Home  Donate  New  Search  Gallery  Reviews  How-To  Books  Links  Workshops  About  Contact

Nikon D5500
24 MP DX, 5 FPS, ISO 25,600, 1080/60p
Touch Screen, Flip LCD, Wi-Fi

© KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

Sample Images   Intro   Specs   Performance   USA Version

Compared   Usage   Recommendations   More

Please help KenRockwell..com

Nikon D5500

Nikon D5500 (comes in black as shown or candy-apple red, 16.4 oz./466g body-only with battery and card, about $400 used if you know How to Win at eBay); shown with my favorite three-year-old 35mm f/1.8 DX. enlarge.

Here are all the variations at Amazon.

Nikon does not seal its boxes, so never buy at retail or any source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged or used camera, a customer return or if the warranty has already been registered online to someone else! The approved sources I use ship from secure, remote automated warehouses where salespeople or other customers never, ever get to touch your camera, and they have the best prices, selection, service and return policies.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use any of those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks for your support! Ken.

 

March 2015   Nikon Reviews   Nikon Lenses    All Reviews

NEW: Nikon D5600 March 2017

 

Back, Nikon D5500

Rear, Nikon D5500. enlarge.

 

Back, Nikon D5500

Top, Nikon D5500. enlarge.

 

Nikon D5500

Nikon D5500. enlarge.

 

Sample Image Files         top

Sample Images   Intro   Specs   Performance   USA Version

Compared   Usage   Recommendations   More

Pepper trees and eucalyptus in backlight,t NGR 06 Mar 2015

Pepper trees and eucalyptus in backlight, 06 March 2015. D5500, 35/1.8 DX, f/8 at 1/30 hand-held at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear V2. © camera-original file.

Light, shadow and color: the D5500 looks great!

 

Moonrise, NGR 06 Mar 2015

Moonrise, 06 March 2015. D5500, 35/1.8 DX, f/1.8 at 1/30 hand-held at at ISO 10,000, Perfectly Clear V2. Bigger.

Hand-held astronomical shooting? No problems; ISO 10,000 looks great! Note that at f/1.8 only the green trees on the left are in focus.

 

Green grass in spring light NGR 06 Mar 2015

Green spring grass in backlight, 06 March 2015. D5500, 35/1.8 DX, f/7.1 at 1/30 hand-held at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear V2. © camera-original file.

It's all about light and color. The foreground comes right up to the bottom of the frame, and is of course out of focus.

 

Crazy-colored tree at night, 06 March 2015

Crazy-colored tree at night, 06 March 2015. D5500, 35/1.8 DX, f/1.8 at 1/30 hand-held at ISO 1,000, Perfectly Clear V2. bigger.

With the D5500, hand-held night shooting is trivial. This is what my iPhone 6 Plus can't do: get brilliant, colorful images shot in the dark without flash. ISO 1,000 is trivial; it's sharp and clean, and with an f/1.8 lens, easy to shoot at night hand-held.

 

Fine home in Corte Madera, 08 March 2015

Fine home in Corte Madera, 08 March 2015. D5500, 35/1.8 DX, f/9 at 1/200 at ISO 100, as shot. © camera-original file.

The D5500 is so sharp you can count the nubs on the seed balls on the tree at the left:

Fine home in Corte Madera, 08 March 2015

Crop from left side of above image. If this is 6" (15 cm) wide on your screen, the entire image printed at this same high magnification would be 40 x 60" (1 x 1.5 meters)!

 

American Cancer Society Discovery Store Laguna Niguel, 08 March 2015

American Cancer Society Discovery Store, 08 March 2015. D5500, 35/1.8 DX, f/7.1 at 1/200 at ISO 100, as shot. © camera-original file.

D5500: Sharp and colorful and well exposed; the images just look great as-shot! These are all shot in JPG BASIC as I shoot everything; with Nikon, there's no need to waste time with shooting raw.

 

Adorama pays top dollar for your used gear.

Amazon

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

Introduction         top

Sample Images   Intro   Specs   Performance   

USA Version    Compared   Usage

Recommendations   More

I love my Nikon D5500 because it weighs almost nothing, produces the same big-camera results I get with my full-frame DSLRs like my D810 — even at high ISOs (sorry, Nikon) — and is super fast and easy to use with its new touch screen.

