Review: Nikon D5500 specs

In 2015, Nikon released the highly capable, compact-sized Nikon D5500. This Nikon DSLR has a handful of standout features, including a 3.2-inch (8.1cm) LCD touchscreen, built-in WiFi, a 24.2-megapixel sensor and a 39-point autofocus system. Plus, its ‘Flat Picture Control’ aids smoother video post-production.

The D5500’s 24.2-megapixel sensor is a 3:2 ratio, DX-format (APS-C) CMOS type, with a crop factor of 1.5x. This crop factor means that if you’re shooting with a 200mm telephoto lens on the camera, it will effectively give you a focal length of 300mm, compared to a full-frame DSLR. This gets you ‘closer’ to subjects and is a major plus for shooting nature or sports action because it effectively makes far-off subjects appear larger in the frame. Your ability to freeze fast-moving action is further aided by a top shooting speed of five frames per second and a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000sec.

The large rear LCD panel on the D5500 is a 3.2-inch [8.1cm], 1037K-pixel TFT fully articulated screen, which allows you to review images and video footage playback, or to frame images or movie shots when working in Live View mode. It can flip out to allow you to frame and shoot stills or movies from all sorts of intriguing, creative angles and offers touch-enabled control over your settings, so it can be swiftly operated and settings altered. Your control options include touch focus, shutter, aperture, ISO, menu navigation and access to the camera’s shortcut menu, which can then be navigated via the D5500’s eight-way controller.

The camera’s autofocus system incorporates 39 points—nine of which are cross-type—and utilizes Nikon’s 3D autofocus tracking, which works in AF-C mode and is a combination of tracking that’s effectively based on the subject’s predicted movement and color. The autofocus system, operating in tandem with a 2016-pixel RGB Colour Matrix II metering sensor, helps to ensure sharply-focused images and accurate color reproduction in many varying light conditions. For further exposure control, you can choose from 16 scene modes—including modes such as pet portrait and candlelight—or select from Program Auto with Flexible Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or full Manual options.

Out of the box, the camera’s standard ISO range is 100-25,600, without any need to use expandable settings. This means you can shoot in almost any light condition while retaining fine detail in your photographs with zero noise apparent to the naked eye. If you don't need or want to set ISO values, you can just rely on the camera’s Auto ISO feature when shooting in fully automatic exposure modes.

Flat Picture Control, which falls within the camera’s Picture Control 2.0 menu, allows you to control sharpening, contrast, brightness, hue and saturation when shooting stills or video. It includes seven modes—Standard, Neural, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape and Flat. Flat Picture Control is aimed at movie shooting as it provides minimal dramatization while preserving material characteristics. This means, when you come to edit video, you’ll rarely get blocked-up shadows, overblown highlights or excessive color saturation, thus giving rich brightness and color tones. Put simply, that means easier color grading in post-production.

Overall, the D5500 has a pretty impressive spec, all packed into a compact body that weighs just 420g, including batteries. It will appeal to those considering the jump up from a smartphone or compact camera photography, as well as those DSLR shooters who might be thinking of a lightweight, backup camera. The fact that it also offers built-in WiFi for fast transfer of pictures to compatible smartphones or tablets just further emphasizes that it’s a serious contender if you're looking for a well-specified, light, easy-to-control DSLR.