Canon EOS 70D
Winner
Canon EOS 70D

85

vs
Nikon D5300

79

Nikon D5300
Runner-up
     
 

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 70D

Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D5300

Overall image quality
 Great image quality
83.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
24 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
13.9 EV
Screen size
 Large screen
3.2"
 
Differences | Recommendations | Cast your vote | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

differences

Advantages of the Canon 70D

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Touch screen Has a touch screen Yes vs No
Help
 Fewer buttons to worry about and direct interaction with camera menus
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Autofocus Faster video autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Shoot videos without worrying about focus
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 75 ms vs 200 ms
Help
 2.7x less delay when taking photos
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 19 vs 9
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.59x vs 0.54x
Help
 More than 20% larger viewfinder
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 7 fps vs 5 fps
Help
 40% faster continuous shooting
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 98% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Battery life Longer battery life 920 shots vs 600 shots
Help
 More than 50% more shots per battery charge
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $199.95 vs $719.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $520 cheaper (3.6x less)
Canon EOS 70D Learn more about
the Canon 70D

Advantages of the Nikon D5300

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Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 83.0 vs 68.0
Help
 More than 20% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13.9 EV vs 11.6 EV
Help
 2.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.2" vs 3.0"
Help
 Around 10% larger screen
Color depth Better color depth 24 bits vs 22.5 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.5 more bits of color
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,338 ISO vs 926 ISO
Help
 The D5300 has a slight edge (0.5 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
GPS Has a GPS Yes vs No
Help
 Automatically geotags your photos when traveling
Focus points More focus points 39 vs 19
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
True resolution Higher true resolution 24.2 MP vs 20 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Startup delay Less startup delay 500 ms vs 700 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Size Smaller 124x99x76 mm vs 145x106x79 mm
Help
 More than 20% smaller
Weight Significantly lighter 479 g vs 755 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 205 lenses vs 197 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor APS-C 23.5x15.6mm vs APS-C 22.5x15.0mm
Help
 Around 10% larger sensor
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.1"
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D5300 Learn more about
the Nikon D5300
vs

recommendations

Which camera do we recommend? Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Snapsort Recommends
Canon EOS 70D Canon EOS 70D 85
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    Style
      Color
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        vs
        79 Nikon D5300 Nikon D5300
        Retailer
          Style
            Color
              You save

              similarities

              Compared to recent DSLRs

              Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
              Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
              Great for movies
              Lens availability Many lenses available Help
              70D:197 lenses
              D5300:205 lenses
              Movie continuous focus Focus continuously recording movies Help
              Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
              Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
              External flash not needed
              Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
              1
              Built-in focus motor No focus motor Help
              Won't autofocus with all lenses
              Sensor size Very small sensors Help
              70D:APS-C 22.5x15.0mm
              D5300:APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
              Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
              You could stitch photos in post
              Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
              Risk of blur

              dxomark

              DXOMark

              competitors

              Shared Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages
              Nikon D7100

              Nikon D7100

              Entry-level DSLR

              $1,097 - $1,147 body only

              $1,394 - $1,397 with 18-140mm lens
              Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
              Focus points Has slightly more focus points
              Weight Is significantly heavier
              Shutter lag Has much more shutter lag
              Compare the D7100 vs the EOS 70D
              Compare the D7100 vs the D5300
              Canon EOS 7D

              Canon EOS 7D

              Pro DSLR

              $930 - $1,299 body only

              $1,099 - $1,399 with 28-135mm lens
              Viewfinder coverage Slightly better viewfinder coverage
              Weight Is significantly heavier
              Size Is slightly larger
              Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 70D
              Compare the EOS 7D vs the D5300
              Nikon D5200

              Nikon D5200

              Entry-level DSLR

              $597 - $647 body only

              $544 - $747 with 18-55mm lens
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Shutter lag Has much more shutter lag
              Compare the D5200 vs the EOS 70D
              Compare the D5200 vs the D5300
              Canon Rebel T5i

              Canon Rebel T5i

              Entry-level DSLR

              $599 body only

              $200 - $1,148 with 18-55mm lens
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Thickness Is thicker
              Compare the Rebel T5i vs the EOS 70D
              Compare the Rebel T5i vs the D5300
              Canon EOS 60D

              Canon EOS 60D

              Pro DSLR

              $699 - $870 body only

              $450 - $1,182 with 18-135mm lens
              Thickness Is thicker
              Weight Is slightly heavier
              Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 70D
              Compare the EOS 60D vs the D5300
              Nikon D3300

              Nikon D3300

              Entry-level DSLR

              $597 with 18-55mm lens
              Panorama Creates panoramas in-camera
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
              Compare the D3300 vs the EOS 70D
              Compare the D3300 vs the D5300
              Canon EOS 6D

              Canon EOS 6D

              Pro DSLR

              $1,899 body only

              $2,299 - $2,499 with 24-105mm lens
              Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
              Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
              Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 70D
              Compare the EOS 6D vs the D5300

              Canon EOS 70D Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages

              No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 70D.

              Nikon D5300 Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages

              No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D5300.

              appearance

              Canon EOS 70D Nikon D5300
              Canon EOS 70D Nikon D5300
              Canon EOS 70D Nikon D5300

              discussion

              Canon EOS 70D
              EOS 70D
              Canon

              Report a correction
              Nikon D5300
              D5300
              Nikon

              Report a correction

              Showing 3 comments

              Avatar for Mehdi R Mehdi R (10:44 AM, July 08, 2014)
              I've used some DSLR's like D3100, EOS 100D, EOS 650D and EOS 5D M3 and some Bridge and P&S's like Powershot SX40, SX50, SX260 and Coolpix L820.
              I would say I choose Canon for point and shoot, Nikon for bridge camera, Nikon for APS DSLR's, Canon for Full Frame DSLR.
              Nikon's APS DSLR's has larger sensor than Canon's, I prefer D5300 over ANY other canon APS DSLR's right now (70D, 7D, 700D..). Light weight, bigger lcd and WiFi (Remote smartphone control) and most important advantage is D5300's new image sensor which has no low-pass sensor filter means superb image quality in this category(same sensor of D7100)..
               
              Avatar for Syed Zillay Ali Syed Zillay Ali (0:21 PM, December 29, 2013)
              well summarized!
               
              eliedata (8:26 PM, November 13, 2013)
              The Canon 70D is certainly a more heavy duty camera with faster performance and longer battery life. The most important feature is the dual pixel autofocus system in live view and when shooting video. However, for my personal use, I prefer the Nikon D5300 because it delivers high quality pictures in a small body and has built in GPS unit, although it doesn't have a similar autofocus system in live view and video shooting.