Updated (April 2011): Compare the Canon EOS 5D Mark II vs Nikon D5100

Canon EOS 5D Mark II vs Nikon D5100

Winner
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

100
Nikon D5100

80

Runner-up

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Low noise at high ISO
Low light performance
1,815 ISO
Large viewfinder
Viewfinder size
0.71x
Weather sealed
Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Great viewfinder
Viewfinder
Pentaprism
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D5100

Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
13.6 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
More detailed differences and similarities →

galleries

Explore our gallery of 50 sample photos taken by the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.
Explore our gallery of 50 sample photos taken by the Nikon D5100.

competitors

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

Pro DSLR

$1,148 - $1,399 body only

$1,799 with 24-105mm lens

HDR Has in-camera HDR
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Shutter lag Much more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Pro DSLR

$3,299 body only

$4,049 with 24-70mm lens

Screen size Significantly larger screen
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Thickness Slightly thicker
Compare the EOS 5D Mark IV vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$2,078 - $2,299 body only

$3,049 with 24-70mm lens

HDR Has in-camera HDR
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Nikon D5100 Competitors

Nikon D3300

Nikon D3300

Entry-level DSLR

$471 body only

$419 - $447 with 18-55mm lens

Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera
Color depth Better color depth
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR
Compare the D3300 vs the D5100
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$300 body only

$395 with 18-55mm lens

Color depth Better color depth
True resolution Higher true resolution
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR
Compare the D3200 vs the D5100
Nikon D5300

Nikon D5300

Entry-level DSLR

$485 body only

$494 - $697 with 18-55mm lens

Screen size Significantly larger screen
Shutter lag Much less shutter lag
Compare the D5300 vs the D5100
More detailed differences and similarities →

discussion

Canon EOS 5D Mark II
EOS 5D Mark II
Canon

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Nikon D5100
D5100
Nikon

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Showing 15 comments

impartial one (7:15 PM, February 19, 2012)
Guys really, the full-frame sensor beat the cropped!
 
impartial one (7:12 PM, February 19, 2012)
Actually it says the Canon won!
 
Chetjarvon (2:55 AM, January 18, 2012)
5D Mark II: full frame sensor. D5100: cropped sensor. 5D Mark II: 21.1 mp. D5100: 16.1 mp. 5D Mark II: used by some of the worlds greatest photographers and most pros that use Canon. D5100: Used by college students and entry level photographers. Need I say more? There's a reason why the pros choose this camera. I hate this site, lol.
 
Steve (2:43 AM, December 24, 2011)
Canon is popular because its cheaper.  At my school, more people use Canon cause they don't have the money for Nikon.
 
Avatar for Hammad Hammad (5:47 AM, November 27, 2011)
That fact that Nikon wins, is a clear indication that snapshot needs to re-adjust its point system. One area I looked at it popularity. 20,000 vs 98,000 in favour of Nikon against 5D. I think this should be more an amount you spend on camera not the units. Example you spend 3 times more on 5D so 1 Cannon = 3 Nikon. Obviously the rating system needs some serious work! I own D5100 and I know it probably isn't as good as 5D.
 
Matt (10:59 AM, November 14, 2011)
if you look on ebay the price is much less
 
Guest (2:46 AM, October 12, 2011)
Bah ha ha ha ha ha!  :D  How is this possible?  Guess all you Canon fans better be selling/ trading up to Nikon gear.
 
Viewer (9:12 AM, October 07, 2011)
Hard to believe that the intermediate level D5100 can compete with a Pro DSLR, otherwise why bother with the more expensive option
 
Viewer (9:07 AM, October 07, 2011)
I absolutely agree, if you go by Snapsort's reviews, then Nikon generally is much better than Canon. This might be true, but how do you explain that Canon is so popular.... Great website anyway.
 
Sathyabeleyur (5:29 PM, October 02, 2011)
I am the nikon user. Still I think snapsort website is supports nikon camera only. Comparing  Nikon D5100 v/s Canon 5D mark ||, it says nikon D5100 is best. How it is possible?
Canon 5D mark || has Full frame sensor & world wide winner. It is so silly & partial. Please give true reviews.
Thanks
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (3:37 PM, June 29, 2011)
We've fixed that up, thanks for pointing out the issue!
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (2:38 PM, June 29, 2011)
Thanks for pointing that out Ed, we'll double check and fix that up!
 
Ed (8:19 AM, June 29, 2011)
Also, Canon 5D Mark II color depth is 23.7 bits, dynamic range 11.9 eV, "image quality" 80, etc... all your stats are from the 5D version 1, a camera introduced in 2005...
 
Ed (8:12 AM, June 29, 2011)
Your statistics for the Canon 5D Mark II are wrong.  Some of the stats most notably ISO performance are the numbers from the classic Canon 5D (should be 1815, not1368).  Please update the stats for a more accurate comparison.
 
Papa (4:41 PM, May 29, 2011)
2 sweet camrea's...   Nikon looks amazing and has it all, but the price is little out of reach for me.
 
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