This is the first and only touch screen ever in a Nikon DSLR, and it's a significant step forward in speed and usability. I can set many things with a single tap that used to take several button pushes clicking-around a screen with a touch controller.

Not only does one tap select among numerous options or zoom and scroll playback, I can flick up and down in menus to see all the options. It's a real touch screen like an iPhone; it looks great and works great with the softest touch and instant response.

With its touch screen, my D5500 suddenly makes all my older DSLRs like my D810 feel like 1970s PCs before the mouse was invented. No longer do I need to click up/down/left/right a zillion times to get someplace on the screen; with my D5500, one tap and I'm done.

The touch screen is a huge advance; the D5000 series used to be much slower to handle than the D7000 series since it lacks direct-entry buttons, but today, my D5500 handles as fast as the D7000 series — and faster than my D810!

Live View and a flippy screen lets me shoot photos and videos while held away from my head.

Compared to pro cameras I often haul, the D5500 is a dream to carry, and when I'm more relaxed, I make better pictures. If you've got good lenses, the image quality is the same!

The D5500 weighs significantly less than the old D5300, and its touch screen lets it handle twice as fast. I never liked the D5xxx and D3xxx series for serious daily use since too many things were in menus, but now with the touch screen, they handle as fast as my pro Nikons since the pro Nikons are still burdened with only one up/down/left/right control to try to navigate their menus.

The D5500 has higher resolution than the $6,500 Nikon D4s, and its pictures are otherwise the same — and the D4s has no swivel screen or touch controls! The D5500's shutter is much quieter than the D4s; you can shoot the D5500 in places where the loud D4s shutter would get you thrown out. The AF areas of the D5500 also fill more of its frame than they do in the D4s, too.

The only reason to pay more (and lug more) than the D5500 is if you subject your camera to daily physical and environmental abuse. The D5500 is a flyweight camera which I love, but if you regularly get splashed by motorcycles or shoot in sandstorms you might want something tougher. I don't; I'll take lighter weight any day.

The D5500 has its exposure modes on a big dial on top, while pro models handle more slowly because they demand you hold a button and spin a knob to do the same thing.

If you just want great photos easily or want a super-lightweight high-performance camera, the D5500 can't be beat.

 

Good

Superb image quality; ultra sharp, great highlights, shadows and color and great performance at hyper ISOs.

Excellent built-in flash.

Ultra light weight.

Superb touch screen and interface design for effortless handling.

Fast and competent autofocus.

 

Missing

No diagonal scroll on playback from the thumb controller (up/down/left/right only), but so what: use the touch screen and you can scroll any way you want — and zoom instantly.

No power switch lock to protect against accidental turning on of off, but no other Nikon does that today either. Nikon stopped doing that with the F5.

Compared to a professional D4s for $6,500, the things missing are things most people won't miss:

No one-click playback zoom (pressing (+) only zooms in a little, not all the way), but a two-finger spread does the same thing.

No depth-of-field preview button.

No voice notes (used by newsmen to record spoken notes with the images).

No battery percentage number, just a three-bar battery icon.

No auto LCD brightness control, but I never missed it.

No easy way to set Auto ISO ON/OFF or image size etc. directly; you have to use the touch screen.

Built-in flash can't work as a commander for wireless flash.

No second memory card slot.

For $5,600 less than the D4s, I think I'll live, and the D5500 has a built-in flash sorely lacking in the D4s!

 

Lens Compatibility

Nikon D5500

Nikon D5500. enlarge.

 

Today's Lenses (AF-S and/or G)

Like the D5300, D5200, D5100, D5000, D3300, D3200, D3100, D3000, D60, D40 and D40x, everything works flawlessly with all modern AF-I and AF-S lenses.

Nikon is not expecting people who buy the D5500 to use it with ancient lenses, and therefore saves everyone the expense and weight of including the parts needed in more expensive cameras to ensure compatibility with the older lenses below.

Modern AF-S and DX lenses are the best lenses for the D5500. I own and have used older lenses on my D5500, and they aren't as good optically or ergonomically.

If you insist, here's what happens:

 

1980s AF Lenses (screw-focus)

Unlike heavier DX and FX cameras, the D5500 has no internal autofocus motor, so it will not autofocus with old-style screw-drive autofocus (AF) lenses.

Everything else works perfectly with older-style AF lenses, except that you'll have to turn the focus ring manually and look either for a sharp viewfinder image or the electronic focus confirmation dot at the bottom of the finder.

