Nikon D5500 DX-format Digital SLR Body (Red)

My situation may be a little different than some others on this forum. My first DSLR was a Nikon D90 and then I moved to a D7000. I had assorted Nikon lenses and equipment and having reached age 70, I decided to gear down and sell all of my Nikon equipment and buy a good point and shoot. After looking into everything that was available in the point n shoot world, I realized that nothing would take the place of of my D7000; that is until the D5500 was introduced. Between its amazingly light weight, articulating touch screen LCD, WiFi, uniformly positive reviews, light weight collapsing 18-55 vr2 and 55-200vr lenses, as well as an under $1000 price point, I decided that this could be the answer for my purposes as a perfect all around consumer camera. Bottom line, I love this camera and as it has turned out being everything that I had hoped for and more. Beautiful pictures, simple to use, and easy to haul around; there just isnt any downside to owning this camera. Hope this has helped make someones decision a little easier - you just cant go wrong with the D5500.

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Initial review. Only had it a week and will update over time. First, you cant beat the price. $595 with 2 adequate zoom lenses. The lenses are average but do the job. You can spend a lot more for faster lenses but these will work in most cases. I wish lenses would come with UV filters for protection. Bought a B+W XS-Pro 55mm and a Hoya PRO1 58mm right away. Tried one of each brand as I saw issues in reviews of both. My other pet peeve is lens covers that dont have a lanyard to keep it attached to the body. Nice feature is touch screen that folds out and turns to face front if needed for real expensive selfies ;). Rotates so screen faces into camera back for protection when not in use. There are a LOT of options. Even had to read the manual! Bought a copy of D5500 for Dummies to get a quick review of the functions and keep it on my Kindle app on my phone. Also bought 2 more batteries and charger with car option although battery life seems quite good. Dont scrimp on the SD card! Attached photos all shot with filters in place. Pics: Fire pit 22mm 1.5s F3.8; Plumeria 195mm 1/60 F5.3 with fill flash; Full Moon 300mm 1/250 F11(-3 exp comp); Rising Moon 300mm 1/60 F6.3; Sunrise 70mm 1/125 F4.5; Sunset 300mm 1/750 F6.3

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This is the camera Ive been looking for. My interest in photography goes way back, but it wasnt until I got my first iPhone (the 4S) that I was able to start exploring. From there, I bought a Fuji HS30EXR, which was very highly recommended, and had awful image quality; next, I purchased a Sony NEX-6, which was light-years ahead of the Fuji, but I always felt like something was missing. So I bought the Sony a6000 and suffered immediate buyers remorse (though I eventually bought its little brother, the RX100 m2, which is my much-loved coat-pocket camera). I was always looking for that missing something. And not being trained at all in photography, never having taken any classes, and having to learn everything on my own from books and websites, I could never put my finger on what that something was. Until I discovered the D5500. The D5500 takes great pictures. Its also harder to use than the a6000. But it feels like a real camera. Its comfortable in my (somewhat large) hands. Compared to the CSC Sony cameras Ive owned, it feels more like a tool than a toy. As I say, its more challenging to use (no Focus Peaking!), and as a result, Im more satisfied when I take a decent exposure. And it is sharp, in part because modern Nikons lack anti-aliasing filters. An Anti-Aliasing Filter serves to soften your images to prevent moiré- a sort of banding that occurs in high-contrast patterns (think a striped dress) when recorded by a digital sensor. (You may have seen these patterns on an old tube t.v. screen when you were a kid, too.) In my opinion, the benefit of having 24mp is not that you necessarily get a "better" image- you get more room to crop. I like to take pictures of the moon, and its nice to be able to zoom in and inspect the surface. The Sonys were way too soft when zoomed in at 50%, let alone 100%. This may not be the case for the full-frame Sony cameras, but the APS-C models leave a lot to be desired. As far as those cameras are concerned, 24mp is about 16mp wasted. The D5500 feels great in hand, nice and light, but still substantial, with a good amount of grip, and it truly is optimized to help amatuers like me get the shot they want. Its fast (though not as quick in burst mode as the a6000), and the touchscreen is a treat coming from Sony (menus within menus within menus within menus...), making it super easy to change aperture, ISO, shutter speed, etc. The lens selection is fantastic, whether you go Nikon or third-party (Ive already added the AF-S 35mm and the 55-200mm VRII to my bag), although there is an obvious emphasis on pro gear. The D5500 is the camera for me. Every single box (image quality, feel, looks) is neatly checked. I find myself spending less time in Lightroom and more time with a camera in my hands, and I find that leaving things like ISO up to the camera (unthinkable on Sonys APS-C cameras, which render unusable images after ISO 6400 or so) not only renders great images, but makes it that much easier (and enjoyable) for me to bungle my way through this silly, expensive hobby of mine. I would recommend this camera to everyone who wants to go beyond smartphones and point-and-shoots. Side note- I chose the D5500 over the D7200 for several reasons that you may or may not agree with, but here they are: 1. The D5500 and the D7200 have the same sensor. IQ should be the same. 2. The D7200 is $400 more. Although I love my D5500, I will probably not be as fond of it in three or four years. But the lenses could conceivably last for decades with proper care. As better photographers than me have said, buy only as much camera as you need, and spend the rest on lenses. 3. Simpler exterior. Im not ready for all the buttons and dials yet. Stepping up to the D7000 series will be next, but thats several years from now. I felt it was better to become accustomed to the DSLR form factor before dropping $1100 on the camera body alone. As far as the Nikon vs. Canon debate is concerned, Im uninterested. I chose the D5500 over the comparable Canons for a couple of reasons. 1. Nikon bodies seem to cost less than their Canon counterparts, but are rated more highly; the Canon t6s is more expensive and does not perform as well. Ditto the 70d. 2. Nikon has legacy lens support unmatched by Canon. Will I ever take advantage of it? Who knows, but I like the idea. 3. Canon DSLRs dont render color as well, in my opinion, Easy fix, I know- but still. That being said, Im certain that a skilled photographer could get great pictures from just about anything, so dont get yourself bogged down in fruitless Nikon vs. Canon, DSLR vs. Mirrorless/M43, Android vs. Apple type debates. Just take pictures!

