Nikon
D3100
 vs
Sony Alpha
NEX-5

General

 Nikon D3100 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Brand
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 Nikon Sony
Lowest price
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 $499.99 $569.00
Announced
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 August, 2010 May, 2010

Sensor
Type
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 CMOS CMOS
Size
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 APS-C 23.1x15.4mm APS-C 23.4x15.6mm
Crop factor
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 1.6x 1.5x
Megapixels
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 14.2 MP 14 MP
Light sensitivity
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 3,200 ISO 12,800 ISO
Light sensitivity (boost)
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 12,800 ISO None
Sensor cleaning
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 Yes Yes

Sensor (Advanced)
True resolution
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 14.2 MP 14 MP
Native resolution
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 4608 x 3072 4592 x 3056
Pixel size
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 25.1 µm² 26 µm²

Screen
Type
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 LCD LCD
Size
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 3.0" 3.0"
Resolution
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 230k dots 920k dots
Touch screen
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 No No
Flips out
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 No Yes
Live view
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 Yes Yes

Lenses
Lens availability
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 169 lenses 8 lenses
Lens focus motor
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 No Yes
Lens mount
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 Nikon F Sony E

Form factor
Size
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 124x96x73 mm 111x59x38 mm
Depth
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 2.9" 1.5"
Weight
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 505 g 287 g
Interchangeable lenses
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 Yes Yes
Waterproof
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 No No
Weather sealed
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 No No

Viewfinder
Type
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 Pentamirror None
Viewfinder size
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 0.51x n/a
Coverage
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 95% n/a

Movies
Format
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 1080p @ 24fps 1080p @ 30fps
Supports 24p
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 Yes No
High-speed framerate
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 None None
External mic jack
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 No No
Autofocus
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 Contrast detection Unknown
Continuous focus
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 Yes n/a
All formats
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 1080p @ 24fps
720p @ 24fps
720p @ 25fps
640 x 424 @ 24fps
720p @ 30fps		 1440 x 1080 @ 30fps
1080p @ 30fps
480p @ 30fps

Features
Panorama
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 No Yes
HDR
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 No Yes
3D
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 No Yes
Image stabilization
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 None None
Supports RAW
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 Yes Yes
GPS
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 No No

Performance
Startup delay
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 400 ms 1000 ms
Shutter lag
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 279 ms 441 ms
Battery life
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 550 shots 330 shots
Continuous shooting
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 3 fps 7 fps

Focus system
Autofocus
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 Phase detection Contrast detection
Focus points
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 11 25
Cross type focus points
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 1 0

Shutter
Max
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 1/4000s 1/4000s
Min
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 30s 30s

Flash
Built-in flash
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 Yes No
Popup
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 Yes n/a
External connection
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 Yes Yes

Storage
Storage slots
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 1 1
Supported formats
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 SDHC
SD
SDXC		 Memory Stick
Memory Stick PRO Duo
SDXC
Memory Stick Duo
SDHC
SD

DXO Mark Scores
Image quality
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 67.0 69.0
Color depth
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 22.5 bits 22.2 bits
Dynamic range
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 11.3 EV 12.2 EV
Low light performance
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 919 ISO 796 ISO