 

Manual Focus Lenses (Non-CPU, 1959-today)

The D5500 gives you a dumb "Lens not attached" and flashing "F--" warning with old manual-focus lenses — unless you set the top dial to M (manual).

If set to Manual, you can shoot all you want. Focus by looking for a sharp image on the finder screen, or look for the green "AF OK" dot at the lower left.

It offers no metering with manual-focus lenses, but there are workarounds like looking at the LCD after you shoot, or using a separate light meter like the Gossen Digisix.

Live View works with manual lenses, but only if the mode dial is set to M. Oddly even through the live view is always exposed well, you'll still have to guess at the correct manual exposure setting.

 

See more details at Nikon Lens Compatibility.

 

Nikon D5500

Nikon D5500. enlarge.

 

Specifications         top

Sample Images   Intro   Specs   Performance   USA Version

Compared   Usage   Recommendations   More

 

See also Nikon's D5500 specification page.

 

Sensor

DX (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS.

No anti-alaising (optical low-pass or blurring) filter.

Sensor cleaner.

 

Image Sizes

6,000 x 4,000 pixels native (LARGE, 24 MP).

4,496 x 3,000 (MEDIUM, 13.5 MP).

2,992 x 2,000 (SMALL, 6 MP).

 

File Formats

NEF (12- or 14-bit compressed raw), JPG, or both.

 

ISO

Auto: ISO 100 - 25,600.

Auto ISO allows setting the slowest speed as well as minimum and maximum ISOs, as well as setting the slowest speed to set itself automatically to the lens focal length, and you may then set that speed to vary ±2 stops from the focal length. In other words, the D5500 has the best and most flexible Auto ISO settings in the business.

Manual: ISO 100 - 25,600.

 

Finder

95% coverage.

0.46x magnification with standard 28mm lens (0.82x magnification with 50mm telephoto lens).

-1.7 to +1.0 diopters.

17 mm eyepoint.

 

Meter

2,016 pixel RGB meter sensor.

3D Color Matrix, center-weighted and spot.

 

Autofocus

39 points, 9 cross-type.

Also settable to only 11 points for faster selection.

Nikon Multi-CAM 4800DX sensor module from the D7000 and D5300.

AF-S (single), AF-C (continuous), and AF-A (auto selection between the other two modes).

Single-point AF, Dynamic AF, Auto Area AF.

AF illuminator.

LV -1 to +19.

 

Shutter

1/4,000 to 30 seconds in 1/3 or 1/2 stops, bulb.

Maximum speed with flash (sync speed): 1/200.

Up to 5 FPS.

QUEIT mode selectable in a menu.

 

Optional Remotes

ML-L3 (get one!)

Wireless remote controller WR-1 or WR-R10.

Remote cord MC-DC2.

 

Flash

i-TTL metering.

Works only with SB-910, SB-900, SB-800, SB-700, SB-600, SB-500, SB-400 and SB-300.

1/200 sync speed.

 

Built-in Flash

Built-in TTL flash.

GN 12 meters/39 feet.

Optional manual control in a menu.

Does not work as an i-TTL commander.

 

Video

1,920 x 1,080 at 59.94p, 50p, 29.97p, 25p or 23.976p.

1,280 x 720 at 59.94p or 50p.

ISO 100 to 25,600.

Non-standard (cropped) 640 x 424 at 25/30p 29.97p or 25p.

Up to 30 minutes per take, 20 minutes in 1080 50 or 60 p or only 3 minutes in "miniature" mode.

H.264/MPEG-4 and linear PCM audio stored as .MOV files.

Nikon claims Full-Time AF, but I seriously doubt AF works well.

Stereo mic built in.

 

LCD

Nikon D5500

Flip screen, Nikon D5500.

Touch screen.

3.2" (8.1 cm) swivel.

720 x 480 pixels (1,036,800 R, G or B dots).

170º viewing.

 

Storage

SD memory card, one slot.

SDHC-, SDXC- and UHS-I compliant.

 

Approved brands

Nikon approves only some SanDisk, Lexar, Toshiba and Panasonic cards.

DO NOT tempt fate with no-name cards.

 

Connectors

Type C mini-HDMI.

USB.

NTSC or PAL analog A/V via a proprietary connecter.

Proprietary remote connector.

3.5mm stereo mic input.

