Nikon D5100 or D3200?

[Jimbosyourman]

Went to buy a entry level camera for my girlfriend today. I gave her a load of waffle about buy a canon and you can use all my lenses and flash from my 5D mark ii kit . After looking at the entry level cameras available from both manufacturers I'd have to be mad to recommend a canon over a Nikon . Nikon is better laid out for beginner and nicer construction .
Anyway I've narrowed it down to the above two models . Has anyone used both and if so which would you recommend . I know the difference in terms of megapixels which is not the be all and end all in taking nice photographs. Would like to hear people's input into which will actually take the best photographs. Thanks Jim

 

[Greg.w]

http://snapsort.com/compare/Nikon-D3200-vs-Nikon-D5100

That's a nice review against each other,

Tbh they're very similar but the d5100 has the flip out screen, ive just bought my first dslr a week or 2 ago and I went for the d5100. Got a used 1 from eBay with kit lens, nikkor 55-200mm lens, extra charger, original boxes, only 1600 clicks, less than a year old and absolutely mint for £401. Got £30 back aswell as it has a little cosmetic damage to 1 of the lenses that wasnt mentioned so got the lot for £370. Bargains to be had! And btw as a beginner I absolutely love it so far!

 

[Keith W]

If your looking for an entry level DSLR for your girlfriend to try out then I have a D3000 + lens kit for sale in the classifieds

 

[bildo]

I got a D5100 the other week, I'm really impressed with it, although my photography could definitely do with a little more work I've had a few decent shots come out of it so far so I know the potential is there.

It's £404 on Amazon at the moment and Nikon are doing the £40 cash-back offer too, definitely a better price than I paid but I was keen to walk into a shop and get it then and there!

 

[Jaisus]

I had both if these cameras at one stage "last year" I bought them both as I could not decided on which one i wanted and all the reviews around the Internet just seemed to close to call.

I very nearly kept both cameras as they were both very good, I managed to get the D5100 at the time for £200 less so this swayed it in favour of the D5100 and it will use up less space on its images, 16mb space v's 24mb of space a picture, so to me the D5100 was the better option.

However the D3200 is perfect for the complete beginner it has some great tutorials and walk through scenes and all the controls and settings are much easier than that of the D5100. The D3100 has all the same tutorials though and walk through scenes as the D3200 for a much smaller price tag. 24mb is too big for pictures and will jut eat space.