Nikon D5300 Digital Field Guide

Chapter 1: Exploring the Nikon D5300

Nikon’s 5000 series of cameras occupy a special niche within the Nikon line of cameras. The D5300 is the only camera in Nikon’s current lineup to feature the articulating Vari-angle LCD monitor. To make room for this handy feature the D5300 is designed differently from all other Nikon cameras, and the result is that there are fewer buttons and dials; many common features are accessed through the D5300’s menu.

Because the camera has been streamlined, many of the buttons and dials have more than one function, and it’s important to familiarize yourself with the layout and use of these buttons so that when you’re shooting, you’re not fumbling around trying to find the right button to access the features that you need.

Image courtesy of Nikon, Inc.

The Vari-angle LCD monitor is specific to the 5000 series of Nikon dSLR cameras.

Key Components of the D5300

As I mentioned previously, the D5300 doesn’t have the plethora of buttons and dials that other Nikon camera models do, so the few controls the camera does have are very important. Most of them perform numerous duties depending on the camera mode, so understanding how each control functions is key to controlling your camera quickly so that you don’t miss a shot.

The following sections break the camera features down into segments and go over each control.

The top of the camera

Most of the important ...