Nikon D5500 Key facts

Image sensor and processing

The combination of a 24-megapixel image sensor (without low pass filter) and an EXPEED 4 processor is common to the D5500, D5300 and D3300. As with the D5300, you can select 12- or 14-bit colour depth when shooting in RAW mode.

Autofocus

The Multi-Cam 4800 autofocus module is shared with upmarket cameras like the D600 and D610. In the DX-format D5500 and D5300, however, the 39 AF points cover a larger area of the image frame, rather than being relatively central. Nine of the AF points are cross-type.

Continuous shooting

Again, the D5500 matches the D3300 and D5300 for maximum burst rate, at five frames per second. Compared with the D5300, the buffer enables capture of 14 rather than 13 RAW quality shots at 12-bit colour depth. At 14-bit colour depth the buffer holds ten rather than six shots.

Metering sensor

Although the D5500 has exactly the same metering sensor as the D5300 (the 2016-pixel 3D Colour Matrix II device), matrix metering proved a bit more hit and miss in our tests. The D5500 often produced shots that were overly bright, with a loss of highlight detail.

Construction

As with all the other D-SLRs on test apart from the D3200, the D5500 boasts a single-piece monocoque shell, but that’s where the similarity ends: the D5500 is noticeably slimmer than its siblings, and sheds 60g compared with the D5300, weighing in at 470g instead of 530g.

Need to know

As on the Nikon 1 J5, the ability to autofocus on a particular point in a scene, and even to release the shutter, just by touching the articulated LCD screen makes the camera easy to operate even when the screen is tilted for shooting from extreme angles.