Canon EOS
20D
 vs
Nikon
D5100

Nikon D5100

76
Winner

Nikon D5100
"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

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,183 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
80.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.5 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
13 EV
Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Canon EOS 20D

31
Runner-up

Canon EOS 20D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 20D

Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentaprism
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Thickness
 Thin
2.8"
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second

differences

Advantages of the Canon 20D
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.56x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 20% larger viewfinder
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 5 fps vs 4 fps
Help
 Around 30% faster continuous shooting
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Thickness Thinner 2.8" vs 3.1"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Canon EOS 20D Learn more about
the Canon 20D

Advantages of the Nikon D5100
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 1.8"
Help
 Around 70% larger screen
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 1,183 ISO vs 721 ISO
Help
 The D5100 has a slight edge (0.7 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Overall image quality Much better image quality 80.0 vs 62.0
Help
 Around 30% better image quality
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13 EV vs 11 EV
Help
 2 f-stops more dynamic range
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 21.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.6 more bits of color
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 118k dots
Help
 Around 8x higher resolution screen
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
True resolution Much higher true resolution 16.1 MP vs 8.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 2x more detail in your photos
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
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.6mm vs APS-C 22.5x15.0mm
Help
 Around 10% larger sensor
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The D5100's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The D5100's boost ISO is 3 f-stops better
Size Smaller 127x96x78 mm vs 144x106x72 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Weight Significantly lighter 560 g vs 770 g
Help
 Around 30% lighter
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D5100 Learn more about
the Nikon D5100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent entry-level DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 20D Canon EOS 20D
31 vs 76
Explain scores
Nikon D5100 Nikon D5100
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D5100.

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
20D:162 lenses
D5100:169 lenses
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
20D:1,600 ISO
D5100:6,400 ISO
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather

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
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 20D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D5100
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Size Is slightly smaller
Weight Is slightly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 20D
Compare the D3100 vs the D5100
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Size Is significantly smaller
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 20D
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D5100
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Battery life Has a significantly longer battery life
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 20D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D5100
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,500 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 20D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D5100
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$330 body only

$489 - $500 with 18-55mm lens
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Weight Is slightly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the EOS 20D
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D5100
Nikon D80

Nikon D80

Entry-level DSLR

$700 body only
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D80 vs the EOS 20D
Compare the D80 vs the D5100

Canon EOS 20D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 30D

Canon EOS 30D

Entry-level DSLR

$2,434 - $2,557 with 17-85mm, 70-300mm lenses
Screen size Much larger screen
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen
Color depth Worse color depth
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the EOS 30D vs the EOS 20D
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Entry-level DSLR

$348 - $595 body only

$439 with 18-55mm lens
Screen size Much larger screen
Live view Has live view
Viewfinder size Smaller viewfinder
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Compare the EOS Digital Rebel XS vs the EOS 20D
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi

Entry-level DSLR

$749 with 18-55mm lens
Screen size Much larger screen
Color depth Better color depth
Low light performance Slightly more noise at high ISO
Viewfinder size Smaller viewfinder
Compare the EOS Digital Rebel XTi vs the EOS 20D

Nikon D5100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Weight Lighter
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR
Compare the D3200 vs the D5100
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$830 - $897 body only

$1,199 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder
Shutter lag Less shutter lag
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the D90 vs the D5100
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Focus points Many more focus points
Weather sealed Weather sealed
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR
Compare the D7000 vs the D5100

appearance

Canon EOS 20D Nikon D5100
Canon EOS 20D Nikon D5100
Canon EOS 20D Nikon D5100

discussion

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