 

Power

EN-EL14a rechargeable Li-ion battery, same as D5300 and D5200 and similar to the EN-EL14 of the D5200, D5100, D3100 and P7000.

Battery weight: 1.700 oz. (48.1 g.), measured.

Nikon EN-EL14a

EN-EL14a battery.

 

MH 24 Charger

Nikon folding-plug MH-24 charger. enlarge.

The MH-24 charger has a folding plug, as a charger should. It's much better than the clumsy abortions like the MH-25 we use with the D810 and D610 etc.

Optional AC adapter EH-5B ($85) and EP-5B power connector ($50).

 

Body

Carbon-fiber monocoque frame.

 

Environment

0~40ºC (32~104ºF).

Up to 85% RH.

 

GPS

None.

 

Wi-Fi

IEEE 802.11b: DSSS/CCK.

IEEE 802.11g: OFDM.

2,412 to 2,462 MHz (channels 1 to 11).

54 MBPS.

WPA2-PSK and AES encryption.

Rated 30 meters (100 feet) under perfect conditions only.

 

Size

5.1 x 3.9 x 3.1 inches.

129 x 98 x 78 millimeters.

 

Weight

16.445 oz. (466.2 g) with battery and card, actual measured.

Battery alone: 1.700 oz. (48.1 g), actual measured weight.

Nikon rates it at 16.6 oz. (470 g) with battery and card.

Nikon rates it at 14.9 oz. (420 g) stripped naked.

 

Quality

Made in Thailand.

Nikon D5500 USA box

Bottom, Nikon D5500. bigger.

 

Included

Nikon D5500 USA box

Nikon D5500 box side. bigger.

(a lens if you buy a kit)

D5500 Body

BF-1B Body Cap

DK-25 Rubber Eyecup

AN-DC3 Strap

EN-EL14a Battery

MH-24 charger

UC-E23 USB cable

EG-CP16 Audio video cable

Software CD-ROM

 

Nikon Model Numbers

Black body only: 1544.

Black with 18-55mm VR II: 1546.

Black with 18-140mm VR: 1548.

 

Red body only: 1545.

Red with 18-55mm VR II: 1547.

Red with 18-140mm VR: 1552.

 

Announced

12:01 AM, 05 January 2015, New York City time.

 

Promised for

Early February 2015.

 

Price, USA

2022 December

About $400 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

2015 March

$797; $897 w/18-55mm VR or $1,097 with 18-140mm lens; same prices for red body-only, red body with 18-55mm VR II and red body with 18-140mm VR).

 

2015 January:

$899 ($999 w/18-55mm VR, $1,199 w/18-140mm VR).

 

Nikon D5500

Box, Nikon D5500.

 

Getting a Legal USA Version (for USA only)

Sample Images   Intro   Specs   Performance   USA Version

Compared   Usage   Recommendations   More

Nikon D5500 USA box end

USA Nikon D5500 box end. bigger.

In the USA, be sure your box has "US" after "D5500" and the color code ("BK" on this black one) above the UPC bar code on the lower left.

If the letters are different, you got ripped off with a gray market version from another country. This is why I never buy anyplace other than from my personally approved sources. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, especially at retail, because non-USA versions have no warranty in the USA, and you won't even be able to get new firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it!

Always be sure to check your box while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources, so you'll be able to have your camera serviced and get free updated firmware as needed.

Most importantly, the legal USA version has a gray warranty card from Nikon USA, and there is a white "U-S" sticker on the plastic bag holding the manuals:

Nikon D5500 USA box contents

USA Nikon D5500 box contents. bigger.

The important part is the Nikon USA warranty paper, whose serial number must match the one on your camera. If you have that, don't get too bent out of shape if the sticker on the manuals says U-K or the box is a little different. If you've got a Nikon USA warranty card with a matching serial number, you're OK.

 

Performance         top

Sample Images   Intro   Specs   Performance   USA Version

Compared   Usage   Recommendations   More

 

Overall   Picture Quality   Meter & Exposure

High ISOs   Viewfinder   Ergonomics   Shutter

Built-in Flash   Durability   Playback & LCD   Data

 

Overall      performance    top

I LOVE my D5500. It's tiny and weightless so I carry it everywhere, and with its new touch screen it's super fast and easy to set and use.

 

Picture Quality      performance    top

It's not 2007 anymore; today, DX cameras take the same pictures as full-frame cameras.

