Canon EOS
5D Mark II
 vs
Nikon
D3100

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

94
"The original 5D was the first 'affordable' and lightweight full frame camera, and set a standard for low noise at high ISO settings that remains competitive three years later."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's iso-noise
"In addition the adoption of high precision split-level alignment of the magnesium-alloy external covers, high precision dial construction and external rubber grip covers, has improved the camera's dust and water resistance."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's build-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,815 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
79.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.7 bits
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
True resolution
 High true resolution
21 MP
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Nikon D3100

60
Runner-up

Nikon D3100
"The D3100 offers little to complain about in terms of image quality, and its new 14Mp sensor delivers very good results."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3100's image-quality
"Unusually fast Live View AF for an SLR"
dpreview.com | talking about the D3100's auto-focus

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3100

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
Weight
 Light-weight
505 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,815 ISO vs 919 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II has a slight edge (1 f-stop) in low noise, high ISO performance
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 79.0 vs 67.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Viewfinder size Much larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 90% larger viewfinder
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.9 EV vs 11.3 EV
Help
 0.6 f-stops more dynamic range
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.1x15.4mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 22.5 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.2 more bits of color
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 21 MP vs 14.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 50% more detail in your photos
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 206 ms vs 279 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when taking photos
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 Significantly better viewfinder coverage 98% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Battery life Longer battery life 850 shots vs 550 shots
Help
 More than 50% more shots per battery charge
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 3.9 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 30% faster continuous shooting
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II

Advantages of the Nikon D3100
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
Size Smaller 124x96x73 mm vs 152x114x75 mm
Help
 More than 30% smaller
Weight Significantly lighter 505 g vs 850 g
Help
 More than 40% lighter
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
Lowest price Cheaper $499.99 vs $2,330.54
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,831 cheaper (4.7x less)
Focus points Slightly more focus points 11 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Thickness Slightly thinner 2.9" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D3100 Learn more about
the Nikon D3100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
94 vs 60
Explain scores
Nikon D3100 Nikon D3100
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. 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.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 5D Mark II
 Canon EOS 5D Mark II vs Nikon D3100
NikonD3100
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
10
33
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
10
29
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
7
29
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
7
31
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
7
29
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
11
28
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
8
30
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Movie format Full HD (1080p) video Help
5D Mark II:1080p @ 30fps
D3100:1080p @ 24fps
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
400 ms startup delay
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
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
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
5D Mark II:3.9 fps
D3100:3 fps
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Focus points Few focus points Help
5D Mark II:9
D3100:11
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D5100 vs the D3100
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Thickness Is thinner
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D3100
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D7000 vs the D3100
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D3100
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D90 vs the D3100
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
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 Mark II
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D3100

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Focus points Many more focus points
Movie format Does not take movies
True resolution Significantly lower true resolution
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Size Larger
Thickness Thicker
Compare the D800 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Pro DSLR

$5,000 - $5,930 body only
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Nikon D3100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$379 body only

$460 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Screen size Much smaller screen
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D3100
Canon EOS Rebel T1i

Canon Rebel T1i

Entry-level DSLR

$445 - $629 body only

$504 - $609 with 18-55mm lens
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag
Color depth Worse color depth
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Compare the Rebel T1i vs the D3100
Nikon D5000

Nikon D5000

Entry-level DSLR

$997 with 18-55mm lens
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Overall image quality Better image quality
Screen size Much smaller screen
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Compare the D5000 vs the D3100

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D3100
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D3100
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D3100

Find similar cameras

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discussion Which do you think is better?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 2 comments

KGTH (4:36 AM, October 10, 2011)
Jjajajjajaja
 
Jorge (4:35 AM, October 10, 2011)
pachos