Canon EOS
5D
 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 5D

48
Runner-up

Canon EOS 5D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,368 ISO
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentaprism
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 5D
Viewfinder size Much larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 90% larger viewfinder
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.6mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 1,368 ISO vs 1,183 ISO
Help
 The 5D has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
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
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 96% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.1"
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Learn more about
the Canon 5D

Advantages of the Nikon D5100
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
 1.9 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
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
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
Lens availability More lenses available 169 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 40% more lenses available
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 22.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.6 more bits of color
True resolution Higher true resolution 16.1 MP vs 12.7 MP
Help
 Capture around 30% more detail in your photos
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
Size Smaller 127x96x78 mm vs 152x113x75 mm
Help
 Around 30% smaller
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 4 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 More than 30% faster continuous shooting
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
Weight Significantly lighter 560 g vs 895 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $499.99 vs $3,991.31
Help
 The best price we've seen is $3,491 cheaper (8x less)
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The D5100's boost ISO is 3 f-stops better
Nikon D5100 Learn more about
the Nikon D5100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 5D
48 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.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
5D:96%
D5100:95%
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
5D:3 fps
D5100:4 fps
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
5D:1,600 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 5D
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
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 5D
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
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 5D
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
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Weight Is slightly heavier
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D
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
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 5D
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
Cross type focus points Has slightly more cross-type focus points
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D
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 5D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D5100

Canon EOS 5D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 50D

Canon EOS 50D

Pro DSLR

$1,282 - $1,330 body only
Screen size Much larger screen
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Color depth Worse color depth
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Compare the EOS 50D vs the EOS 5D

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 5D Nikon D5100
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D5100
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D5100

discussion

Showing 1 comments

Avatar for Advait Advait (7:56 AM, August 28, 2011)
Love the d5100