I have no problem creating professional work on my D5500; its picture quality is as good as every other Nikon DSLR today.

The D810 has a little more resolution that you'll never see unless you really do print more than 10 feet (3 meters) wide, and the D5500 has more resolution than the most expensive D4s and has great low-light performance as well.

All you get by getting a D610 or D750 is less depth of field and a bigger viewfinder, otherwise the images are the same.

 

Meter and Exposure      performance    top

No news here; the meter works well.

If it doesn't, it errs on the side of overexposure with subjects against dark backgrounds. No big deal, if an image is too light, hold the +/- button and set it to -0.7 or -1.0 and it's perfect.

 

High ISOs      performance    top

ISO 10,000: Moonrise hand-held!

Moonrise, NGR 06 Mar 2015

Moonrise, 06 March 2015. D5500, 35/1.8 DX, f/1.8 at 1/30 hand-held at at ISO 10,000, Perfectly Clear V2. Bigger. Note that at f/1.8 only the green trees on the left are in focus.

High ISO performance is spectacular.

Can you remember 2006, back when we avoided ISOs like 3,200 because they looked ratty, noisy, blotchy and off-color, even seen at small sizes? As I show below, D5500 images shot at ISO 12,800 look the same at normal sizes as those shot at ISO 100, a huge testament to the incredible performance we take for granted today.

Only at ISO 25,600 do the shadows become a little lighter, but so what? If you need ISO 25,600 for a sharp photo, use it. Otherwise, the shadows and highlights and colors and everything look the same. A few years ago ISO 25,600 would have had blotchy faded colors and lifeless black shadows, while the D5500 looks great at ISO 25,600.

To see the tiny differences between these today, download the camera-original files and compare them at home. You'll see a little less fine detail in higher ISO shots, as well as less texture. Look for the details in the wood grain: the wood grain is smoothed-over by the noise reduction at the higher ISOs — but you'll never see this at normal print sizes or online.

These minor differences don't matter: a sharp, in-focus and unblurred photo at ISO 25,600 with the D5500 is always going to be sharper than one with less depth of field or blurred from a using a slower ISO if things are moving or if it's night and you have no tripod. If you need ISO 25,600, use it.

 

Complete Images

Click any for its 4 MB camera-original LARGE BASIC JPG file.

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Click any for its 4 MB camera-original LARGE BASIC JPG file.

 

Crops from the above images at 100%

These are crops at 100% pixel-to-pixel from the above, the equivalent of extremely large prints.

If these below are about 6" (15 cm) on your screen, then the entire image printed at this same magnification would be huge 40 x 60" (1 x 1.5 meter) prints!

As you will see, the noise looks about the same up to about ISO 12,800.

What changes more than the noise is that all the fine textures go away as the ISO increases. While sharp edges (the numbers on the clock) stay sharp, subtle textures in the wood grain completely disappear as the ISO increases! This is because today's noise reduction works by smoothing-over the fine details, which smooths both the noise as well as the image. At the highest ISOs, it's as if the image got wet and smeared!

There isn't any significant noise until ISO 25,600, while finer details start going away at much lower ISOs. Subtle textures go away at middle ISOs, and at the highest ISOs, look how the fine circles around the edge of the clock face simply disappear!

This is how all noise reduction works. It tries to throw away noise, and at the highest ISOs it throws away some picture, too.

The full images above look swell, even at ISO 25,600. What this shows us below is that the degradation at higher ISOs only matters if you're making huge prints — and then standing this close to them.

Crops from the above images at 100%

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Nikon D5500 sample image at ISO 100

Click any for its 4 MB camera-original LARGE BASIC JPG file.

 

Viewfinder      performance    top

The finder is as expected: small, but sharp and bright.

Odd is that that my D5500 seems to have dim digits; the data along the bottom often isn't as bright as I'd like it.

The advantage of this is that they don't interfere with our composition, but I'm used to brighter digits. There is no adjustment for this; like other Nikons they automatically adjust depending on ambient light.

There's more data in the finder than most people will ever want, although there is no indication of the P, S, A or M exposure mode.

 

Ergonomics      performance    top

As covered at the top, ergonomics are way ahead of the previous model because of the touch screen. The touch screen works as well as an iPhone, and everything is well thought out and just goes. Bravo!

The tiny grip actually feels great in my big American hands. It's thin, but fairly long from front to back, so I don't feel like I'm holding a kid's camera.

