Nikon
D5100
 vs
Sony SLT
A65

Updated (October, 2012): Compare the Nikon D5200 Hands-on P vs Sony SLT-A65

Nikon D5100

77

  
Sony SLT-A65

75

  
Winner

Nikon D5100

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
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
13 EV
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Sensor size
 Large sensor
APS-C 23.6x15.6mm
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
 
Runner-up

Sony SLT A65

Reasons to buy the Sony SLT A65

Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.6 EV
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
True resolution
 High true resolution
24 MP
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
16,000 ISO
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
10 fps
 

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D5100
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,183 ISO vs 717 ISO
Help
 The D5100 has a slight edge (0.7 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Startup delay Much less startup delay 500 ms vs 2800 ms
Help
 5.6x less delay when turning on
Overall image quality Better image quality 80.0 vs 74.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Lens availability Much more lenses available 169 lenses vs 92 lenses
Help
 More than 80% more lenses available
Viewfinder Has an optical viewfinder Pentamirror vs Digital
Help
 Optical viewfinders save battery life and are more detailed
Battery life Longer battery life 660 shots vs 560 shots
Help
 Around 20% more shots per battery charge
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13 EV vs 12.6 EV
Help
 0.4 f-stops more dynamic range
Size Smaller 127x96x78 mm vs 132x97x81 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Weight Lighter 560 g vs 622 g
Help
 Around 10% lighter
Thickness Thinner 3.1" vs 3.2"
Help
 Almost the same
Lowest price Cheaper $496.95 vs $586.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $90 cheaper (around 20% less)
Nikon D5100 Learn more about
the Nikon D5100

Advantages of the Sony SLT A65
Viewfinder size Much larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 90% larger viewfinder
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster 10 fps vs 4 fps
Help
 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
True resolution Much higher true resolution 24 MP vs 16.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 50% more detail in your photos
GPS Has a GPS Yes vs No
Help
 Automatically geotags your photos when traveling
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 16,000 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The SLT A65's maximum light sensitivity is 1.3 f-stops better
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 138 ms vs 273 ms
Help
 Around 50% less delay when taking photos
Autofocus Faster video autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Shoot videos without worrying about focus
Viewfinder coverage Significantly 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
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 3 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Focus points More focus points 15 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Sony SLT-A65 Learn more about
the Sony SLT A65
vs

recommendations

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

Nikon D5100 Nikon D5100
77 vs 75
Explain scores
Sony SLT A65 Sony SLT-A65
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D5100.

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
Great for movies
Movie continuous focus Focus continuously recording movies Help
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Sensor size Large sensors Help
D5100:APS-C 23.6x15.6mm
SLT A65:APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$547 with 18-55mm lens
Size Is slightly smaller
Weight Is slightly lighter
Light sensitivity (boost) Slightly lower boost light sensitivity
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor
Compare the D3200 vs the D5100
Compare the D3200 vs the SLT A65
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$549 body only

$599 - $649 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity (boost) Slightly lower boost light sensitivity
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D5100
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the SLT A65
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$675 - $899 body only

$799 - $1,099 with 18-105mm lens
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D90 vs the D5100
Compare the D90 vs the SLT A65
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the D5100
Compare the D7000 vs the SLT A65
Canon EOS 650D

Canon EOS 650D

Entry-level DSLR

$580 - $797 body only

$639 - $1,144 with 18-55mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Cross type focus points Has significantly more cross-type focus points
Size Is slightly larger
Sensor size Has a significantly smaller sensor
Compare the EOS 650D vs the D5100
Compare the EOS 650D vs the SLT A65
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$699 - $899 body only

$999 - $1,279 with 18-135mm lens
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D5100
Compare the EOS 60D vs the SLT A65
Sony SLT A57

Sony SLT A57

Entry-level DSLR

$460 - $499 body only

$519 - $539 with 18-55mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the SLT A57 vs the D5100
Compare the SLT A57 vs the SLT A65

Nikon D5100 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$447 - $740 with 18-55mm lens
Size Smaller
Thickness Thinner
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Compare the D3100 vs the D5100

