Nikon's D5100 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) has a galaxy of professional features not commonly found in a consumer digital camera. A high-resolution 16.2MP DX-format CMOS sensor and an EXPEED 2 image processing engine guarantee superb quality and high performance. The 3.0" vari-angle tilting LCD monitor allows you full freedom in composition with sparkling 921,000-dot resolution. Full 1920 x 1080p video with full-time autofocus (for tracking subjects in motion) and stereo sound (using an optional microphone) is always available with in-camera editing and creative controls to activate your inner movie director.

The Effects mode provides a dazzling array of special effects for putting your individual stamp on all of your images--still photos or video. Selective Color, for instance, isolates any color within a scene, and Night Vision captures details in places too dark for your own eyes. High Key effect will create bright, glowing images filled with atmosphere and mystery, or you can emphasize the mood of a scene using Low Key, or try out Miniature Effect--which produces a scene that looks like a miniature scale model.

With sensitivity ranging from 100 to 6400 ISO, you'll be able to make photos and videos that are amazingly rich, even in low light. In-camera HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode will tame high contrast situations by automatically capturing multiple exposures of the scene and combining them for vastly improved contrast and low noise. A blazing fast 11-point autofocus system and split-second shutter response mean that you won't miss photo opportunities waiting for your camera to catch up. The built-in speedlight has i-TTL for accurate, well-balanced flash every time.

With the Scene Recognition system, 420-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix Metering II, 16 automatic exposure scene modes, and Active D-Lighting, your control over your photos and movies will be more precise and simple to carry out than ever. And you don't need to worry about dust ruining an image--the automatic image sensor cleaning function has it under control.

This package includes Nikon's AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens is a welcome addition to the Nikon DX-format DSLR systems, and an ideal counterpart to the D90 DSLR.  This versatile optic offers much of the benefits of the enormously-popular 18-200mm VR lens but in a lighter, smaller body that takes a smaller filter as well.

The AF-S Silent Wave Motor in the 18-105mm VR yields speedy, silent, on-the-money AF performance with fulltime manual focus override.  In particular, the AF-S motor keeps up with skittish, erratic subjects that overwhelm normal camera-driven-motor AF systems.  You'll get more 'keeper' images of those fast-moving animals, athletes, children, vehicles and the like.

Along with the SWM (Silent Wave Motor), the 18-105 benefits from the VR Image Stabilizer built in to the lens, which will give you the ability to handhold the camera at shutter speeds up to three stops slower than would otherwise normally be possible.  Always a benefit to a handheld pic, this is of particular usefulness whenever you're photographing slow-moving subjects in low light.  The benefit of in-lens stabilization is seen in the viewfinder, making composing and capturing the image easier as well.