Canon EOS-1D Mark III

64

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Weather sealed
Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
Rapid fire
10 fps
Startup delay
Almost no delay when powering up
100 ms startup delay
Sensor size
Large sensor
APS-H 28.7x18.7mm
Viewfinder
Great viewfinder
Pentaprism
Shutter lag
Barely any delay taking photos
94 ms shutter lag
Nikon D5100

62

"Image quality is definitely the D5100's trump card. It offers effectively the same image quality as the higher-end D7000, at a lower cost."
dpreview.com | talking about the D5100's image-quality
"Unintimidating interface, but with plenty of manual control."
dpreview.com | talking about the D5100's button-layout

Reasons to buy the Nikon D5100

Overall image quality
Great image quality
80.0
Color depth
Great color depth
23.5 bits
Dynamic range
Wide dynamic range
13 EV
Screen flips out
Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Movie continuous focus
Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies

differences

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
Sealed to shoot in the rain
Shutter lag Much less shutter lag 94 ms vs 273 ms
Help
2.9x less delay when taking photos
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 10 fps vs 4 fps
Help
2.5x faster continuous shooting
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 2200 shots vs 660 shots
Help
Around 3.5x more shots per battery charge
Focus points Significantly more focus points 45 vs 11
Help
Set focus accurately within the frame
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.61x vs 0.51x
Help
More than 40% larger viewfinder
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points 19 vs 1
Help
Grab focus in difficult situations
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-H 28.7x18.7mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.6mm
Help
Around 50% larger sensor
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Startup delay Less startup delay 100 ms vs 500 ms
Help
5x less delay when turning on
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
Canon EOS-1D Mark III Learn more about
the Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Advantages of the Nikon D5100

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
4x higher resolution screen
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Overall image quality Better image quality 80.0 vs 71.0
Help
More than 10% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
1.3 f-stops more dynamic range
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
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 22.7 bits
Help
Distinguishes 0.8 more bits of color
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 16.1 MP vs 10.1 MP
Help
Capture around 60% more detail in your photos
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
Automatically focuses shooting video
Size Much smaller 127x96x78 mm vs 156x157x80 mm
Help
2x smaller
Lens availability More lenses available 169 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
Around 40% more lenses available
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 1,183 ISO vs 1,078 ISO
Help
The D5100 has a slight edge (0.1 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Weight Much lighter 560 g vs 1,335 g
Help
2.4x lighter
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
The D5100's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
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
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
The D5100's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Thickness Slightly thinner 3.1" vs 3.1"
Help
Almost the same
Nikon D5100 Learn more about
the Nikon D5100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Canon EOS-1D Mark III
64 vs 62
Explain scores
Nikon D5100 Nikon D5100
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro DSLR with a entry-level DSLR.

advice

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by Zoya-Khan last month
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Which camera is better for me the Canon EOS-1D Mark III or the Sony SLT A77?

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by David-Brown last month
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Beginner, looking to get first DSLR.  A major concern is whether Canon or Nikon has better avail...

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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.

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
EOS-1D Mark III:3,200 ISO
D5100:6,400 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens

Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has much more shutter lag
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens

Weight Is slightly heavier
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens

Thickness Is thinner
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
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
Size Is slightly larger
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
Size Is slightly larger
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,198 body only

$2,898 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens

Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only

Low light performance Is much less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Placeholder

Canon EOS-1Ds

Pro DSLR

Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder
Screen size Much smaller screen
Live view No live view
Canon EOS 5D

Canon EOS 5D

Pro DSLR

$3,991 - $4,273 with 24-105mm lens

Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Screen size Much smaller screen
Live view No live view
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

Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Battery life Significantly shorter battery life
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly slower
Canon EOS 50D

Canon EOS 50D

Pro DSLR

$1,282 - $1,330 body only

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor
Color depth Worse color depth
Overall image quality Worse image quality

Nikon D5100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $700 with 18-55mm lens

True resolution Significantly higher true resolution
Weight Lighter
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens

Thickness Thinner
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$830 - $897 body only

$1,199 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens

Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor
Overall image quality Worse image quality
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack

appearance

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Nikon D5100
Canon EOS-1D Mark III Nikon D5100
Canon EOS-1D Mark III Nikon D5100

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