I´ve had this camera just over two months now and have three lenses; 18-140, 55-300 and 55mm 1.8D. This is my first digital SLR and my return to photography after nearly 40 years. My last cameras were Nikon FM and FE bodies in the early 1980s, along with fixed 24, 35, 55micro and 135mm lenses. Since then I´ve had a few digital consumer cameras but most of my pictures were taken with iPhones.
I forgot how rewarding quality, flexible gear can be. I´m careful about what I select and the D5600 checked all my boxes. The D5600 specifically fit my needs in that I didn´t really care about video, didn´t need crazy high frame rates, and I´m not making a living on assignments every day. I think Nikon positions this just right as an Advanced Entry camera. There´s nothing to apologize here, this is an amazing piece of technology that produces excellent results.
Like many, I started with a long list of wants/needs. I wanted GPS and was surprised that most DSLRs didn´t include this. Five frames per second is more than I need and I like the flexibility of the interval and long shutter options. Autofocus works amazingly well, much better than expected and I don´t know that more focus points or more complex algorithms would help me. The camera is light weight and uses non-metal parts but it feels well made and solid. I´m not worried about parts working loose or breaking due to some fragile design. I´m impressed by the build quality. I loved the feel of my mechanical Nikons and I don´t feel that the company has cut corners. The camera feels modern and of this age. Quite a leap from my mechanical, film cameras limited to 36 shots per roll.
The controls took time to understand but each time I thought to myself, ´´I wish I could do this
´´ I found the capability was there. The touch screen is familiar and useful and the built in help is appreciated. I like the fully articulated LCD and I´m good with the controls and displays as they are. I like the feel in my hands - I´m a pretty big guy and some cameras just weren´t usable.
Switching between aperture and shutter priorities is a breeze and I found the camera almost wouldn´t let me take a bad photo. When necessary, I could turn all automation off and work in fully manual mode. But at this point I trust the camera. Second guessing it only proved me wrong. The built in flash is appreciated. The auto mode means I can just hand it to someone and I know I´ll get good exposures and focus. The effects modes are fun and I´m still learning how to build my own combination of settings that can be saved - remarkable flexibility that I know will keep me learning and discovering.
The few adjustments away from defaults I made (display choices) are personal and I was glad for the flexibility. The camera feels good, the technology isn´t in my way and I was able to get good photos right away. I was happy to rediscover that my memory of 1/ASA @ f16 in bright sun still worked and all of my 1980s era lenses are still usable. I was a Kodachrome 64 shooter and was leery of high ISO settings but I´m very pleased how the camera balances ISO vs. aperture vs. shutter speed. The VR lenses are amazing in focus, contrast and image quality, even at longer focal lengths.
I didn´t want the expense of a full frame DSLR and I am very pleased with the quality of the sensor/processor in this camera. Amazed really. I see this more of a photographic computer than a light capturing device and I feel like I´m just scratching the surface of it´s capability. The more testing and shooting I do, the more I appreciate how Nikon engineered really good choices and tradeoffs in this camera. Looking up the family of DSLRs showed me impressive features but the D5600 was exactly the right choice for me.
The only area I would like improvement is SnapBridge. I know, it´s been beat to an inch of its life on forums but I´m actually encouraged by what I see. Nikon recognizes the power of the phone in my pocket and that they can take advantage of it for location, time and external storage. I think it´s smart of offload geolocation to my phone. SnapBridge is fussy to get going and I now make it part of my process to do all the camera synch voodoo before starting but overall I´m happy with the capability and I´m patiently waiting improvements. I´ve turned of the uploading feature. Worst case, the camera can work just fine without SnapBridge. I think we´re in early days of this cooperative capability sharing. My car/phone interface isn´t perfect either. I want to encourage Nikon to make SnapBridge better, not give up on it.
At the end of the day it´s the photographs that count and this is where I´m completely blown away. I learned photography in the Ansel Adams/Zone system era and the capability of the lenses, image sensor, processor and software are phenomenal. Even without post-shooting manipulation, the color, the exposure and the controls produce pictures far, far better than I was able to achieve with my Nikon FE and Kodachrome 64. I´ve had to learn that taking lots of pictures isn´t just ´spray and pray´ but allows me to really compare and learn from the camera. This camera and my computer are SO much more satisfying that my 1980s era camera and darkroom. Clearly better than what I was able to do with an iPhone alone.
Apologies for the length of the review but you can see I´m very happy with the D5600 and Nikon lenses. I´m already getting amazing photographs and I´m looking forward to continuing to grow around this camera and the Nikon DX system.
Rudy Rugebregt
Pebble Beach, California
