Canon generally get the user interface right for digicam users. That said, lots of folks here still manage to take nice pics with the P5100. But I suspect they are so good at their craft they would get excellent results from a pinhole camera made from a shoebox!

Again, if I was spending $$$ for digiscoping camera I'd choose a Nikon D40. It is very easy to learn and use for beginners due to its excellent camera control interface. And no current digicams can beat its performance.

cheers,
Rick

Yeah agreed with RJM.

If you could get the Fujifilm F31d, you will be happy with its ISO performance. Check my gallery as im using one.

The drawbacks of my camera, i have to re-set the camera function after i viewed the pictures, Macro and Continuous shooting and caused missing lots of pictures and while recording in Video mode, not able to control the EV and zoom button.

Overall im happy with this camera because i does lots of digiscoped in the rainforest where shutter speed always less then 60/1000.

Comparison shots of ISO 1600 with Fujifilm F31d here http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=112920

I had an F31fd for a few months and while the ISO performance was very good it does suffer from above average CA and blows out the highlights easily in bright conditions, both for digiscoping and as an everyday camera. I'd say 80-90% of the time it's a good digiscoping camera but does have niggling issues. I'd look at a few reviews and these will highlight these. Issues like the CA were improved with the F40 onwards but these weren't as good for digiscoping as the F31 due to too many pixels which degraded the image quality. It's a shame as all they needed to do was improve upon the already solid F31 but adding pixels wasn't the way to go. Better optics, image stabilization etc would have been enough. If you regularly shoot in dark conditions and need the iso performance then the F31 would be worth considering but the price is high, even for used ones, almost double what they were when I got mine new.

Paul.