Canon EOS Digital
Rebel XSi
 vs
Nikon
D5100

Nikon D5100

76
Winner

Nikon D5100
"Sophisticated AF system for the price"
dpreview.com | talking about the D5100's auto-focus
"On the whole the D5100's movies are look great, with smooth motion and impressively low noise in dim light."
dpreview.com | talking about the D5100's video-quality

Reasons to buy the Nikon D5100

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,183 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
80.0
Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.5 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
13 EV
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

41
"Just like the EOS 400D the 450D is primarily made from three materials; a stainless steel chassis, the mirror box which is made of high-strength 'engineering plastic' and the body made of a special lightweight 'engineering plastic' which also provides some electromagnetic shielding. Construction is very good with no creaks or rattles."
dpreview.com | talking about the Rebel XSi's build-quality
"Superb resolution, good per-pixel sharpness"
dpreview.com | talking about the Rebel XSi's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
160 ms shutter lag
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Thickness
 Thin
2.4"
Weight
 Light-weight
524 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon Rebel XSi
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 160 ms vs 273 ms
Help
 More than 40% less delay when taking photos
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Size Significantly smaller 129x98x62 mm vs 127x96x78 mm
Help
 Around 20% smaller
Thickness Much thinner 2.4" vs 3.1"
Help
 More than 20% thinner
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.54x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 10% larger viewfinder
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 400 ms vs 500 ms
Help
 20% less delay when turning on
Weight Lighter 524 g vs 560 g
Help
 Around 10% lighter
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Learn more about
the Canon Rebel XSi

Advantages of the Nikon D5100
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 1,183 ISO vs 692 ISO
Help
 The D5100 has a slight edge (0.8 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Overall image quality Much better image quality 80.0 vs 61.0
Help
 More than 30% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13 EV vs 10.8 EV
Help
 2.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 21.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.6 more bits of color
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
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
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 16.1 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Sensor size Significantly larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.6mm vs APS-C 22.2x14.8mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 800 ISO
Help
 The D5100's maximum light sensitivity is 3 f-stops better
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The D5100's boost ISO is 4 f-stops better
Battery life Longer battery life 660 shots vs 500 shots
Help
 More than 30% more shots per battery charge
Focus points More focus points 11 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 4 fps vs 3.5 fps
Help
 More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D5100 Learn more about
the Nikon D5100
vs

recommendations

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

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
41 vs 76
Explain scores
Nikon D5100 Nikon D5100
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D5100.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
Rebel XSi:162 lenses
D5100:169 lenses
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
Rebel XSi:400 ms
D5100:500 ms
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
Rebel XSi:$467.50
D5100:$499.99
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
1
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
Rebel XSi:800 ISO
D5100:6,400 ISO
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
Rebel XSi:3.5 fps
D5100:4 fps
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather

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
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D5100
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the D3100 vs the D5100
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the D90 vs the D5100
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
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
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
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
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D5100
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$333 body only

$489 - $500 with 18-55mm lens
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Weight Is slightly lighter
Thickness Is thicker
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D5100

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Entry-level DSLR

$348 - $595 body only

$439 with 18-55mm lens
Color depth Better color depth
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Screen size Much smaller screen
Autofocus Slower autofocus
Compare the EOS Digital Rebel XS vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi

Nikon D5100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Much 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 Digital Rebel XSi Nikon D5100
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Nikon D5100
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Nikon D5100

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