Nikon D5100: Low Light 

I purchased the Nikon D5100 recently and have been very pleased with it thus far.

2020 and I'm buying this camera tomorrow!

someone here 2018

simple and wonderful

@fsx550 I just checked my manual to make sure, page 49. You can not use EV in M mode, because it changes aperture & shutter speed to adjust the exposure. In M mode you control the aperture & shutter speed while the EV is 0. These 2 combinations with the ISO setting will give you the exposure. I agree you can affect exposure by changing any one of those 3 settings. There is another way to lock it in M mode by sort of tricking the camera, it's on creative cow forums.WB must be set, ADL set to off.

@robet03 probably it has to do with the glass used in the lens. 35mm 1.8 is meant for cropped sensors,but the 50mm prime is a full frame lens. FX lenses are inherently better.

Actually, no. The "video noise" refers to the graininess of the shot both video and photo when in an area with low lighting.

@SteveSoundManEvans I wanna know this too because I didnt notice it in any of the Canon videos, like the 550d

@fsx550 OK, that's great news your camera is working properly. If your camera's ISO is changing during video with the AE lock hold button pressed, it is broken. If it will lock exposure during video you're set because you cannot lock exposure without locking the ISO value as the ISO is part of the exposure formula, it is the camera chip's sensitivity to light setting. The other 2 are aperture & shutter speed, I won't insult you by defining those because I'm only trying to help;)

no, it's with the Nikkor 50mm F/1.8, it's in the description

This video is not fake, I've tried my D5100 with "35mm 1.8 DX" iso@1600 (used AE-Lock) and it works as great as this video shows..... and if you noticed, the street itself that is shown in the video is bright, like the place where i'm right now.... it really makes a lot of difference when you're in a dim street. Hope this helps to everyone commenting about this problem ^_^

Great work, dude! Never wished a prime lens so much before this video. :)

@Geoffboyardee - These newer Nikon models have really good low light images. They handle high ISO very very well. I'm planning to buy either the 5100 or 7000 very soon. Can't wait.

how do you get video like that out of the D5100? I have the same camera with almost the same lens (nikkor 35mm f1.8) and my video doesn't look nearly as good. What settings do you use??

@HBMHD buy urself a 50mm f1.4 lens. read the caption theyre using 50mm f1.8 but 50mm f1.4 is better. both of them are good in low light because of the wide aperture. i think ur using ur kit lens, ur kit lens has a widest aperture of f3.5. smaller F number means bigger aperture. bigger aperture gives you better low light capabilities and allows your camera to use lower iso. lower iso gives you lower noise and grains.

@fsx550 I was angry too and still am as I think this camera should have the manual control of the D7000 because it was marketed as being more video-friendly and a competitor to t3i. It could've been in the same league with ME settings but it's not. The ISO is part of the exposure by definition and it applies to this camera as well. Without entering live view in M mode, 1/50, F-5, aim your cam somewhere with the ISO @ 100, look @ the exposure meter, now change to ISO 800 & look @ the meter.

@fsx550 @fsx550 The D5100 does not have the manual exposure settings for video that the D7000 has, correct. However on the Nikon page link below there are instructions on how to lock the exposure for a single shoot. I have done this, ISO 1600, shutter 1/50, aperture 5.6. Same exposure regardless of the light environment for a single video shoot. I tested the shutter speed against moving subjects, water, etc. See bottom of page. Can't post link, go to Nikon D-Movie Tips page, instructions there.

He trick us all.. That can't be D5100

what lens did you use and what setting did you put on

@Five50Onyx In actual fact you can set the ISO 1600 at a 1/50th. Video is not fraud. I have just bought one myself, you can't change the settings during video, you set the appropriate settings before you hit record. You can also record with the built in effects such as colour picker, works a treat, again you set this before you hit the record button. You can change focus simply by the manual focus on the lens, simple. Do some more research before slating other videos and cameras.

@robet03 yo probably used your kit lens( 18-55mm). in the video, they have used a 50mm-1.8 prime lens. hope this helps :)

Nice demo. Love the low light bokeh there.

That's great night shot and not choppy at all like the daytime clip.

@schwartznimrod I have the same lens and it doesn't have an autofocus motor.. So I'm pretty sure all that was done to change the focus in the video was by manually focusing the lens.

amazing shot

Very nice vid!!! I have the D5100 too and iam very happy!

@Geoffboyardee with t2i or this new nikon 5100 is not surprise clear image with high iso. this cameras starts to noise on 1600. especially making video, thats much less resolution than a picture. but the quality is completely normal on video, for 1600 iso on new model cameras.

beautiful.

@shav4life go to menu then setup menu and change it from pal to ntsc. ur movie mode should automatically switch to 30fps

i could notice a few pauses in the video , like a filming errors , what is that ? i´m buying this camera model tomorrow , that´s because of my question

Ya, I think I'm on the same boat and waiting for stacking up enough to get this one. Good luck in your endeavor :)

@fsx550 nah, I've seen some amazing footage on it. Dude, probably has some sick lenses

Excellent! Thanks for posting. Video response: Canon EOS 60D ( Night Video Test) City Lights 1080p 24 fps

Excellent results!

dude...I have yet to see clearer videos at night--you have my attention!!!

how do u get this to be noise free? and what setting did u shootthis video under, i got noise even under light on mine

kit lense?This is great!

