The Nikon D5500 is a great little camera that bridges the gap between true beginner and the well-established photographer. It can work on either end of that spectrum and fits the needs of a variety of photographers in-between. As the D5xxx series continues to slowly evolve, this one reminds me of just how far we’ve come in the past six or eight years of DSLRs.
I’m working on a full review but I wanted to share some real world photos that I’ve shot with the D5500 ahead of that review.
I selected several snapshot photos along with some more serious planned shots as well. I think both sides of that coin represents the potential markets for this camera. It works well as a walk-around camera for family snapshots and it serves the more serious side of photography too.
These were all converted to DNG files using Adobe’s DNG Converter (because Lightroom 6 still isn’t here with D5500 support) and processed in Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CC.
Lenses used include the 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR kit lens and the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6D EX DC HSM.
Nikon D5500 w/ Nikkor 18-140mm VR Lens at ISO 180 – 1/160s – f/5.6
Nikon D5500 w/ Nikkor 18-140mm VR Lens at ISO 450 – 1/320s – f/5.6
Nikon D5500 with Nikkor 18-140mm at ISO 4500 – 1/60s – f/4.5
Nikon D5500 w/ Nikkor 18-140mm Lens at ISO 25,600 – 1/13s – f/4
Nikon D5500 w/ Nikkor 18-140mm Lens at ISO 25,600 – 1/25s – f/3.5 (shot around 1AM with almost no light in the area)
Nikon D5500 w/ Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 at 13mm – ISO 200 – 10s – f/16 – Hoya 9-Stop ND filter
Nikon D5500 w/ Nikkor 18-140mm VR Lens at ISO 2500 – 1/40s – f/3.8
Nikon D5500 w/ Nikkor 18-140mm VR Lens at ISO 10,000 – 1/125s – f/5.3
Nikon D5500 w/ Nikkor 18-140mm VR Lens at ISO 14,400, 1/60s f/4.2
100% crop of above image at ISO 14,400
If you want to pixel peep, there is plenty of noise at higher ISO settings. So it’s not a professional camera to use in low-light events, but the images still hold up quite well at lower resolutions and decent print sizes. You have so much resolution at 24MP that it scales down to the smaller image sizes very well even at these ridiculous ISO speed settings.
Nikon D5500 w/ Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 at 15mm – ISO 100 – f/16 – 3s
Nikon D5500 w/ Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 Lens at 20mm – ISO 100 – 30s – f/8 – Hoya 9-stop ND filter
Nikon D5500 w/ Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 at 14mm – ISO 200 – 8s – f/16 – Hoya 9-stop ND filter
Nikon D5500 w/ Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 Lens at ISO 100 – 15s – f/8 – Hoya 9-stop ND filter
Nikon D5500 w/ Nikkor 18-140mm VR Lens at ISO 100 – 30s – f/22 – Hoya 9-stop ND filter
You can view any of the original files here. I make these available for your personal inspection but not for re-sharing or uploading to other websites.
The Nikon D5500 is available as a body-only or in kits with either the 18-55mm VR lens or the 18-140mm VR lens (I recommend the 18-140mm option). You can find all three here at B&H Photo.
The Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6D EX DC HSM lens is an affordable wide angle lens for the D5500 and other Nikon DX-format DSLRs. Check it out here at B&H Photo.
The Hoya NDx400 9-stop ND filter is an affordable ND filter that allows for the long exposure even in daylight to create the blurred motion in several of the images above. If you plan on using it on more than one size lens, I recommend getting a 77mm version of the filter and a filter step-up kit.
Stay tuned for the full review coming up soon.
Some really nice shots. I am wondering about the underwater shot, thru window, and where?
Being too old for that now, I had some, I thought great underwater shots with a Nikon, Nikonos and matching flash, remember film? I lost most photos in flood of Hurricane Katrina, this just reminded me of them and thanks for so many enjoyable shots.
Thanks for the comment Joe. The “underwater” shot was through the glass at an aquarium.