Canon EOS
60D
 vs
Nikon
D3100

Updated (March, 2013): Compare the Canon EOS 70D vs Nikon D3200

Canon EOS 60D

56

  
Nikon D3100

44

  
Winner

Canon EOS 60D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 60D

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
1,040k dots
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Battery life
 Great battery life
1100 shots
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
 
Runner-up

Nikon D3100

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
Thickness
 Thin
2.9"
 

differences

Advantages of the Canon 60D
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
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
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
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 1100 shots vs 550 shots
Help
 2x more shots per battery charge
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.59x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 30% larger viewfinder
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.5 EV vs 11.3 EV
Help
 0.2 f-stops more dynamic range
True resolution Higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 14.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 30% more detail in your photos
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 5.3 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 Around 80% faster continuous shooting
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 9 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 253 ms vs 279 ms
Help
 Around 10% less delay when taking photos
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 60D's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
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
Canon EOS 60D Learn more about
the Canon 60D

Advantages of the Nikon D3100
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Color depth Better color depth 22.5 bits vs 22.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.3 more bits of color
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 919 ISO vs 813 ISO
Help
 The D3100 has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Size Smaller 124x96x73 mm vs 145x106x79 mm
Help
 Around 30% smaller
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 67.0 vs 66.0
Help
 Almost the same
Thickness Thinner 2.9" vs 3.1"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Lighter 505 g vs 755 g
Help
 More than 30% lighter
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor APS-C 23.1x15.4mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 Around 10% larger sensor
Nikon D3100 Learn more about
the Nikon D3100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 60D Canon EOS 60D
56 vs 44
Explain scores
Nikon D3100 Nikon D3100
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 60D. 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
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
60D:162 lenses
D3100:169 lenses
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
400 ms startup delay
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
60D:96%
D3100:95%
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
12,800 ISO
Focus points Few focus points Help
60D:9
D3100:11
Shutter lag Significant shutter lag Help
60D:253 ms
D3100:279 ms
Autofocus Lacks video autofocus Help
60D:None
D3100:Contrast detection
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
60D:6,400 ISO
D3100:3,200 ISO
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Sensor size Very small sensors Help
60D:APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
D3100:APS-C 23.1x15.4mm
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
60D:11.5 EV
D3100:11.3 EV
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
60D:5.3 fps
D3100:3 fps
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
60D:66.0
D3100:67.0
Color depth Poor color depth Help
60D:22.2 bits
D3100:22.5 bits
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
60D:813 ISO
D3100:919 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$549 body only

$599 - $649 with 18-55mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 60D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D3100
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 60D
Compare the D5100 vs the D3100
Canon 650D / T4i

Canon Rebel T4i

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $800 body only

$749 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T4i vs the EOS 60D
Compare the Rebel T4i vs the D3100
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$332 body only

$449 - $499 with 18-55mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the EOS 60D
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D3100
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$547 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3200 vs the EOS 60D
Compare the D3200 vs the D3100
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 60D
Compare the D7000 vs the D3100
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$599 - $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
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 60D
Compare the D90 vs the D3100

Canon EOS 60D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,499 body only

$1,699 with 28-135mm lens
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Screen resolution Lower resolution screen
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 60D
Canon 700D/T5i

Canon Rebel T5i

Entry-level DSLR

$749 - $905 body only

$899 with 18-55mm lens
Autofocus Video autofocus
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Color depth Worse color depth
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Compare the Rebel T5i vs the EOS 60D

Nikon D3100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3000

Nikon D3000

Entry-level DSLR

$436 with 18-55mm lens
Thickness Much thinner
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag
Live view No live view
Movie format Does not take movies
Compare the D3000 vs the D3100

appearance

Canon EOS 60D Nikon D3100
Canon EOS 60D Nikon D3100
Canon EOS 60D Nikon D3100

discussion

Showing 3 comments

Danniel (4:09 PM, July 31, 2011)
I have also an D3100  camera and I really like it. In the begining i`ve bought a sony A230 and it was good to start with that one, but now, with d3100 i`ve made a short movie and in august i should film another movie and i`m really happy with the d3100. 
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (0:23 PM, April 01, 2011)
I am glad you are enjoying your D3100
 
Anastasia (5:48 AM, April 01, 2011)
I have personally been DROOLING over the 60D the second I saw it.. I am a YouTube vlogger and I am into photography; so it would be the perfect double duty camera; however I am only a teen and can not afford it. As a birthday gift, my dad took me to future shop to pick out a camera, and I ran towards the 60D, and sure enough, there it was. It was a gorgeous camera but the body was so big and a little uncomfortable to handle. We asked to take it, but all the canons were out of stock! I was upset, but I took a look at the nikon D3100. It has stunning video recording and takes great pictures. The autofocus for the video makes it easier for me, however it is unfortunate that it does not have an external microphone output or a flip out screen. The price was more efficient for us and It was more user friendly for an amateur/beginner DSLR user like me than the 60D. I would have preferred to have gotten the 60D but I am perfectly content with the D3100, and I do not want to switch at this point. They're both great cameras, but they are for different people and it all depends on what the user focuses on more. Thanks!