What kind of DSLR do you need to take photos for National Geographic?

What are the lowest end cameras from Nikon and Canon that can take good magazine-quality photos? What are the ideal cameras? How would the Nikon D5100 do?

Absolutely no camera whether it's a Nikon D5100 or a D3S will give you magazine quality photos. That comes from you. Can magazine quality photos be produced from a D5100? Most definitely. But that means the person behind it has to know what they're doing with everything from lighting to exposure to composition. If you know nothing, no camera will give you the results you want.

Shooting for magazines is a far cry from shooting for National Geographic, but in the end, any competent photographer can use a Nikon D5100 and produce high quality images by shooting in RAW

By the time you have the skills, experience and a stack of tear sheets from publications to catch the eye of the photo editors at National Geographic, the Nikon D5100 will be only a memory.

Many National Geographic photographers have 10 or more years experience working for newspapers and magazines before being called by National Geographic with an assignment for them

Learn how to use your camera to the point were it is intuitive and get published as much as possible. That would be a good start

Mostly Alpa (not Alpha!), Leica, Linhof, Nikon, Hasselblad and/or similar plus specialized equipment like the Roundshot etc.besides a brilliant career in professional photography and your images have been published allover and where throughout the years you have proven to be constantly the best in your field and other human qualities of excellence, if they need someone to cover something that is your specialty, they might consider inviting you.

Http://www.bobkrist.com

Check out his blog on his website.

He is a renowned National Geographic photographer - you can even sign up for a workshop with Bob aboard the National Geographic Explorer.

Actually any current DSLR will produce the quality required for Nat Geo. They require a camera with a minimum resolution of 8 megapixels. The D5100 has at least twice the resolution needed for a magazine photo.

With Nat Geo it is a lot more about the content of the images than the quality of the equipment. I have seen images published in Nat Geo that were shot using waterproof disposable film cameras.

However, if you are shooting assignments you need to have equipment that will stand up to the rigors of travel, and you need adequate backup equipment.

Guidelines for nat geo traveler: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/traveler-magazine/about-us/photographers-guidelines/

I don't think it matters as long as the pictures you provide meet their minimum requirements. But you can write to them and ask.