All the controls except the MENU button are all on the right side, making it easy to shoot and play back with one hand. Bravo encore!

It's difficult to find the Advance Mode button (under the lens release button) by feel. It doesn't poke out and is flush to the body, so good luck.

It has two different buttons marked "info" and "i" which do similar things, but even I figured it out after using it for a while.

The mode dial is less comfortable than previous cameras because it has a sharper edge along the top. Older cameras were more rounded and had deeper knurling for better grip.

These are my only petty whines. The D5500 is a much faster and easier to use camera than I had imagined, and sets a new benchmark for tiny camera usability.

 

Shutter      performance    top

The shutter is typical; it's moderately loud. It's not as quiet as some Nikons, but a lot quieter than the D4s.

Forget "Quiet" mode; it's not any quieter than the usual mode, but it slows down shooting, and doesn't cock the shutter for the next shot until you take your finger off the release. The quiet mode is as loud as the usual mode, and you get two shutter noises for each shot instead of just one.

Look elsewhere if you need a near silent camera; look at the D3300 which is naturally quiet, or the D810 which has a quiet mode that really is.

 

Built-in Flash      performance    top

The built-in flash works great; there's no need to use an external flash.

Exposure is swell and it recycles quickly.

It will not work as a remote commander to control other flashes, but it does work great in TTL and can be set to manual as well.

 

Durability      performance    top

Mine fell out of the passenger seat of a large American-made SUV three feet (1 meter) to the concrete.

It works perfectly, and it took me quite a while to find the tiny marks on the plastic.

 

Playback & LCD      performance    top

Playback is fast and easy, and you can use fingers on the touch screen to zoom and scroll!

Sometimes it goes into an odd data screen mode right after you take a shot if you turn the control dial, but everything goes back to normal as soon as you hit PLAY.

There's no diagonal scroll with the up/down/left/right thumb controller, but so what, you can scroll any way you like with your finger on the screen.

The screen is reasonably resistant to fingerprints, and the LCD is bright, sharp, clear, accurate and colorful.

 

Data      performance    top

Cards are correctly formatted as "NIKON D5500."

 

Compared         top

Sample Images   Intro   Specs   Performance   USA Version

Compared   Usage   Recommendations   More

The D5500 weighs two ounces less than 2013's D5300 and adds a touch screen. For your privacy, the D5500 has no GPS — but you can plug one in if you like.

 
Anni
2016-
2015-2017
2013-2015
2012-2013
2011-2012
2009-2011
Resolution1
24MP
24MP
24MP
24MP
16MP
12MP
FPS
5 FPS
5 FPS
5 FPS
5 FPS
4 FPS
4 FPS
Flippy LCD2
3.2" 1.04m dots
3.2" 1.04m dots
3.2" 1.04m dots
3" 921k dots
3" 921k dots
2.7" 230k dots
Touch Screen
YES
YES
no
no
no
no
Max Video rez & rate3
1080
59.94p
1080
59.94p
1080
29.97p
1080
29.97p
1080
29.97p

720p
23.976p

Audio (built-in)4
Stereo
Stereo
Stereo
Stereo
mono
mono
AF5
39 points
39 points
39 points
39 points
11 points
11 points
Flash Sync
1/200
1/200
1/200
1/200
1/200
1/200
Live View
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
4 modes
GPS
no, use adapter
no, use adapter
yes
no
no
no
Wi-Fi
yes
yes
yes
no
no
no
Bluetooth & NFC
yes
no
no
no
no
no
Battery
EN-EL14a
EN-EL14a
EN-EL14a
EN-EL14
EN-EL14
EN-EL9a
Weight6

16.3 oz.
463g

16.4 oz.
466g

18.8 oz.
532 g
19.6 oz.
555 g
19.5 oz.
554g

21.6 oz.
611g

1.) This is the same; anything more than 6 MP is more than enough for anything. Picture quality is NOT dependant on resolution; today that's just a specification used to scare people into paying more for the latest camera.

2.) The D5500 and D5100 have very sharp, smooth and detailed images, while the fewer dots of the D5000's LCD make it look a little bit more grainy, but even the D5000 has a perfectly fine LCD.

3.) Again probably irrelevant; there won't be much if any visible difference with more resolution here; the biggest difference is that the newer cameras make much bigger files that take up a lot more room on your card and hard drive!

