Went back to the shop and all three D5100s they had on hand made the same noise, a rattling clicking when the SD card door is pressed, so I gather it's not a bug it's a feature. I can't imagine that all three new D5100s would equally be flawed, so it must be the way they roll.

Thanks for your concern and happy photos.

Thanks, friends for your opinions.

Jeff. visually, the tension bar looks fine - - it is fresh out of the box - - but when the door is closed there is vertical play enough that touching it at all makes it travel and contact the camera body and click. It doesn't look like adjustment to me, it looks like a bad fit, like the plastic door is warped or undersized.

I will check it out at the camera shop tomorrow (Robina, Queensland) and see what they say. They seem like reasonable folks. The rattle will surely drive me nuts as will wondering whether anything else might be sub-par in my brand new camera.

Since you just bought the 5100, return it. My 5100 card door does not rattle, or make any noise at all. While it likely won't effect the performance of the camera, there's no reason to have a sub-par piece of equipment, when it comes with a full warranty.

If play is in the hinge you should look at the metal tension bar attached to the underside of the door. There is a metal tension bar under the door that has a single screw attaching it to the door. There are two reliefs in the metal bar that rest on the hinge bar. It may be the tension bar is loose, the screw stripped or the bar is not at the correct angle to allow proper contact with the hinge bar.

HTH

Later,
Jeff

Hi. The play is in the hinge. It moves back and forth and actually rattles. There is no visible gap but the sound is loud. It's simply a crummy fit of the hinge against the body of the camera. It seems like something that quality control should have caught. If other folks have a similar noise, I'll try your suggestions of tape or foam, but that seems like second best to having a door that fits in the first place. This is going to be audible when filming video, I'm sure, and since it's right under my hand I can't avoid clicking every time I change my grip. Anybody else notice this problem?

Does it seem to physically fit flush with the body or does it appear that the door is slightly open? I just check my wife's and there is a barely inaudible "click" when I touch it. But I have to really be listening for it. It seems there is a slight gap between the bottom of the curved portion of the door and the body.

You can try:

1. Put a very small piece of tape on the edge of the door.

2. Use a small piece of foam (or something else) in the compartment to buffer the noise and keep the door from making the noise [contacting the body rapidly].

3. Nothing. Live with it. The noise on my wife's (I never noticed it until I just went and checked) is easily 10x less than the shutter.

Later,
Jeff

Just bought a D5100 and the SD card door makes a clicking sound every time I touch it, which is every time I pick up the camera, as it sits right under the right palm. Somehow the fit isn't tight and it simply rattles at every touch.

Should I learn to live with it or is this unacceptable? What advice would you give me? I could record the noise and send along the mp3 if it would make the problem more clear. Do any other Nikon bodies have a similar problem?

Thanks so much for your attention.