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This is a great beginner camera! for the price i think you get a great image quality and many features that will help you grow as a photographer. I love the functionality of the flip out screen which is larger and more sleek than the canon models. when I was searching for a camera, I was debating between the canon and nikon and ended up with the nikon d5500. in my price range, this camera had so many more options and I love the build. this camera is a great deal as it even comes with built in wifi (which would cost $40+ extra to get on any other camera that lacked this feature). with in camera wifi, you can download the nikon wireless mobile utility app and use your phone as a shutter remote! you can get great quality photos with this camera without breaking the bank. it is a great body and you can invest in good glass to enhance your photos. perhaps the only downside I can think of is that it is a crop sensor, but at the time when I was a beginner and I was looking at cameras I had no idea what that meant. if youre looking for a full frame sensor then skip on this camera, but if you are not sure what those terms mean this camera will get the job done. I do recommend to upgrade your lenses as soon as possible, do not stick with the kit lens forever. personally, I love the 50mm f1.8. dont be afraid to get our of your comfort zone and get our there and start shooting! :)

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This is a terrific little camera. Noticeably lighter than the D40 it replaced. I bought this when it seemed Nikon was clearing out these kits for the D5600. The price difference was significant. The D5500 also is lighter than the D5600, and has higher ISO performance. The D5600 has a new Bluetooth feature for on-the-fly file transfers, but that doesnt mean much to me. Know that the 70-300 lens is not the VR model, but people have been shooting with long lenses for a long time with VR. Its a good lens, and is the new 18-55 VR that collapses to save space. The touch screen allows for quick adjustments to settings as well as scrolling and zooming in review mode. This is a great camera for beginning photographer as well as more advanced amateur photographers. You can take great pictures right out of the box and learn your way through the various modes and settings. It is a sturdy piece of equipment yet small and light enough to carry with you all day. I loved my D40 for nearly 10 years and look forward to many years with the D5500.

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This is an update from my D5100. Easily identifiable as the D range. However the main difference is the larger touch screen, this is just fantastic. All the menu changes are easily available, at a a touch. The wifi was not easy to set up and I opted for a different app to get it to work. My GPS (opteka) works with the D5500 as does the additional battery pack holder (Model DSTE, not recommended). I bought this as a refurbished model and saved a large amount of money. It came in a plain white box with no manual and no post processing discs. These were downloaded on line, but I still like having a book. A highly recommended camera.

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Awesome! The wife is a picture but and she loves this camera! Clearing is amazing! Touch screen is great and there are so many setting a guy like me can break it in 5 min! She on the other hand is doing unbelievable things with this!! I purchaed the "big" Lens for her also and she can reach out 200 yards and take crystal clear action pictures of the kids playing sports.

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Amazing camera! This is my first DSLR and Ive found it to be very user-friendly. I started out playing with Auto but after watching a few YouTube videos, I was taking photos in Manual like a champ. The quality is very very impressive. I mainly bought this for video and I couldnt be happier with the video quality as well. I chose this over a less expensive D3400 or D3500 mainly because of the flip-out screen. Im so glad I did that because I honestly have the screen flipped out and tilted at various angles 90% of the time that Im shooting. I couldnt imagine using this with a fixed screen. It is a very expensive hobby because there are a lot more accessories that youre going to find yourself wanting. I highly recommend buying the Nikon NC filters to protect your lens, as well as the respective Nikon hood for each lens to both protect it, and help you with taking outdoor shots. This kit also doesnt include the relatively-cheap Nikon LF-4 lens cap so youll want to get one of those as well.

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I purchased this camera and lens as a refurbished item. I am very satisfied with the camera and couldnt tell it from a new one. The IQ is great and the touch screen makes it easy and quick to change settings. I wasnt sure if I would like this feature or not but find myself using it frequently. My biggest complaint would be that the numbers in the viewfinder are hard to read and especially difficult in bright sunshine. I havent had this problem with other Nikon models I have had. The 18-55 lens is OK but not as good as other copies I have had. The zoom isnt smooth and the pictures arent as crisp and sharp as the copy I had with my D3300 so I dont use it much. But despite these complaints I still love the camera especially like the ergonomics of it. It is very light and fits well in my hand. A definite winner.

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Ive had this camera for about a month the now. Love it. Eventually Id like a better lens but the kit lens is capable of pretty sharp shots. Im maxing out at 16 megapixels with the kit lens. After all of my research on different cameras and what would be the right starter camera for me I believe this is truly the best one for the money. All my photos are on this kit lens.

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