when you travel you shoot what?

35mm f/1.8G?
50mm f/1.8D/G?
24-70 f/2.8 G ? 

ya...but group photo i m not sure, need ask other sifu in this thread.

travel (landscape) and portrait wise i guess it good to use.

my phone 12mp , my dslr 6mp...

so use my dslr? ? smaller px for 4R print... 

joking, i get your point... so we advise he go buy fuji 10x then. 

what's your budget? both camera is in different price range

D7000 is probably one of the best crop body you can get for nikon

while D5100 use the same sensor as D7000 but with less AF points and no dual memory card slot

i would recommend you to get the D5100 is you are tight on budget and wish to get a mid range dslr

the price for both D5100 you stated there is quite okay, recommend you to get the D5100 18-55mm if you are new to photography and wish to learn, kit lens is a very good all rounder lens

i think you can go times square if got time and go to nikon center to play the camera, and you can request lens to play too 

feel the grip , feel the lens... but they are not sell camera there lol.. it is a showroom 

if u got budget then go for G lens because it is newer generation~ it is at least equal but usually better than its predecessor

but if u r new and unsure, then get the 50mm 1.8D is nv a wrong choice for ur D7000 because it is so cheap (relatively)

best quality choice read from top to bottom

1)D7000 + 18-105mm + 1.8G
2)D7000 + 18-105mm + 1.8D
3)D5100 + 18-55mm + 1.8G

best budget choice read from bottom to top

for me, i will get the D5100 + 18-55mm only at the beginning n budget is tight...

the 50mm 1.8g is a 75mm lens in a crop sensor DX body... good for low light n bokeh~ n a popular portrait lens for DX body...

if u feel the 18-55mm cannot give u enough reach, then u can opt for the D5100 + 18-105 or 18-200... shops usually don mind "upgrading" ur kit lens for a fee

but if u got the moolah, of coz it is D7000 + 18-105 + 50mm 1.8g..... u oledi can spend 4.2k on the D7000 kit.. round it up to 5k by getting the 50mm 1.8g 

juz start wif a kit lens 1st... and buy more lens as u learn.... i have frens who conquer the world wif nothing but their nifty fifty lens

read your statement i rather suggest you get the lowest budget D5100+ 50mm f/1.8G XD

so in future you can upgrade body and keep the lens. 

and D5100 is light enough for travel of course. see the review video about D5100 and D7000 

the 50mm 1.8g will only have a 50mm Field of View (FOV) in a full frame body... the D7000/D5100 has a crop sensor which is 50% smaller than a Full Frame (FX) sensor..

u can read more here: http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutor...and_lenses.html

in summary, for Nikon, if u buy a FX lens... u need to multiple by 1.5 to get the correct FOV/focal length...

example: in ur D7000, u will see the same picture through the 50mm 1.8g, and ur 18-105 when u zoom to 75mm

f1.8 means it can have a wide aperture... meaning good for low light... plus wide aperture = thin DOF = nice bokeh...

btw... u take the D7000 to lower budget, not D5100 meh?? 

suggest kit lens, scare you say the lens aperture is not big enough

suggest prime lens like 50mm f/1.8, scare you say the lens dun have zoom and had to run closer / further to shoot subject in frame nicely 

basically kit lens  + 50mm combo is good starter kit 

because i duno what lens you prefer...and what is bad side you use s95 and what function/improvement/ things that s95 dont have you hope for your DSLR? 

both D5100 + D7000 is DX body, FX body is D700, D800, D3s, D4    price is 4k onward oh 

Doesn't matter you get FX or DX lens, still need to multiply crop factor.

DX lens means is meant to use on DX sensor, if you use on FX sensor body, it will not be able to utilize the full sensor area, hence vignette.

Even if you buy a compact camera, you still need to multiply crop factor.
You buy mirrorless like GF3, also need to multiply crop factor (e.g. 14-42mm kit lens, becomes 28mm-84mm which is the standard zoom).
Even handphone, you need to multiply crop factor to get the focal length in 35mm Format.

In short, to make it simple doesn't matter whether it's FX, DX, CX, etc. When you mount a lens on crop body, you need to multiply by the crop factor to get the focal length in 35mm format.
Since you have knowledge already and you mention you want to venture into this, I'd suggest you to get D7000 straight.
D3100 & D5100 is more for people who want simple and easy to use. If you want to get more serious you'll find the hassle and troublesome to adjust settings as  these 2 models caters more for casual users.

Besides, if you get D5100, later you learn more and want to have more control and have better handling, you'll regret and it'll be a waste of money when you cannot stand and want to change.

But if you just want for casual use and can live with the limitations, then you can go for D5100. Personally, my advice is if you want to venture into this field, you will want at least a D7000 or a proper body which gives more control and handling.
Just try them both together and you can tell the difference immediately.

but he is using parent's money wor 
D5100 or D7k? 

by the way Acquainted how long you gonna graduate from colleague? 
and you believe your DSLR will serve/ lasts how long? if you believe for 2 years...better get D5100 if like 4 years above, D7000 

*confuse more*

So firstly, how much budget?

If got budget, and he is serious and knows what he wants, and will be continue learning, AND the parent is understanding, they would also prefer to get him D7000 instead of later he need to upgrade.
Normally, people get lower end cause they're unsure and later will give up, but sometimes along the way, it's a waste (value drop) and then not worth to upgrade, end up no upgrade.
I believe some people experience this before, and also got people experience getting the lower end then end up sold off and upgrade. Of course, there's also those that given up or hardly use and a low end body is enough for them as what they want is just a DSLR.

So, in the end, still depends on budget; Since he did mention D7000 as option just now; I would assume there is budget for it?