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Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100

Portability
59
Imaging
62
Features
84
Overall
70
Canon EOS 70D front
 
Nikon D3100 front
Portability
68
Imaging
53
Features
59
Overall
55

Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 Key Specs

Canon 70D
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 755g - 139 x 104 x 79mm
  • Released October 2013
  • Earlier Model is Canon 60D
  • Replacement is Canon 80D
Nikon D3100
(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
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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).

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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.

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Reasons to pick Canon 70D over the Nikon D3100

 70D D3100 
ReleasedOctober 2013December 2010More modern by 35 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k230kCrisper 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 dimensions3"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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 size comparison

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

Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 70D Portrait photography details
Nikon D3100 Portrait photography details
77
focusing manually
good resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
exports RAW formats
71
you can focus manually
decent MP (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon 70D Street photography information
Nikon D3100 Street photography information
68
screen articulates
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
comes with focus by touch
weather proofing
does not have image stabilization
58
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon 70D as a Sports photography camera
Nikon D3100 as a Sports photography camera
73
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
good resolution (20MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
weather proofing
comes with phase detect auto focus
does not have image stabilization
59
decent MP (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
comes with phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Canon 70D as a Travel photography camera
Nikon D3100 as a Travel photography camera
69
weather proofing
comes with focus by touch
good resolution (20MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly display
missing Time Lapse mode
57
decent MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon 70D
Landscape photography with Nikon D3100
69
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
does not have image stabilization
missing Time Lapse mode
65
you can focus manually
change lenses (Nikon F mount)
screen size is decent (3")
decent MP (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 70D Vlogging factors
Nikon D3100 Vlogging factors
69
selfie friendly display
touchscreen functionality
includes face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have external mic support
does not have image stabilization
26
offers face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
lack of external mic port
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Canon 70D vs Nikon D3100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 70D and Nikon D3100
 Canon EOS 70DNikon 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