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Canon SL2 vs Nikon D5100

Portability
71
Imaging
68
Features
85
Overall
74
Canon EOS Rebel SL2 front
 
Nikon D5100 front
Portability
66
Imaging
57
Features
81
Overall
66

Canon SL2 vs Nikon D5100 Key Specs

Canon SL2
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Bump to 51200)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 453g - 122 x 93 x 70mm
  • Revealed June 2017
  • Alternate Name is EOS 200D / Kiss X9
  • Previous Model is Canon 100D
  • Later Model is Canon SL3
Nikon D5100
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Expand to 25600)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 560g - 128 x 97 x 79mm
  • Announced April 2011
  • Replaced the Nikon D5000
  • Renewed by Nikon D5200
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Canon SL2 vs Nikon D5100 Overview

Its time to look a little more closely at the Canon SL2 versus Nikon D5100, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by manufacturers Canon and Nikon. There is a substantial difference between the sensor resolutions of the SL2 (24MP) and D5100 (16MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor size (APS-C).

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The SL2 was manufactured 6 years later than the D5100 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief summary of how the SL2 matches up vs the D5100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon SL2 over the Nikon D5100

 SL2 D5100 
AnnouncedJune 2017April 2011Fresher by 76 months
Display resolution1040k921kCrisper display (+119k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Nikon D5100 over the Canon SL2

 D5100 SL2 

Common features in the Canon SL2 and Nikon D5100

 SL2 D5100 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFully ArticulatedFully Articulated display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Selfie screen Both are selfie friendly

Canon SL2 vs Nikon D5100 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Canon SL2 provides physical measurements of 122mm x 93mm x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs) while the Nikon D5100 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 79mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.1") and a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Canon SL2 versus Nikon D5100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that moment. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the SL2 compared to the D5100.

Canon SL2 vs Nikon D5100 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the SL2 and D5100 is 71 and 66 respectively.

Canon SL2 vs Nikon D5100 top view buttons comparison

Canon SL2 vs Nikon D5100 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very difficult to picture the gap between sensor sizing only by reviewing specs. The graphic below will provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the SL2 and D5100.

All in all, each of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different resolution. You can expect to see the Canon SL2 to deliver more detail due to its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The newer SL2 provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Canon SL2 vs Nikon D5100 sensor size comparison

Canon SL2 vs Nikon D5100 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SL2 vs Nikon D5100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon SL2
Portrait photography with Nikon D5100
80
focusing manually
good megapixels (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
74
you can focus manually
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon SL2 Street photography highlights
Nikon D5100 Street photography highlights
74
fully articulated screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
supports touch to focus
great ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
67
fully articulated screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon SL2 Sports photography information
Nikon D5100 Sports photography information
69
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking focus
good battery (650 shots)
supports phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (5.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
64
MP count decent (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
better than average battery power (660 per charge)
has phase detect auto focus
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Canon SL2 as a Travel photography camera
Nikon D5100 as a Travel photography camera
82
good battery (650 per charge)
connects via bluetooth
supports touch to focus
good megapixels (24MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly screen
77
better than average battery power (660 per charge)
MP count decent (16MP)
built-in flash
display is selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SL2 Landscape photography advice
Nikon D5100 Landscape photography advice
78
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
good megapixels (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
good battery (650 shots)
lack of image stabilization
73
you can focus manually
change lenses (Nikon F mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
better than average battery power (660 per charge)
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon SL2
Vlogging with Nikon D5100
75
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
provides face detect focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with mic support
lack of image stabilization
69
display is selfie friendly
has face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone socket
no image stabilization
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Canon SL2 vs Nikon D5100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SL2 and Nikon D5100
 Canon EOS Rebel SL2Nikon D5100
General Information
Manufacturer Canon Nikon
Model Canon EOS Rebel SL2 Nikon D5100
Alternate name EOS 200D / Kiss X9 -
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2017-06-29 2011-04-26
Physical type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip DIGIC 7 Expeed 2
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 22.3 x 14.9mm 23.6 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 332.3mm² 370.5mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 6000 x 4000 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Highest boosted ISO 51200 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 11
Cross focus points 1 1
Lens
Lens mount Canon EF/EF-S Nikon F
Amount of lenses 326 309
Crop factor 1.6 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,040k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.54x 0.52x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 9.80 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes - Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/200 secs 1/200 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 60 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30, 25, 24 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 453 gr (1.00 lb) 560 gr (1.23 lb)
Physical dimensions 122 x 93 x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") 128 x 97 x 79mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 79 80
DXO Color Depth score 23.6 23.5
DXO Dynamic range score 13.4 13.6
DXO Low light score 1041 1183
Other
Battery life 650 photos 660 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LP-E17 EN-EL14
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $699 $0