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Nikon D5100 vs Sony NEX-F3

Portability
66
Imaging
56
Features
81
Overall
66
Nikon D5100 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-F3 front
Portability
86
Imaging
57
Features
60
Overall
58

Nikon D5100 vs Sony NEX-F3 Key Specs

Nikon D5100
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Raise to 25600)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 560g - 128 x 97 x 79mm
  • Revealed April 2011
  • Succeeded the Nikon D5000
  • Successor is Nikon D5200
Sony NEX-F3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 314g - 117 x 67 x 42mm
  • Launched August 2012
  • Older Model is Sony NEX-C3
  • Replacement is Sony NEX-3N
Photography Glossary

Nikon D5100 vs Sony NEX-F3 Overview

Here, we are reviewing the Nikon D5100 versus Sony NEX-F3, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Nikon and Sony. The resolution of the D5100 (16MP) and the NEX-F3 (16MP) is very comparable and both cameras provide the identical sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The D5100 was revealed 15 months prior to the NEX-F3 making them a generation apart from each other. The two cameras feature different body design with the Nikon D5100 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-F3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise summation of how the D5100 matches up versus the NEX-F3 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D5100 over the Sony NEX-F3

 D5100 NEX-F3 
Display typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating display
Display resolution921k920kSharper display (+1k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-F3 over the Nikon D5100

 NEX-F3 D5100 
LaunchedAugust 2012April 2011Fresher by 15 months

Common features in the Nikon D5100 and Sony NEX-F3

 D5100 NEX-F3 
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Touch friendly display Absent Touch friendly display

Nikon D5100 vs Sony NEX-F3 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Nikon D5100 has got exterior dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 79mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.1") and a weight of 560 grams (1.23 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-F3 has dimensions of 117mm x 67mm x 42mm (4.6" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 314 grams (0.69 lbs).

Check out the Nikon D5100 versus Sony NEX-F3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use during that time. Below is a front view measurement comparison of the D5100 compared to the NEX-F3.

Nikon D5100 vs Sony NEX-F3 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the D5100 and NEX-F3 is 66 and 86 respectively.

Nikon D5100 vs Sony NEX-F3 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D5100 vs Sony NEX-F3 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing simply by going through specs. The photograph underneath will help give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the D5100 and NEX-F3.

All in all, each of the cameras come with the identical sensor size and the exact same resolution so you can expect comparable quality of photographs although you will want to factor the age of the cameras into account. The older D5100 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Nikon D5100 vs Sony NEX-F3 sensor size comparison

Nikon D5100 vs Sony NEX-F3 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D5100 vs Sony NEX-F3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D5100 Portrait photography advice
Sony NEX-F3 Portrait photography advice
73
has manual focus
MP count decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
74
has manual focus
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon D5100
Street photography with Sony NEX-F3
67
fully articulated screen
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
no image stabilization
76
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Nikon D5100 as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-F3 as a Sports photography camera
63
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
good battery life (660 shots)
comes with phase detect auto focus
max fps low (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
53
decent MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
better than average battery pack (470 CIPA)
max fps low (6.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Nikon D5100
Travel photography with Sony NEX-F3
77
good battery life (660 CIPA)
MP count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
69
better than average battery pack (470 per charge)
decent MP (16MP)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon D5100 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony NEX-F3 as a Landscape photography camera
72
has manual focus
change lenses (Nikon F mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
good battery life (660 shots)
no image stabilization
70
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
decent MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
better than average battery pack (470 shots)
does not have image stabilization
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D5100 Vlogging highlights
Sony NEX-F3 Vlogging highlights
69
selfie friendly display
comes with face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have mic port
no image stabilization
27
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
no mic jack
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Nikon D5100 vs Sony NEX-F3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D5100 and Sony NEX-F3
 Nikon D5100Sony Alpha NEX-F3
General Information
Make Nikon Sony
Model Nikon D5100 Sony Alpha NEX-F3
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2011-04-26 2012-08-16
Body design Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Expeed 2 Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.6 x 15.7mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 370.5mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4928 x 3264 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 6400 16000
Highest enhanced ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
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 11 25
Cross focus points 1 -
Lens
Lens mount Nikon F Sony E
Total lenses 309 121
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 921k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology TFT LCD monitor TFT Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.52x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/200s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30, 25, 24 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 560 grams (1.23 lbs) 314 grams (0.69 lbs)
Physical dimensions 128 x 97 x 79mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.1") 117 x 67 x 42mm (4.6" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 80 73
DXO Color Depth score 23.5 22.7
DXO Dynamic range score 13.6 12.3
DXO Low light score 1183 1114
Other
Battery life 660 images 470 images
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model EN-EL14 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $0 $470