Nikon D5100

100

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

Overall image quality
Great image quality
80.0
Dynamic range
Wide dynamic range
13 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
External mic jack
External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Leica M9

48

Runner-up

Leica M9

Reasons to buy the Leica M9

Size
Really small
Mid size 139x80x37 mm
Sensor size
Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Badge
Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Thickness
Thin
1.5"

differences

Advantages of the Leica M9

Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.6mm
Help
Around 2.5x larger sensor
Size Significantly smaller 139x80x37 mm vs 127x96x78 mm
Help
2.3x smaller
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 3.1"
Help
2.1x thinner
True resolution Higher true resolution 18.1 MP vs 16.1 MP
Help
Capture more than 10% more detail in your photos
Leica M9 Learn more about
the Leica M9

Advantages of the Nikon D5100

Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
More than 20% larger screen
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
4x higher resolution screen
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
Catch candid moments easily
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
Lens availability Much more lenses available 169 lenses vs 22 lenses
Help
More than 7.5x more lenses available
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
Automatically focuses shooting video
Overall image quality Better image quality 80.0 vs 69.0
Help
Around 20% better image quality
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Lowest price Much cheaper $499.99 vs $6,995.00
Help
The best price we've seen is $6,495 cheaper (14x less)
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
1.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 2,500 ISO
Help
The D5100's maximum light sensitivity is 1.4 f-stops better
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
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,183 ISO vs 884 ISO
Help
The D5100 has a slight edge (0.4 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs None
Help
Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 4 fps vs 2 fps
Help
2x faster continuous shooting
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 22.5 bits
Help
Distinguishes 1 more bits of color
Battery life Slightly longer battery life 660 shots vs 600 shots
Help
10% more shots per battery charge
Longest exposure Significantly longer exposures 30s vs 4s
Help
7.5x longer exposures
Viewfinder Has a through-the-lens viewfinder Pentamirror vs Rangefinder
Help
Through-the-lens viewfinders let you see exactly what your photo will look like
Weight Slightly lighter 560 g vs 585 g
Help
Almost the same
Nikon D5100 Learn more about
the Nikon D5100
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Leica M9 Leica M9
48 vs 100
Explain scores
Nikon D5100 Nikon D5100
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D5100. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a mirrorless interchangeable-lens with a entry-level DSLR.

advice

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0
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by Phoenix-Mayet 5 days ago
Leica M9 vs Nikon D4

I take portraits of people with tattoos so I need to be able to capture small tattoo details as ...

1
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by Phil-Hand last month
Nikon D5100 vs Sony NEX-5

I am a bit confused. Not hard for an amateur in such a complicated field. I see that the Nikon D51...

One person recommends the Nikon D5100:

"Hi Phil, these are both great cameras. I'd recommend the Nikon D5100 because there are so many mor..."

0
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by Brooke-Baker this month
Canon T2i vs Nikon D5100

I need to be able to play around with low and high light situations, take beautiful still shots ...

0
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by David-Brown last month
Canon T2i vs Nikon D5100

Beginner, looking to get first DSLR.  A major concern is whether Canon or Nikon has better avail...

0
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by augfig last month
Canon T2i vs Nikon D5100

We will take pictures of sons at home, on the farm etc. We like making movies too and taking pic...

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
True resolution Capture extremely high resolution images Help
M9:18.1 MP
D5100:16.1 MP
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
M9:Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
D5100:APS-C 23.6x15.6mm
Interchangeable lenses Both support interchangeable lenses, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Many lenses to choose from
Battery life Great battery life Help
M9:600 shots
D5100:660 shots
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
Color depth Good color depth Help
M9:22.5 bits
D5100:23.5 bits
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Viewfinder Viewfinders Help
M9:Rangefinder
D5100:Pentamirror
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/4000 of a second
Weight Heavy Help
M9:585 g
D5100:560 g
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
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

Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens

Thickness Is thicker
Battery life Has a slightly shorter battery life
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens

Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens

Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$598 - $600 body only

$698 - $700 with 18-55mm lens

Light sensitivity Much higher maximum light sensitivity
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
External mic jack Lacks and external mic jack
Pentax K-5

Pentax K-5

Entry-level DSLR

$888 - $1,129 body only

$1,033 - $1,283 with 18-55mm lens

Image stabilization Has image stabilization
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Screen size Has a slightly larger screen
Lowest price Is much more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,198 body only

$2,898 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens

True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker

Leica M9 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Fujifilm X-Pro1

Fujifilm X-Pro1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,991 - $2,298 body only

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Movie format Shoots movies
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Battery life Shorter battery life
Fujifilm FinePix X100

Fujifilm FinePix X100

Boutique

$1,199

Screen size Significantly larger screen
Movie format Shoots movies
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Leica M8

Leica M8

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

Fastest shutter speed Faster max shutter speed
Longest exposure Slightly longer exposures
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Sony NEX-7

Sony NEX-7

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,200 body only

$1,350 - $1,499 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Screen size Much larger screen
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Battery life Shorter battery life

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
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens

Size Slightly smaller
Weight Slightly lighter
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens

Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor
Size Smaller
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens

Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor
Battery life Significantly longer battery life
Overall image quality Worse image quality
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR

appearance

Leica M9 Nikon D5100
Leica M9 Nikon D5100
Leica M9 Nikon D5100

discussion

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