Sony SLT-A65 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony SLT-A77

Sony SLT A77

Pro DSLR

$998 - $1,000 body only

$1,598 - $1,930 with 16-50mm lens
Weather sealed Weather sealed
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points
Size Significantly larger
Startup delay More startup delay
Compare the SLT A77 vs the SLT A65

appearance

Nikon D5100 Sony SLT-A65
Nikon D5100 Sony SLT-A65
Nikon D5100 Sony SLT-A65

discussion

Showing 11 comments

Ricardo (2:57 PM, December 12, 2012)
Both of them are good for that, anyway you have to have in mind that the lens are very important too, to have nice portraits, you have to buy a 50 mm lens f1.4
 
sun (5:07 PM, December 11, 2012)
I'm Beginner for a DSLR, I wonder which one produce better imager of portraits in low light.
 
Avatar for Brix Bonhoc Brix Bonhoc (3:40 AM, March 10, 2012)
When will thailand distribute this camera to all Sony Outel In its neighboring country?
 
JT (10:11 PM, February 01, 2012)
Tällä sivustolla ikäänkuin tuetaan/sponsataan Nikon kameroita!! Puolueellista! Tämäkin testi sen osoittaa; Joku Nikon D5100 muka tämän perusteella parempi....
 
Rickthunderheart (3:19 AM, January 30, 2012)
Don't worry, when I was ready to buy the Sony SLT A65, I was very concerned, and I was keeping some thoughts about the Nikon 5100, always having doubts, always searching in the internet something that would tell me " do not buy the Sony" but at that point I was tired, and I bought the Sony, and let me tell you, the Sony is a great camera, the pictures you can take are awesome, they always look very professional, every setting is useful, the resolution is great, colors are very sharp, the kit lens are very good, etc, I always was lookin for something perfect in Photography, and now I found what I was looking for, maybe the Nikon is very good too, but I'm very happy about my choice. 
 
Gmay2 (9:08 AM, January 29, 2012)
I was ready to purchase the A65 but have now stopped to rethink.  Image quality is very important to me and a couple of reviews have highlighted the Nikon as producing better quality pictures.  With the 24mp capturing more detail in the shot, I cant understand why the Nikon produces better quality pictures - can someone help me.  Also, the video detail on the A65 is better than the Nikon but I'm not sure it will really matter?  I can wait for inventories but still a bit confused.
 
GR8WHITENORTH (4:48 AM, January 25, 2012)
I just purchased the A65 yesterday, 1 have 185 actuations and am very impressed. I'm a newbie to DSLR and absolutely was prepared to purchase the D5100, the problem is you can't buy it right now as there is no inventory due to the flooding in Thailand. I thought perhaps I might have buyers remorse with the Sony but after reviewing the photo's I've taken I don't think I'll look back...
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (2:08 PM, January 18, 2012)
Hi Stondonmassey and Thyprod, we just take the # of lenses currently available for sale from B&H Photo video by mount.

Stondonmassey, you suggested we only take Nikon lenses that have AF-S and VR.  I understand your point, keep in mind we already include image stabilization as an advantage of Sony and Pentax cameras, and we point out the lack of autofocus capability with some lenses with the low end Nikon bodies.
 
Thyprod (4:49 AM, January 18, 2012)
Add to that, the reviewer has been a bit vague and a little misleading I believe. 92 lenses for the Sony? Doesn't specify new or current lenses... And with the Nikon @ 169 lenses? Sounds like new and second-hand lenses to me. Also sounds like the reviewer may be a bit biased towards Nikon, or simply hasn't done their homework correctly! The beauty about the Sony is that is can accept a lot of second-hand Minolta (MF/AF) lenses which are still readily available second-hand in excellent condition, and some which have better optical quality than Nikon have ever made, because they were once associated with Leica! The glass is the most important thing, remember!
 
stondonmassey (6:48 PM, November 20, 2011)
Why are you always saying that Nikon d5100 is compatible with 192 lenses ("169 lenses vs 92 lenses)? Since Sony slt a-65 has built-in motor and stabilization system, and Nikon does not, when comparing these two cameras you should count only  Nikon lenses which are simultaneously VR and AF-S, and you will  hardly find 10 such lenses.
 
Rickthunder (5:42 AM, November 06, 2011)
Sony SLT A65 It's a great camera, I bought it today and I'm very happy