Canon Rebel
T1i
 vs
Nikon
D3100

Updated (February, 2011): Compare the Canon Rebel T3 vs Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

54
"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

Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Movie continuous focus
 Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Badge
 Autofocuses shooting video
Contrast detection
Sensor cleaning
 Self cleaning sensor
Avoids dust in your photos
Weight
 Light-weight
505 g
Canon EOS Rebel T1i

54
"Construction is good with no creaks or rattles."
dpreview.com | talking about the T1i's build-quality
"Good quality HD video"
dpreview.com | talking about the T1i's video-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon Rebel T1i

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
159 ms shutter lag
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm
Sensor cleaning
 Self cleaning sensor
Avoids dust in your photos
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses

differences

Advantages of the Canon T1i
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 159 ms vs 279 ms
Help
 More than 40% less delay when taking photos
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.5 EV vs 11.3 EV
Help
 0.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.54x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 10% larger viewfinder
True resolution Higher true resolution 15.1 MP vs 14.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 10% more detail in your photos
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Size Smaller 129x98x62 mm vs 124x96x73 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.4" vs 2.9"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 3.4 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Canon EOS Rebel T1i Learn more about
the Canon T1i

Advantages of the Nikon D3100
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 919 ISO vs 663 ISO
Help
 The D3100 has a slight edge (0.5 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Color depth Better color depth 22.5 bits vs 21.7 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.8 more bits of color
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Overall image quality Better image quality 67.0 vs 63.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-C 23.1x15.4mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 Around 10% larger sensor
Battery life Longer battery life 550 shots vs 400 shots
Help
 Around 40% more shots per battery charge
Focus points More focus points 11 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Slightly lighter 505 g vs 520 g
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D3100 Learn more about
the Nikon D3100
vs

recommendations

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

Canon EOS Rebel T1i Canon Rebel T1i
54 vs 54
Explain scores
Nikon D3100 Nikon D3100
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonRebel T1i
 Canon EOS Rebel T1i vs Nikon D3100
NikonD3100
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
48
50
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
44
48
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
43
48
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
50
41
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
39
47
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
46
42
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
48
44
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Movie format Full HD (1080p) video Help
T1i:1080p @ 20fps
D3100:1080p @ 24fps
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
T1i:162 lenses
D3100:169 lenses
Screen size Larger than average screens Help
3.0"
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
T1i:300 ms
D3100:400 ms
Size Fairly small Help
T1i:129x98x62 mm
D3100:124x96x73 mm
Weight Light weight Help
T1i:520 g
D3100:505 g
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
T1i:3.4 fps
D3100:3 fps
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
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
T1i:11.5 EV
D3100:11.3 EV

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Rebel T1i
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D3100
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$379 body only

$460 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Thickness Is thicker
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the Rebel T1i
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D3100
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D5100 vs the Rebel T1i
Compare the D5100 vs the D3100
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Rebel T1i
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
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Dynamic range Has significantly wider dynamic range
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D90 vs the Rebel T1i
Compare the D90 vs the D3100
Nikon D5000

Nikon D5000

Entry-level DSLR

$997 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Dynamic range Has significantly wider dynamic range
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D5000 vs the Rebel T1i
Compare the D5000 vs the D3100
Nikon D3000

Nikon D3000

Entry-level DSLR

$677 with 18-55mm lens
Sensor type Has a CCD-family sensor
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Compare the D3000 vs the Rebel T1i
Compare the D3000 vs the D3100

Canon EOS Rebel T1i Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS Rebel T1i.

Nikon D3100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D3100.

appearance

Canon EOS Rebel T1i Nikon D3100
Canon EOS Rebel T1i Nikon D3100
Canon EOS Rebel T1i Nikon D3100

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

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 3 comments

Anastasia (5:54 AM, April 01, 2011)
Yes, the Nikon has a smaller variety of lenses, but it is more user friendly and easier to get a hang of. I think over all the nikon is an easier camera to operate, but they are both great cameras .
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (7:23 PM, February 03, 2011)
Hi Jen, yes they're both great choices. The Nikon D3100 won't autofocus with some autofocus lenses, but there are still many lenses available to choose from. Check out our sister site LensHero.com, for example you can browse all Nikon D3100 lenses that will autofocus or browse all lenses for the Canon T1i.
 
Jen (11:31 PM, February 02, 2011)
Looking to purchase an entry level DSLR. I have read a lot of discussions regarding Canon's T1i vs the Nikon d3100. I am not very concerned with video quality, more interested in ease of use and future lens options. I like the sound of Nikon's guide mode, but it seems Canon might be the winner as far as lens varieties. I'm guessing they are both lovely choices!