@thinkwebb I just tested the above statement in M mode. It will let you adjust the EV in the settings while in M mode but when you take a photo there is no change to the exposure, it does not change the aperture/shutter settings while in M mode even though it allows you to change the EV values. What were the engineers at Nikon drinking when they designed this camera? FIRMWARE PLEASE

how do u enable 30 fps on the d5100 i can't find that option on my settings.

Kit Lens?This is great

This video convinced me to buy it : )

hello, I wonder how long this camera shoots in full HD? hug

Thanks for the video. What lens did you use for these shots?

great low light quality.not less than d7000 in quality aspect

Im sorry im a noobie in DSLR and im just getting started, but i will be videoing just as much as photo taking and i was wondering which camera you would suggest. The Canon d600 or the nikon d5100? Also, just to confirm, you can manual focus while recording a video with the d5100 right?

when your camera autofocuses, how do you not hear the noise the lens makes when it focuses in the video? my d5100 makes an irritating noise when the lens autofocuses

why is there no image noise at all in your video? when i turn my ISO up there is way too much of it. whats the trick?

hello That means we can change the ISO while we film ?' maybe shoting at 3000 ISO could be interresting,,,,,

@stavyros oh okay... so hows the battery life? how long does it last after you charge the battery?

thats because they took out the video volume or loweres it

I couldn't seem to find the option with 30fps today. All settings only with 24fps I think it was. Any help?

@stavyros hey hows the picture quality in nikon d5100?? is it professional..and how much does it cost?

the focusing in the begining from people to flowers.. you do manually right ?

Good evening friend, 3 days ago I bought the Nikon D5100 experience in photography and guiding the characteristics q has not yet set porq video recorded at night and directly connect the HDMI cable tv and much land is the video does not look good ... q I would like to help me if it is configuration problem

No way that's shot with 1600 ISO. That's crazy good definition!

I like THE shot with THE plants

@814icovis read the description ;) 50mm/1.8 lens, 1/50s, ISO 1600 :)

Very nice composition!

Go for either D5100 or D7000 best one from the review

And please tell how did u lock iso. Because in D5100 locking iso is a very big problem..

How do you avoid noise and grain to appear?, i've recorded in low light too with my D5100, but the image is not even close to be as good as this video o.o

Nice video. I have a question. Do you know how to turn the light off that is just to the side of the flash? Going to a friends wedding and I want to make sure I do not use my flash and make sure that light does not come on since I'm a guest. Thanks for any info you can offer.

Nice video. Thanks for the sample clip. I'm curious what video codec (and container format) this was used to upload to youtube? It's very sharp and clean. Thanks.

@Segatvideoo Not possible with this lens on the D5100. Only AF-S lenses auto focus.

which 50 mm did you use ? Nikon AF-S DX 50mm f/1.8G or AF 50mm f/1.8D

el iso no afecta a la hora de la grabacion... o si?

Great Stuff señor

Amazing video and I really like the music with it. I am shopping for a camera, would you recommend the Nikon D5100 or the Canon T3i Rebel for mainly video for an amateur?

my next camera,. nice.

@fsx550 Did you go to the page and follow the directions exactly? I did what your doing with the camera. It's a circle of madness. I know what you're saying and it's true unless you follow the instructions exactly, it will lock the exposure regardless of light you point the camera at. I have tested the shutter speed against moving objects, it stays the same. I've taken photos with the same settings locked and it is the same image as on the Live view. I will upload a video, give me a day.

what's the title of the song did you used?

Is this with the kit lens?

والله مقدر اقولك لاني مدري كيف ميزانيك يعني تقريبا بكم تقدر تشتري ؟

Increíble, muy buena opción para comprar.

great quality !

very nice..

Are you shooting with 1600 ISO?

does the camera let you set ISO for video recording?

i have a d5100 and i love how this video looks... could you please tell me exactly how to ask for this lens at the shop?? (i mean the exact model if it's possible, thanks!)

What the hell does volume have to do with video noise?

А что за музыка звучит? Кто композитор?

what lens did you use for the 1st pic?? great vid btw

What ISO did you use?

Sorry, on the car motion scenes, I'm seeing exactly the same choppiness in RU-vid. Same question, is this RU-vid doing the choppiness of an artifact of the camers?

what lens?

@nspflightcases Nice try but you are wrong. You may think you are setting the ISO and shutter speed but you are not. Give this a try: take your D5100 outside on a sunny day and set it to ISO 6400 1/30th at f/ 3.5. If you video is not overexposed then the camera changed your shutter speed and or ISO to get a correct exposure. We all know you can manually control focus and set the aperture, but you can not set the ISO or Shutter speed. I would love for you to be right but sadly you are wrong.

cool, do you know anything about nikon video workflow in final cut express 4 vs canon's?

@MrKorean30 Yes, you can.

Don't arguing about NIKON or CANON, I have D7000 7D 5D 600D they all are awesome camera.

By seeing this video I just brought f/1.8d for my D5100. But I dint get a clear smooth video as u have got!!! Y dont u tell what settings u have done to get noise free video??? So many peoples are asking. By seeing this video so many people took f/1.8 lens I guess, it should not be wast of money right??

what's the title of the song?

When ever i used my D1500 for video it always comes out too dark help?

well, what setting are you using?

what lens

wie heißt das Stück von Kevin MacLeod?

can't find on your blog this subject about D5100 can u link it please or better rename this as "Nikon D5100: Low Light using Canon".. haha

do you use autofocus ?

watch this video in 1080p HD to get the best out of this video.

great video! does anyone know what music is playing here?

In the first scene, how did you zoom in and change focus on the plants? I cant do it with my 5100. Is it because of my lens?