With the D5100 digital camera, Nikon proves once again that you don't have to give an arm and a leg — or strain your back and neck — to enjoy dSLR photography. The D5100 addition to the Nikon family of dSLRs doesn't skimp on power or performance, offering a great set of features to help you take your photography to the next level. To help you get started using your D5100 camera, here's a handy reference to your camera's buttons and dials and automatic and advanced exposure modes.
Controls on Your Nikon D5100 Digital Camera
If you're not familiar with the Nikon D5100 digital camera, here's a quick guide to its buttons, dials, and other external controls. The D5100 kit is sold with the lens shown, the Nikkor 18–55mm AF-S DX (Vibration Reduction) model. Other lenses may not have the same controls.
Automatic Exposure Modes on Your Nikon D5100 Camera
The Nikon D5100 digital SLR camera offers automatic settings that enable point-and-shoot photography. The settings listed here help you capture the most common types of subjects; just set the Mode dial to the icon shown in the table. To access additional Scene modes, set the Mode dial to Scene and rotate the Command dial to select the scene type you want to photograph.
Advanced Exposure Modes for Your Nikon D5100 Digital Camera
To really take creative control with your Nikon D5100, step up to one of these exposure modes, which enable you to adjust aperture (f-stop) to manipulate depth of field (the zone of sharp focus) and to adjust shutter speed to determine whether moving objects appear sharply focused or blurry. You also gain access to some features not available in the fully automatic modes, such as the option to adjust flash power and tweak white balance.