4.) If playing back on a home theater system or a computer with stereo speakers, stereo sound makes a huge difference in sound quality over the mono mic of the older D5100 and D5000.

5.) The 39 point system is nice, but the 11 point system works great, too. Heck, Nikon's top pro cameras until 2007 all had only 11 points or less, and no one complained!

6.) Actual measured weights with card and battery, but no lens or strap.

 

Usage         top

Sample Images   Intro   Specs   Performance   USA Version

Compared   Usage   Recommendations   More

 

Advance Modes

To set the advance mode, which includes the fast and slow frame rates, self timer, remote control and Quiet modes, press the tiny button just below the lens release button. The rear LCD lights up, tap the screen, and you're done.

 

Self Timer

Set the Self Timer as above.

The self timer resets after each shot.

 

File Number Sequence

Set FILE NUMBER SEQUENCE ON at MENU > CUSTOM (pencil) > d2 File Number Sequence > ON.

If left at its default of OFF, it will reset to DSC_0001.JPG every time it can, and after a while you'll have dozens of photos all with the same file number that you can't put into the same folder when you want to make a book.

Setting this to ON ensures that you can take 10,000 photos before the D5500 uses the same file number again.

 

Recommendations         top

Sample Images   Intro   Specs   Performance   USA Version

Compared   Usage   Recommendations   More

My Nikon D5500 is fantastic: it's tiny and weightless and makes breathtaking images in any light. Colors are fantastic, and it focuses and works well in dim light or at crazy high ISOs unheard of just a few years ago.

The new touch screen and lighter weight make this new D5500 much nicer than any of the older D5300, D5200, D5100 or D5000 (there is no D5400).

The D7200 is marvelous, but honestly with the fast handling of the D5500's touch screen and identical image quality, I don't see much reason to pay more for the D7200 unless you need compatibility with manual focus and old-style screw-focus AF lenses. You're better off using the money you save with the D5500 to get new DX lenses. The other reasons you may want a D7200 is if you want its built-in flash to work as a commander, or if you need to swap between two completely different sets of settings with the D7200's U1 and U2 presets on its mode dial.

Here's another hint: the only real reason to pay twice as much for a heavier Full Frame FX camera and its bigger lenses is to get a bigger viewfinder! The pictures are the same! There is very little difference in picture quality today in 2015 between full frame FX and these DX cameras. In fact, the biggest picture difference is that DX cameras like this D5500 always get more in focus (have a deeper depth-of-field), while full-frame FX cameras like the D610 get less in focus under similar conditions. Colors, sharpness and noise are the same today; these cameras are all that good.

Nikon does not seal its boxes, so never buy at retail or any source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, used, customer return or if the warranty has already been registered online to someone else! The approved sources I use ship from secure automated warehouses where no salespeople or customers ever get their hands on your camera, and they have the best prices, service, return policies and selection.

I'd get mine at those or these links to all the variations at Adorama, all the variations at Amazon or all the combinations and variations at B&H.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use any of those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live.

Thanks for your support!

Ken.

 

Lenses

For the D5500, as with all DX cameras, I love my 35mm f/1.8 DX and don't use the 18-55mm VR kit zoom. I'd get a D5500 body-only and the 35mm f/1.8 DX separately.

If you need a telephoto to get closer, I use the 55-200mm VR II. The 55-300 VR gets even closer, but is bigger and costs more. Either is great.

Ultrawide lenses are expensive. If I need to get wider than the 18-55mm VR, I use my Nikon 10-24mm DX.

Suggested Nikon DX lenses for the D5500.

More Nikon lens reviews and recommendations.

 

Flash

The built-in flash is excellent; don't buy another until you try the one that's already there.

If you need something that recycles faster or has more range, the small but discontinued SB-400 is what I use. They're easy to get on eBay or at Amazon. You don't need bigger flashes unless you're trying to shoot sports at long distances and at high frame rates, which you probably aren't doing with a D5500.

 

More Information         top

Sample Images   Intro   Specs   Performance   USA Version

Compared   Usage   Recommendations   More

Nikon's D5500 page.

Nikon's D5500 manual.

 

Help me help you         top

I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.

The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.

If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.

If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!

If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.

As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

Home  Donate  New  Search  Gallery  Reviews  How-To  Books  Links  Workshops  About  Contact

 

15 Dec 2022, March 2015, 05 January 2015

 

numerous colors and kit forms.