One reason to buy a "high end" or "professional" camera like a Nikon D3S, D300S, D700 or even a D90 or D7000 is that it is easy to change common parameters. It is also easy to change some less common parameters. The chances are that if you want to change a particular setting, you can do it without going into the monitor menus.
But what if you bought a "low end" camera, like a Nikon D5100? How do you quickly change settings there? Well, funnily enough, the chances still are that you can do them without going into the menus. Arguably, the most common changes you will make are shutter speed and aperture, and you do that almost as easily on a D5100 as on a high end camera.
There is no denying that several settings are easier to reach on a high end camera. There may be some settings you have chosen to change all the time in your daily shooting that are cumbersome to change on the D5100. But if Nikon have done their user studies correctly, most people should be reasonably happy with the ergonomy of the D5100.
Let's have a look at the difference in buttons between the D5100 and a D7000 or a D90. The D7000 and D90 have dedicated buttons for the following functions, that are not by default easy to access on a D5100:
For the Metering and Autofocus, they can be changed directly on the Monitor without going into the menu system on the D5100. It is admittedly more cumbersome than on the D7000 or D90, but even on those ones, you often have to take the camera down from your eye to look at the top LCD screen to see which values you choose.
And when it comes to ergonomy, a large number of buttons is not necessarily good, as the photographer will have to learn where they are, and s/he is likely to occasionally press the wrong one, as the choice is so big.
This does of course not mean that a D5100 is as good as a high end camera. It is not. It lacks plenty of functions, and one does not have to be that experienced a photographer to take advantage of the additional buttons of a higher end camera.
However, if weight or price or a swivel screen are important factors, one should not discard the D5100 for its bad ergonomy. It is not a perfect camera, but to most photographers in most situations, its limitations should be acceptable.
But what if you bought a "low end" camera, like a Nikon D5100? How do you quickly change settings there? Well, funnily enough, the chances still are that you can do them without going into the menus. Arguably, the most common changes you will make are shutter speed and aperture, and you do that almost as easily on a D5100 as on a high end camera.
There is no denying that several settings are easier to reach on a high end camera. There may be some settings you have chosen to change all the time in your daily shooting that are cumbersome to change on the D5100. But if Nikon have done their user studies correctly, most people should be reasonably happy with the ergonomy of the D5100.
Let's have a look at the difference in buttons between the D5100 and a D7000 or a D90. The D7000 and D90 have dedicated buttons for the following functions, that are not by default easy to access on a D5100:
- ISO
- White Balance
- Release mode (one picture, many, etc.).
- Bracketing button.
- Quality button.
- Metering (spot, matrix, center weighted).
- Autofocus mode (single-servo, face priority, subject-tracking, etc.).
For the Metering and Autofocus, they can be changed directly on the Monitor without going into the menu system on the D5100. It is admittedly more cumbersome than on the D7000 or D90, but even on those ones, you often have to take the camera down from your eye to look at the top LCD screen to see which values you choose.
And when it comes to ergonomy, a large number of buttons is not necessarily good, as the photographer will have to learn where they are, and s/he is likely to occasionally press the wrong one, as the choice is so big.
This does of course not mean that a D5100 is as good as a high end camera. It is not. It lacks plenty of functions, and one does not have to be that experienced a photographer to take advantage of the additional buttons of a higher end camera.
However, if weight or price or a swivel screen are important factors, one should not discard the D5100 for its bad ergonomy. It is not a perfect camera, but to most photographers in most situations, its limitations should be acceptable.
