Nikon
D5100
 vs
Nikon
D300

Nikon D5100

62
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
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.5 bits
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
Nikon D300

59
Runner-up

Nikon D300
"The body is constructed from magnesium alloy, soft rubber is used on the grips both front and back as well as environmental seals on compartment doors."
dpreview.com | talking about the D300's build-quality
"High ISO 3200 perfectly usable (if slightly softer due to NR), ISO 6400 usable for small output"
dpreview.com | talking about the D300's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Nikon D300

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentaprism
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
Cross type focus points
 Many cross-type focus points
15
Viewfinder coverage
 Great viewfinder coverage
100%
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D5100
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 80.0 vs 67.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
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 22.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.4 more bits of color
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,183 ISO vs 679 ISO
Help
 The D5100 has a slight edge (0.8 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
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
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13 EV vs 12 EV
Help
 1 f-stop more dynamic range
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
True resolution Higher true resolution 16.1 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Size Smaller 127x96x78 mm vs 147x114x74 mm
Help
 More than 20% smaller
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The D5100's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Weight Significantly lighter 560 g vs 925 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The D5100's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Lowest price Cheaper $499.99 vs $1,999.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,500 cheaper (4x less)
Nikon D5100 Learn more about
the Nikon D5100

Advantages of the Nikon D300
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Focus points Many more focus points 51 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.62x vs 0.51x
Help
 Around 50% larger viewfinder
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 15 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6 fps vs 4 fps
Help
 50% faster continuous shooting
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 227 ms vs 273 ms
Help
 Around 20% less delay when taking photos
Battery life Longer battery life 1000 shots vs 660 shots
Help
 More than 50% more shots per battery charge
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 300 ms vs 500 ms
Help
 40% less delay when turning on
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Thickness Thinner 2.9" vs 3.1"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Nikon D300 Learn more about
the Nikon D300
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D5100 Nikon D5100
62 vs 59
Explain scores
Nikon D300 Nikon D300
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 entry-level DSLR with a pro DSLR.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
169 lenses
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
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
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
D5100:6,400 ISO
D300:3,200 ISO

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
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D5100
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D300
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Compare the D3200 vs the D5100
Compare the D3200 vs the D300
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Storage slots Has more storage slots
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the D5100
Compare the D7000 vs the D300
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the D5100
Compare the D90 vs the D300
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
External mic jack Lacks and external mic jack
Compare the D3100 vs the D5100
Compare the D3100 vs the D300
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Thickness Is thinner
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Dynamic range Has slightly narrower dynamic range
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D5100
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D300
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D5100
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D300

Nikon D5100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D5100.

Nikon D300 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,690 - $1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Color depth Better color depth
Compare the D300S vs the D300

appearance

Nikon D5100 Nikon D300
Nikon D5100 Nikon D300
Nikon D5100 Nikon D300

discussion

Showing 1 comments

Cmc_keith (3:41 AM, August 25, 2011)
I own the D300s and I just can't see how the D5100 would even come close to the full-frame and extensive features of the D5100.  I agree that this might not be an apples to apples comparison.  The ability to plug in flash lights, manually save settings for specific locations or settings and the robust control over the shooting settings; in my opinion, make the D300s the clear standout.