Canon EOS
550D
 vs
Nikon
D3100

Updated (March, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 600D vs Nikon D3200

Canon EOS 550D

58

  
Nikon D3100

55

  

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 550D

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
1,040k dots
True resolution
 High true resolution
17.9 MP
Live view
 Has live view
Preview your photos
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm
 
Runner-up

Nikon D3100

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3100

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 24fps
Live view
 Has live view
Preview your photos
Movie continuous focus
 Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Badge
 Autofocuses shooting video
Contrast detection
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 124x96x73 mm
Sensor type
 CMOS Sensor
Better in low light
 

differences

Advantages of the Canon 550D
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 1,040k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4.5x higher resolution screen
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
True resolution Higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 14.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 30% more detail in your photos
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.5 EV vs 11.3 EV
Help
 0.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 550D's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Size Smaller 129x98x62 mm vs 124x96x73 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Thickness Much thinner 2.4" vs 2.9"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.54x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 10% larger viewfinder
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 252 ms vs 279 ms
Help
 Around 10% less delay when taking photos
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 3.7 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 More than 20% faster continuous shooting
Canon EOS 550D Learn more about
the Canon 550D

Advantages of the Nikon D3100
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 919 ISO vs 784 ISO
Help
 The D3100 has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Sensor size Significantly larger sensor APS-C 23.1x15.4mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 Around 10% larger sensor
Battery life Longer battery life 550 shots vs 440 shots
Help
 Around 30% more shots per battery charge
Color depth Better color depth 22.5 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.4 more bits of color
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 67.0 vs 66.0
Help
 Almost the same
Lowest price Cheaper $399.00 vs $612.58
Help
 The best price we've seen is $214 cheaper (more than 30% less)
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Focus points Slightly more focus points 11 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Weight Slightly lighter 505 g vs 530 g
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D3100 Learn more about
the Nikon D3100
vs

recommendations

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

Canon EOS 550D Canon EOS 550D
58 vs 55
Explain scores
Nikon D3100 Nikon D3100
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 550D.

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
550D:162 lenses
D3100:169 lenses
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
400 ms startup delay
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Size Fairly small Help
550D:129x98x62 mm
D3100:124x96x73 mm
Thickness Thin Help
550D:2.4"
D3100:2.9"
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
12,800 ISO
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
1
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
550D:6,400 ISO
D3100:3,200 ISO
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
550D:3.7 fps
D3100:3 fps
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Autofocus Lacks video autofocus Help
550D:None
D3100:Contrast detection
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
550D:11.5 EV
D3100:11.3 EV
Viewfinder size Below average viewfinder size Help
550D:0.54x
D3100:0.51x
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
550D:66.0
D3100:67.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 600D

Canon EOS 600D

Entry-level DSLR

$470 - $689 body only

$548 - $927 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 600D vs the EOS 550D
Compare the EOS 600D vs the D3100
Canon EOS 1100D

Canon EOS 1100D

Entry-level DSLR

$436 - $445 body only

$448 - $818 with 18-55mm lens
Shutter lag Has significantly less shutter lag
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Thickness Is thicker
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Compare the EOS 1100D vs the EOS 550D
Compare the EOS 1100D vs the D3100
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$547 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3200 vs the EOS 550D
Compare the D3200 vs the D3100
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 550D
Compare the D5100 vs the D3100
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$675 - $899 body only

$799 - $1,099 with 18-105mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Dynamic range Has significantly wider dynamic range
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 550D
Compare the D90 vs the D3100
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$699 - $899 body only

$999 - $1,279 with 18-135mm lens
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 550D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D3100
Canon 650D / T4i

Canon EOS 650D

Entry-level DSLR

$580 - $797 body only

$650 - $1,144 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 650D vs the EOS 550D
Compare the EOS 650D vs the D3100

Canon EOS 550D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 550D.

Nikon D3100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D3100.

appearance

Canon EOS 550D Nikon D3100
Canon EOS 550D Nikon D3100
Canon EOS 550D Nikon D3100

discussion

Showing 25 comments

Rajkumar (5:34 AM, October 09, 2012)
go to the store. feel both. buy one you like. cannon or nikon is a personal choice. i personally prefer 550D. But the catch is no focus motors meaning for autofocus to work on the new lenses you buy - u have to make sure the lense has builtin motor
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (1:28 PM, July 03, 2012)
It will depend more on what lens you get. You can check out our sister site LensHero to find a good lens.
 
