Canon Rebel
T3i
 vs
Nikon
D3

Updated (January, 2012): Compare the Canon Rebel T3i vs Nikon D4

Nikon D3

86
Winner

Nikon D3

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,290 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
81.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.5 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.2 EV
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.70x
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
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
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Sensor cleaning
 Self cleaning sensor
Avoids dust in your photos
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses

differences

Advantages of the Canon T3i
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
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
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 50% more detail in your photos
Size Much smaller 133x99x79 mm vs 160x157x88 mm
Help
 2.1x smaller
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 922k dots
Help
 More than 10% higher resolution screen
Weight Much lighter 570 g vs 1,300 g
Help
 2.3x lighter
Thickness Significantly thinner 3.1" vs 3.5"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Canon Rebel T3i Learn more about
the Canon T3i

Advantages of the Nikon D3
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 2,290 ISO vs 793 ISO
Help
 The D3 has excellent image quality 1.5 f-stops higher ISO than the T3i
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 81.0 vs 65.0
Help
 More than 20% better image quality
Battery life Much longer battery life 4300 shots vs 440 shots
Help
 Around 10x more shots per battery charge
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.4 more bits of color
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 11.5 EV
Help
 0.7 f-stops more dynamic range
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.70x vs 0.53x
Help
 Around 80% larger viewfinder
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 2.5x larger sensor
Shutter lag Much less shutter lag 88 ms vs 283 ms
Help
 3.2x less delay when taking photos
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
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 9 fps vs 3.7 fps
Help
 Around 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Startup delay Significantly less startup delay 300 ms vs 1500 ms
Help
 5x less delay when turning on
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
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 D3's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Nikon D3 Learn more about
the Nikon D3
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon Rebel T3i Canon Rebel T3i
53 vs 86
Explain scores
Nikon D3 Nikon D3
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D3. 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

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
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
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
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 D3
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Size Is slightly smaller
Thickness Is thinner
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D3
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
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 D3
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,500 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens
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 D3
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 D3
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Weight Is slightly heavier
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the D7000 vs the D3
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$598 - $600 body only

$698 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Significantly higher maximum light sensitivity
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Compare the NEX-5N vs the Rebel T3i
Compare the NEX-5N vs the D3

Canon Rebel T3i Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder
Battery life Longer battery life
Size Larger
Weight Heavier
Compare the EOS 60D 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 D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution
Autofocus Video autofocus
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D3200 vs the Rebel T3i

Nikon D3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,199 body only
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor
Size Significantly smaller
Battery life Much shorter battery life
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly slower
Compare the D700 vs the D3
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Battery life Much shorter battery life
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly slower
Compare the D800 vs the D3
Nikon D3S

Nikon D3S

Pro DSLR

$5,197 body only
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor
Shutter lag Significantly more shutter lag
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the D3S vs the D3
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$5,999 - $6,000 body only
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Movie format Shoots movies
Battery life Much shorter battery life
Shutter lag Significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D4 vs the D3

appearance

Canon Rebel T3i Nikon D3
Canon Rebel T3i Nikon D3
Canon Rebel T3i Nikon D3

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