Small But Mighty
The Nikon D5100 is an older vintage entry-level DSLR camera. I think these were once referred to as “Prosumer” cameras. It has enough of a feature set to keep the serious amateur photographer (me) sufficiently entertained but lacks the more advanced features that would be required by a working professional.
For my own style of shooting I spend most of my outings switching between Aperture priority mode (A) for birds in flight and animals in motion and Shutter Speed priority mode (S) for the more sedate scenic or nature detail type of shots.
The camera also offers the ability to shoot 1080p video but I have found this function to be nearly useless and prefer other equipment for video.
AF-S NIKKOR 55-200mm
This lens features f4.5 max aperture at the 55mm setting which drops to f5.6 when zoomed out to the full 200mm. Nikon’s in-lens optical stabilation (VR) is built in with a physical switch that gives you the option to turn the function on or off. This is pretty much my go-to lens at least for my frequent walks at Lake Pueblo State Park. The auto-focus response is incredibly fast and it allowed me to capture the demonstration image of an Osprey pulling his dinner out of the Arkansas River with ease (and luck.)
AF-S NIKKOR 55-300mm
This lens features f4.5 max aperture at the 55mm setting which drops to f5.6 when zoomed out to the full 300mm. Nikon’s in-lens optical stabilation (VR) is built in with a physical switch that gives you the option to turn the function on or off. This lens may seem like a strange choice for me since I also have a 55mm to 200mm lens. I purchased this lens on the basis of a comparison review that said it was lighter than the 70mm to 300mm option. Sadly I found that even with this “lighter” attribute the lens is still too heavy for one-handed shooting so I can only use it when I am not in dog-walking mode. I will say that the lens is very sharp as this picture of a Great Horned Owl at Lake Pueblo State Park demonstrates.