Canon Rebel
T3i
 vs
Nikon
D800

Nikon D800

100
Winner

Nikon D800

Reasons to buy the Nikon D800

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,853 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
95.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
25.3 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
14.4 EV
Screen size
 Large screen
3.2"
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.72x
Canon Rebel T3i

53
Runner-up

Canon Rebel T3i
"Excellent image quality even at high ISO settings"
dpreview.com | talking about the T3i's image-quality
"Good quality 1080/720p video output with a range of frame rates and control over exposure"
dpreview.com | talking about the T3i's video-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon Rebel T3i

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
1,040k dots
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses

differences

Advantages of the Canon T3i
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 121 lenses
Help
 More than 30% more lenses available
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 1,040k dots vs 921k dots
Help
 More than 10% higher resolution screen
Size Smaller 133x99x79 mm vs 146x123x82 mm
Help
 Around 30% smaller
Weight Significantly lighter 570 g vs 900 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $618.94 vs $2,999.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,380 cheaper (4.8x less)
Thickness Thinner 3.1" vs 3.2"
Help
 Almost the same
Canon Rebel T3i Learn more about
the Canon T3i

Advantages of the Nikon D800
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 2,853 ISO vs 793 ISO
Help
 The D800 has excellent image quality 1.8 f-stops higher ISO than the T3i
Overall image quality Much better image quality 95.0 vs 65.0
Help
 Around 50% better image quality
Color depth Better color depth 25.3 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 3.2 more bits of color
Dynamic range More dynamic range 14.4 EV vs 11.5 EV
Help
 2.9 f-stops more dynamic range
True resolution Much higher true resolution 36.2 MP vs 17.9 MP
Help
 Capture more than 2x more detail in your photos
Viewfinder size Much larger viewfinder 0.72x vs 0.53x
Help
 Around 90% larger viewfinder
Shutter lag Much less shutter lag 42 ms vs 283 ms
Help
 6.7x less delay when taking photos
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.2" vs 3.0"
Help
 Around 10% larger screen
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 35.9x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 2.5x larger sensor
Focus points Many more focus points 51 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Startup delay Significantly less startup delay 120 ms vs 1500 ms
Help
 12.5x less delay when turning on
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 15 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Battery life Longer battery life 900 shots vs 440 shots
Help
 More than 2x more shots per battery charge
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The D800's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Nikon D800 Learn more about
the Nikon D800
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon Rebel T3i Canon Rebel T3i
53 vs 100
Explain scores
Nikon D800 Nikon D800
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D800. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a entry-level DSLR with a pro DSLR.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
T3i:3.7 fps
D800:4 fps
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
6,400 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D5100 vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the D5100 vs the D800
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Weight Is slightly heavier
Shutter lag Has much more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 60D vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D800
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Weight Is slightly heavier
Shutter lag Has much more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the D7000 vs the D800
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Thickness Is thinner
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D3100 vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the D3100 vs the D800
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
Thickness Is thinner
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D3200 vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the D3200 vs the D800
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,500 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Thickness Is thinner
Weight Is slightly heavier
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 7D vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D800
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$830 - $897 body only

$1,199 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
External mic jack Lacks and external mic jack
Compare the D90 vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the D90 vs the D800

Canon Rebel T3i Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Significantly less startup delay
Thickness Much thinner
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Rebel T3i
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$330 body only

$489 - $500 with 18-55mm lens
Battery life Longer battery life
Weight Lighter
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Screen size Much smaller screen
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the Rebel T3i

Nikon D800 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,499 - $3,500 body only

$4,299 - $4,300 with 24-105mm lens
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the D800
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,199 body only
Continuous shooting Shoots faster
Thickness Thinner
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the D700 vs the D800
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$5,999 - $6,000 body only
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Battery life Much longer battery life
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the D4 vs the D800
Nikon D3S

Nikon D3S

Pro DSLR

$5,197 body only
Battery life Much longer battery life
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the D3S vs the D800

appearance

Canon Rebel T3i Nikon D800
Canon Rebel T3i Nikon D800
Canon Rebel T3i Nikon D800

discussion

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