Premtimes18 (3:36 AM, June 29, 2012)
Can somebody tell me which one is good for normal and macro photography? 
Canon 550D or Nikon D3100
 
Masirvan (10:24 AM, April 11, 2012)
i love 550d by canon..
 
D3100 user (4:12 PM, April 09, 2012)
if you wanna go for video shooting, i do think that 550D is better (the quality and its external mic jack). But through some test done (not by me) D3100 is better..... 
 
Avatar for aftab aftab (6:55 AM, March 07, 2012)
go for Nikon D5100.
 
Rohan (6:13 AM, February 28, 2012)
The comparison says the 550D has a built in autofocus motor ...As far as i know...550D does not have a built in focus motor ....
 
Alice Swain (5:20 PM, February 27, 2012)
i want a new camera, but dont know which of these two to get! i mainly take videos of horses (and the occasional picture, but would love to take more if i had a good camera to do it with!). which camera would you think be better for me?
 
Sanjivcell (7:15 PM, February 21, 2012)
sanjeev arora
I think the nikon d 3100 is the winner and a better option. Because u have to see all fetures and price also.
 
murali (3:43 PM, February 17, 2012)
I'm going for rebel T2i. because, Nikon's image colours are completely washed out when compared to canon. Canon is slightly higher price than Nikon but its worth for money. One more advantage T2i is, its have an external microphone jack. I love canon.:)
 
Ben (3:08 PM, February 10, 2012)
GUYS REMEMBER THE CANON 550D WON!! SO IT'S REALLY MUCH BETTER THAN NIKKON D3100.
 
Ben (3:02 PM, February 10, 2012)
go for the t2i 
 
Ben (2:59 PM, February 10, 2012)
t2i if I were you
 
Okko2 (4:11 AM, February 04, 2012)
i want to buy a new photographer's cam and im so confused which one is better?
 
Magesh (5:54 PM, February 03, 2012)
guys , Just give me a suggestion to buy canon 550d or nikon d3100 
 
Vishwanath (2:24 PM, January 17, 2012)
I'm just an amateur photographer, still confused weather to go for NIKON D3100 or CANON 550D, but canon has more features than nikon, and has an ISO upgreadable to 12800, and my budget is around 50K.

So will anyone suggest me about this????
 
itony (3:29 AM, January 01, 2012)
Well presented comparaison bravo !
 
Avatar for keerthi keerthi (9:41 AM, December 30, 2011)
Hi Evryone..
                     I seriouly need an important suggestion as iam greatly confused by so many reviews over the internet.Basically my situation is we are going to have a baby due in march so i want to take the best pictures which would cherish lifelong and i shortlisted Nikon d3100 or Canon eos 550d within my budget but im not sure which one to choose, I want the best image quality and crisp and sharpness of image and which lenses to prefer .Please please i need all ur best suggestions on which camera to buy for best quality images for baby and children..Thanx a lott in advance.

Note: I not bothered about video quality as i already purchased my camcorder.
 
N Raptored90 (10:49 PM, November 28, 2011)
i compared my nikon d3100 with the canon 600d ......canon seemed to beat nikon in color and clarity and image quality and light distribution tooo......
 
N Raptored90 (10:47 PM, November 28, 2011)
juzz love my nikon d3100!!
 
N Raptored90 (10:45 PM, November 28, 2011)
i compared my nikon d3100 to canon 660d .....canon seems to beat the image quality than my nikon......so shd i  switch to canon??
 
Karix_v (4:53 AM, November 23, 2011)
up to now i'm still confused... i love the picture quality of nikon d3100 but some says canon 550d is also good..
 
Avatar for Satyam Joshi Satyam Joshi (2:48 AM, November 16, 2011)
<>you save money, invest it on some gears like...filters,tripods,macro or tele lenses, extra batteries, or ext flash light...etc...but if u go for 550D u'll get short of budget to buy these !! so NIK d3100 rocks !! ..i still haven't bought d3100 but am going to!!
 
Dreww04 (10:38 PM, November 07, 2011)
I was considering getting the Nikon but now i am leaning towards the Canon. I want to take good quality photos and the Nikon doesn't seem to be able to do that unless the lighting is good. Am i wrong? What makes one better than the other in terms of quality?
 
Sams_96 (5:20 AM, November 04, 2011)
like all u people even i confused, atlast with everyone's suggestions i bought nikon d3100, wich is damn good.