Black pictures - Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera

Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera is one of the highly rated Digital SLR cameras by amateur and professional photographers alike. At Cautionista, we take a closer look at some of the main issues with this camera, which may cause you a lot of grief after the purchase.

• Many unhappy customers have had their Nikon D5100s taking completely black pictures after varying periods of use. They swear that their cameras were never subjected to any extreme conditions. The black pictures issue can happen at any time without warning. You maybe in the middle of an expensive foreign vacation when this happens and be left without a camera to capture the moments that you cherish. The issue is apparently due to a defective shutter and require you to send in the camera to Nikon for repair. Since this is not covered by warranty, you would have to pay for the repair which may run over $150.
• Defective pixels and dust spots seen on close and detailed inspection.
• Camera stopped working after a 2 feet drop in its padded bag.

Black pictures are scary

It's scary to think that you may become a victim of the Nikon D5100 black pictures issue in the middle of the happiest vacation. Since the D5100 is otherwise a fine camera, you may carry a backup point and shoot camera just in case. A few defective pixels and dust spots are quite common even in the most expensive cameras, so nothing to sweat about. If you would like to be completely worry-free about dropping the camera or getting it wet, especially if you have children or would be using the camera with children around, we recommend that you go in for the SquareTrade Camera/Camcorder Protection + Warranty that fully covers drops and spills for 3 years, plus extends the full warranty for the same period.

Problems with Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR with 18-55mm IS II Lens and EOS HD Movie Mode (Black Color)

Canon EOS Rebel Series cameras are one of the best DSLR cameras out there. Yet, Cautionista goes with a fine tooth comb to look for any problems or disadvantages with this camera, so that you can buy with confidence.









With a lot of labor, here are some issues that we managed to find with the EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP Digital SLR model -

• Dead pixels in the CMOS sensor. 12.2 Million pixels are a lot, but if you a true blue photography enthusiast, you don't want any dead spots in your pictures. Some EOS Rebel T3 customers found a few dead pixels in their cameras.
• The click is too loud, might startle your subjects, specially small children and wildlife. If you are taking close-up pictures of your sleeping baby, be prepared for him or her to wake up hearing the click!
• The lens that comes with the camera is just a starter, need to upgrade the lens to get good pictures, specially with zoom.
• The camera is only slightly better than point-and-shoot cameras in terms of features, build and picture quality. It's like a starter DSLR. If you are looking for your first DSLR, it's better to pay a bit more for the Nikon D3100, so that you get a good DSLR from day one.
• What you see through the lens is not what you get in the picture. There seems to be a vertical shift for the picture, compared to what you see in the viewfinder. So, you need to pre-shift the camera before taking the picture.
• The camera controls are not very intuitive, and a bit difficult to read when compared to Nikon D3100. This is especially true for customers that were used to the ease of point-and-shoot cameras. Some difficulties faced were - unable to take pictures after using it for some time, a few seconds lag between one picture to another.
• Camera went dead after around 10 days of use.

The Verdict

Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2MP DSLR is a good starter DSLR for savvy photographers upgrading from point-and-shoot cameras and who do not wish to pay the premium for DSLRs. However, if you are really serious about DSLR photography and wish to avoid upgrading for a few years, we recommend paying a bit more and purchasing the Nikon D3100 14.2MP DSLR instead. Due to the highly competitive nature of the DSLR market, you may find that reputed retailers like Amazon may sometimes offer both cameras at almost the same price after discounts.