Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100
59 Imaging
62 Features
84 Overall
70


68 Imaging
53 Features
59 Overall
55
Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 Key Specs
(Full Review)
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 3200 (Push to 12800)
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Nikon F Mount
- 505g - 124 x 96 x 75mm
- Released December 2010
- Succeeded the Nikon D3000
- Replacement is Nikon D3200

Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 Overview
Let's look a bit more closely at the Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Canon and Nikon. There exists a noticeable gap between the resolutions of the 70D (20MP) and D3100 (14MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor measurements (APS-C).

The 70D was unveiled 2 years after the D3100 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Canon 70D being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Nikon D3100 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the 70D matches up against the D3100 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon EOS 70D & Nikon D3100. The full galleries are available at Canon 70D Gallery & Nikon D3100 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Canon 70D over the Nikon D3100
70D | D3100 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | October 2013 | ![]() | December 2010 | More modern by 35 months |
Screen type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen |
Screen resolution | 1040k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+810k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies | ||
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Nikon D3100 over the Canon 70D
D3100 | 70D |
---|
Common features in the Canon 70D and Nikon D3100
70D | D3100 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial accurate focus | ||
Screen dimensions | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equal screen measurements |
Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 Physical Comparison
If you are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Canon 70D enjoys external measurements of 139mm x 104mm x 79mm (5.5" x 4.1" x 3.1") having a weight of 755 grams (1.66 lbs) while the Nikon D3100 has dimensions of 124mm x 96mm x 75mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 3.0") and a weight of 505 grams (1.11 lbs).
See the Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing during that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the 70D versus the D3100.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 70D and D3100 is 59 and 68 respectively.

Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it is very tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes purely by going over specifications. The pic here may give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the 70D and D3100.
To sum up, both of these cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Canon 70D to deliver more detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures more aggressively. The fresher 70D will have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 Specifications
Canon EOS 70D | Nikon D3100 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Canon | Nikon |
Model type | Canon EOS 70D | Nikon D3100 |
Category | Advanced DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Released | 2013-10-31 | 2010-12-21 |
Body design | Mid-size SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | Digic 5+ | Expeed 2 |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | APS-C | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 22.5 x 15mm | 23.1 x 15.4mm |
Sensor surface area | 337.5mm² | 355.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 20MP | 14MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 |
Full resolution | 5472 x 3648 | 4608 x 3072 |
Max native ISO | 12800 | 3200 |
Max boosted ISO | 25600 | 12800 |
Lowest native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW data | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Total focus points | 19 | 11 |
Cross type focus points | 19 | 1 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Canon EF/EF-S | Nikon F |
Amount of lenses | 326 | 309 |
Crop factor | 1.6 | 1.6 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 3" | 3" |
Screen resolution | 1,040k dot | 230k dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Screen technology | Clear View II TFT color LCD | TFT LCD monitor |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | 98 percent | 95 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.6x | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 30 secs | 30 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting speed | 7.0 frames/s | 3.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye | Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Maximum flash sync | 1/250 secs | 1/200 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (29.97, 25, 23.976 fps), 1280 x 720 (59.94, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (59.94, 50 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30, 25, 24 fps), 640 x 424 (24 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | H.264 | MPEG-4 |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | Optional | Optional |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 755g (1.66 pounds) | 505g (1.11 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 139 x 104 x 79mm (5.5" x 4.1" x 3.1") | 124 x 96 x 75mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 3.0") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 68 | 67 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 22.5 | 22.5 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 11.6 | 11.3 |
DXO Low light rating | 926 | 919 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 920 pictures | 550 pictures |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | LP-E6 | EN-EL14 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec, remote) | Yes |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
Storage slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at launch | $758 | $565 |