TJBNovember Loc: Long Island, New York

Considering upgrading from my Nikon D5100 as my every day camera to the D5600. Already have more than a half dozen lenses in the DX format for the D5100. Would greatly appreciate any input the group might have.

BebuLamar

It's the update. Not an upgrade though. The D5100 and the D5600 are of the same grade although the D5600 is the current model and the D5100 is outdated.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

It's the last D5xxx series DSLR Nikon is likely to release. You'll pick up megapixels, jumping from 16 to 24MP, if you edit and crop deeply into your images. Are there any limits / problems of your current camera, beyond age, that make changing to something new compelling? What other cameras have you considered?

Your profile says you have a full-frame D750, why the need for a DX at all? Why another DSLR? Have you looked at the Z50 or Zfc that feature DX (cropped) sensors, keeping the relevance of your DX lenses via an adapter to a mirrorless body, possibly more compact in size to your DSLRs.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I would look for a D7xxx, reconditioned or used. If used, get an accurate shutter count first.

EDIT: Read some comparisons and decide if the D5600 is worth the expense over your D5100.

BebuLamar

In the DX line up, only the D5xxx and D3xxx lines have 24MP. Nikon doesn't make 24MP DX DSLR in the 7xxx and 5xx any more. So really if one wants to stay with DX DSLR I can't see much choice. The D7200 is OK but you can't get it new.

FredCM Loc: Central Illinois

Several years ago I replaced my D5000 with a D5400. The improvement in low light situations was remarkable. Put a 35mm prime on it and "it can see in the dark!" I did notice an increase in contrast in normal lighting. Sometimes so much that I had to brighten the shadows in post. I imagine you will see this same increase in low light sensitivity, and think that was worth the cost. OTOH, how about a refurb D500?

John Maher Loc: Northern Virginia

I believe Nikon has said that the 5600 is the end of the 5000 series, but it is still in production. As far as I have heard, they will continue the 3000 and 7000 series.

I do agree that mirrorless is the future, but I also believe the prices will drop and capabilities we cannot imagine today will be included. Look at the evolution from film. The medium will still be digital and I do not need 45 megapixels. Right now, I see mirrorless as the answer if it fits your budget, your required capabilities, and your priorities. 5600 fit all three -- FOR ME.

I chose the 5600 for the fully articulated live view as the main determining factor over the 3500. With each series, 3000, 5000, 7000 you get a few more features, but you have to learn to use them. It is rarely mentioned, but you can do time-lapse with the 5600, but not the 3500.

I have moved from .jpg to raw and am shooting more on manual. I still have a lot to learn to utilize all the 5600 capabilities. So it has been a very good fit -- FOR ME.

As someone above said, list your needs and the 5100 capabilities. You may get another DSLR or you may wait to move to mirrorless.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I agree that having a nice DX camera can be a nice complement to a full frame body. I disagree with those who imply that the only important parameter is the number of pixels that the camera offers. There are many other more important considerations to think about instead. I also disagree with those who suggest a used camera that is three or four model iterations old and that you have no idea how the former owner treated it. Cameras this old can be (and usually are) difficult to have repaired. Many times the only option is repair using parts from a "donor body" when such a camera fails. This may also be the case even for newer models, since Nikon (for example) no longer sells parts to independent repair shops.

My own experience is that about five years ago, as I was reviving my active participation in photography, I traded for a nice, but well-used D300. It worked great with the newer lenses, but when I tried one of my older AI lenses, it would only return an error message. Diagnosis revealed that somewhere along the way, an uninformed previous owner had force-mounted an old non-AI lens, destroying the Aperture Interface mechanism, including fatal internal damage. Thye camera worked fine with newer lenses, but not the older ones with which it is also supposed to be available. At more than nine years old, neither parts nor service were available from Nikon, and no independent shops had parts available to repair it either. After a long search, I was able to did a donor body for $50 which included the parts that I needed, and a local shop offered to do the repair for an additional $175, after I determined that it was more than I wanted to undertake. (I did this as a restoration, because there was absolutely no way to justify the cost as a repair.) By the way...disassembling the camera destroyed all of the rubber grip pieces, which were also not available from Nikon. I found some relatively poor-fitting 3rd-party grips for an additional $70 which allow me to use the camera, but it's definitely not a particularly nice job. And finally...the repair shop that helped me was put out of business by the pandemic and is no longer available for projects like this.

If you are wanting to take more control of your camera, I'd certainly be looking at a camera with a different user interface...one that would release you from having to go into the menu system every time you want to make a change. A D7500 would get you some distance down the road on this. A new or refurbished D500 would get you farther. I don't recommend buying a used D500. It's a mechanically and electronically complex device, and I'd want to know exactly how the prior owner had treated it. Lots of them have seen hard outdoor use in all sorts of conditions, which is fine. I just wouldn't want one that had been used that way.

Of course you have other options. You can easily use your DX lenses on full frame bodies. There are several ways to do that. Lots of folks are very happy after switching to one mirrorless system or another. There are now a wide array of choices. I just have not come to the point of seeing the need to dump a perfectly good photographic system and spend a ton of money that I can use for other things to make switch that I don't need to make. Just read, think, and consider. Don't worry about making a choice to make anyone else happy.

srt101fan

You say: "If you are wanting to take more control of your camera, I'd certainly be looking at a camera with a different user interface...one that would release you from having to go into the menu system every time you want to make a change."

Please control your irrational bias. You are repeating your false claim that you have to go into the menu system every time you want to make a change. I can make most of the changes on the Information Display of my D5300 and rarely go into the menu system. Maybe not as fast as having extra wheels and buttons but perfectly adequate for me and, I suspect, many like me.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

If using the D5100 doesn't bother you, then don't worry about it. Have fun and take pictures. I have to use D5300s and D5500s frequently at school and find doing so quite painful compared to other models that are available.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Your earlier reply was 607 words. Not one '?' in the entire reply attempting to probe what the OP might shoot, what the OP might be interested in changing, what problems they have currently. Think about that a bit.

srt101fan

I'm not "worrying". Simply pointing out where you are providing false information.

tramsey Loc: Texas

I don't understand why you want to stay with DX when you have a d750. I think a nice upgrade would be to trade your dx equipment in and get a d850 and forget about dx

ELNikkor

I also have the D5100 and the D750. I shoot mostly with the D750, 24-120 f4, and see no reason to change the D5100, as it still takes excellent photos. When i want more overall quality for serious subjects, I just use the D750.

uhaas2009

If you like the 5xxx series why not upgrade. The benefit of a smaller camera is that you carry it way easier....