Announced: | 06 Jan 2015 |
---|---|
Sensor Resolution: | 24Mp |
Sensor Type: | APS-C CMOS |
ISO: | 100-25600 |
Weight: | 420g |
Physical Dimensions: | 124 x 97 x 70 mm |
Viewfinder: | Optical (pentamirror) |
Screen Type: | 3.2" Fully articulated |
Video Resolutions: | 1920 x 1080 |
52
49
55
67
70
This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Not a simple entry level camera, but something more ambitious. Nikon D5500 belongs to the high range of DX digital reflex cameras, just below its more expensive sisters D7200 e D7500. To be short, it is an excellent digital camera but in the following review you’ll figure if – for budget or technical reasons – this camera is the right one for you.
The camera body of Nikon D5500 is ergonomic and single-piece, with a comfortable grip also for big-handed users. The structure in carbon fiber makes it pleasant to see and to touch: even if it’s not made of magnesium alloy – much more expensive – the “plastic” effect is less annoying than in other cheaper models.
The size of Nikon D5500 is quite contained: 124 x 97 x 70 mm, 420 grams. Less than D3300 that, from a technical point of view, is a little less good. In addition, it is more solid than other lower-level cameras, since they’re made of many parts put together.
The sensor of D5500 is 24 megapixels CMOS, sharp and bright. The absence of the low-pass filter gives an incredible sharpness and moiré reduction – a visual effect that occurs when two overlapping textures generate a third completely different texture. A very annoying visual distortion.
Lately, Nikon has decided to remove the low-pass filter in several models, in order to get more sharpness, as we’ve just explained.
Nothing to say about the quality of the images. Nikon D5500 offers brightness, sharpness and the usual high-level color range of Nikon cameras. As far as the technical aspects are concerned, I can say I’ve had a very positive experience, starting from the adjustable display that will keep you from contorting yourself in many situations. Turning it on, focusing and shooting are very fast operations and holding the camera in your hand, with its deep grip, is very pleasant. It is also lighter than other models, and you can feel it.
Many websites complain about too small buttons. Also in this case, it’s subjective. Since I don’t have excessively big hands, I haven’t had such problems.
With the burst mode, you can choose among 5 different scenarios, while in manual mode you can select other preset shooting scenarios.
Compared to the reflex cameras of the 3000 series, there are more direct drives: in the end, Nikon D5500 is not a basic entry level camera. It’s not a “take it, go and shoot” device, it is more complex than D3400. If you don’t use the “autopilot”, you need to learn some things first. It is not for absolute beginners, but the time spent learning its characteristics will be repaid by a more professional approach to photography.
For the professional, Nikon D5500 has a limit: the DX sensor. And then a camera body that cannot be compared to the full frame models one, like D750 for example. Of course, these are partial limits. What is not very performing for a professional might be even too much for your needs. Let’s see if that’s the case.
If this is your first reflex camera, to be used in your travels, maybe it’s better to spend less and buy D3300 or D3400. They have the same sensor and processor, you spend less and they’re more friendly to use.
If you already have an entry level camera, you’re interested in professional photography and you have a higher budget…then Nikon D5500 is the perfect camera for you. Surely, there’s always something better, before taking a full frame camera. And at that moment, you can go for Nikon D7200 or the more recent D7500.
Nikon D5500 is also an excellent camera for the professional looking for a second camera body: it doesn’t weigh much, it’s easy to handle and with the right lens can give results very close to professional standards.
The Nikon D5500 is a DSLR camera launched on 01/06/2015.
Technically speaking, the Nikon D5500 ranks in the best 25% of its category (and in the best 88 of all cameras in our database) scoring 59 overall. The Nikon D5500 weights 420 gr and spans 124 x 97 x 70 mm. This means that it is particularly light and small, indeed one of the most handy options within its category.
Going into details, whatever the technical specification of interest, the Nikon D5500 behaves better than average in its category:
However, the technical performance of your camera should be put in context. Indeed, depending on the type of photography you are interested in, each individual camera feature can impact your pictures to a different extent. This is the reason why we developed the iCamRank. iCamRank has been designed to weight all the individual technical specifications of each camera in the camerarace database, depending on different shooting conditions. Thus, here is what we suggest, depending on the photography type you like most:
Sensor Type
CMOS
Sensor Size
APS-C
Sensor Dimensions
23.5 x 15.6 mm
Sensor Area
366.6 mm2
Sensor Resolution
24 Mp
Max Image Resolution
6000 x 4000
Max Native ISO
25600
Min Native ISO
100
RAW Support
Manual Focus
Lens Mount
Nikon F
Number of Lenses
280
Focal Length Multiplier
1.5
Screen Type
Fully articulated
Screen Size
3.2"
Screen Resolution
1037Kdot
Live View
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Resolution
None
Viewfinder Coverage
95
Viewfinder Magnification
0.55
Min Shutter Speed
30s
Max Shutter Speed
1/4000s
Continuous Shooting
5fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range
12.0
Max Flash Sync
1/200s
Flash Modes
Auto On Off Red-eye Slow sync Rear curtain
External Flash
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
DxO Overall Score
84
DxO Color Depth
24.1
DxO Dynamic Range
14
DxO Low Light ISO
1438
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF MultiArea
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points
39
Number of Cross Focus Points
9
Video Resolutions
1920 x 1080 (60 50 30 25 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60 50 30 25 fps) 640 x 424 (30 25 fps)
Max Video Resolution
1920x1080
Video Formats
MPEG-4 H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Wireless Connectivity
Built-in
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Weight
420g
Physical Dimensions
124 x 97 x 70 mm
Battery Life
820
Battery Type
Battery Pack
Battery Model
EN-EL14,EN-EL14a
Self Timer
Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec)
Timelapse Recording
GPS
Storage Type
SD SDHC SDXC
Storage Slots
1
Copyright 2024
EMA s.r.l.s. | p.i. 11740890014