Canon EOS
50D
 vs
Nikon
D5100

Nikon D5100

62
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

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
Canon EOS 50D

57
Runner-up

Canon EOS 50D
"Nine point auto focus system accurate, even in low light"
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's auto-focus
"The EOS 50D has to stand its ground in a highly competitive bracket of the DSLR market."
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 50D

Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentaprism
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
131 ms shutter lag
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second

differences

Advantages of the Canon 50D
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 131 ms vs 273 ms
Help
 2.1x less delay when taking photos
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.59x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 30% larger viewfinder
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6.3 fps vs 4 fps
Help
 Around 60% faster continuous shooting
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 9 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 300 ms vs 500 ms
Help
 40% less delay when turning on
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Thickness Thinner 2.9" vs 3.1"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Canon EOS 50D Learn more about
the Canon 50D

Advantages of the Nikon D5100
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 80.0 vs 63.0
Help
 Around 30% better image quality
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 21.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.7 more bits of color
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13 EV vs 11.4 EV
Help
 1.6 f-stops more dynamic range
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,183 ISO vs 696 ISO
Help
 The D5100 has a slight edge (0.8 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
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
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
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
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 16.1 MP vs 15.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 10% more detail in your photos
Size Smaller 127x96x78 mm vs 146x108x74 mm
Help
 Around 20% smaller
Weight Lighter 560 g vs 822 g
Help
 More than 30% lighter
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.6mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
Focus points Slightly more focus points 11 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The D5100's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $499.99 vs $1,281.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $782 cheaper (2.6x less)
Nikon D5100 Learn more about
the Nikon D5100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 50D
57 vs 62
Explain scores
Nikon D5100 Nikon D5100
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D5100. 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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similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
50D:162 lenses
D5100:169 lenses
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Focus points Few focus points Help
50D:9
D5100:11
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
50D: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
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 50D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D5100
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
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D90 vs the D5100
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
External mic jack Lacks and external mic jack
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D3100 vs the D5100
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Focus points Has significantly more focus points
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D7000 vs the D5100
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
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 50D
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
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 50D
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
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Weight Is slightly heavier
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 50D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D5100

Canon EOS 50D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 40D

Canon EOS 40D

Pro DSLR

$650 body only
Color depth Better color depth
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Autofocus Slower autofocus
Compare the EOS 40D vs the EOS 50D

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
Compare the D3200 vs the D5100

appearance

Canon EOS 50D Nikon D5100
Canon EOS 50D Nikon D5100
Canon EOS 50D Nikon D5100

discussion

Showing 1 comments

ezuhaib (8:08 PM, September 05, 2011)
Does this comparison make sense? I mean... I used to envy my guru for having an EOS 50D but went for a Nikon d5100 just because it was the best camera within my limited budget. I'm happy to see this comparison.