Does dslr camera works without a memory card?

I have a nikon d5100 i just bought it and i wanna try it without a memory card

You can turn it on and look through the menus, but it won't save a photo. And depending on the settings, the shutter release may be locked.

Most cameras come with a feature that allows you to active the camera with no memory card (factory default is to not let the camera shutter release work), but in order to see an image, you must put a memory card in it.

So, why didn't you spend $15 and buy a 4 gb SDHC card?

If a store sold you a camera without try to sell you a memory card to go with it, I would like to know who it was.

I would suggest that when you go back to the store for a memory card, buy 2 or 3 of them AND a USB memory card reader. THEN, read the camera manual cover to cover while looking at your camera. Then read it again. Then format the memory cards with the camera.

Your camera is meant to be an image capturing device and NOT a display/storage device.

The longer you keep files on a memory card, the better the chances are the card will fail and you will lose the image altogether (Just like deleting images off of a card instead of formatting it is one biggest culprits of memory card failure).

Here is the work flow I follow after taking photos:

1)Download the memory card content to your computer using a USB card reader
2)Verify the transfer was a success
3)Back up the files on your computer to another hard drive (or CDs)
4)Format the memory card with your camera (and not with the computer)

Do this at the end of every day that you take photos/videos

Yes it works but you need the card to save the pictures you take. It's like using a film SLR without film. Memory cards are cheap. You really need to get one.

It depends on the type, many have an in-built memory, allbeit a very limited one for storing a number of pictures.