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Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100

Portability
68
Imaging
65
Features
81
Overall
71
Nikon D5300 front
 
Sony Alpha a5100 front
Portability
89
Imaging
65
Features
74
Overall
68

Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100 Key Specs

Nikon D5300
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 480g - 125 x 98 x 76mm
  • Announced February 2014
  • Older Model is Nikon D5200
  • Successor is Nikon D5500
Sony a5100
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 283g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
  • Introduced August 2014
  • Replaced the Sony a5000
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Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100 Overview

Following is a complete assessment of the Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Nikon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the D5300 (24MP) and the a5100 (24MP) is relatively close and they feature the exact same sensor sizing (APS-C).

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The D5300 was manufactured 6 months earlier than the a5100 and they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Nikon D5300 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief summation of how the D5300 scores versus the a5100 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D5300 over the Sony a5100

 D5300 a5100 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k922kCrisper screen (+115k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Sony a5100 over the Nikon D5300

 a5100 D5300 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Nikon D5300 and Sony a5100

 D5300 a5100 
IntroducedFebruary 2014August 2014Same generation
Focus manually More precise focusing

Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and volume. The Nikon D5300 features outside measurements of 125mm x 98mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 480 grams (1.06 lbs) and the Sony a5100 has sizing of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") having a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).

Look at the Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the D5300 compared to the a5100.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the D5300 and a5100 is 68 and 89 respectively.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes simply by viewing specs. The pic here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the D5300 and a5100.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements and the same exact MP and you should expect comparable quality of files however you should really take the production date of the cameras into account.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100 sensor size comparison

Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D5300 Portrait photography info
Sony a5100 Portrait photography info
79
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
supports RAW files
72
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Nikon D5300 Street photography details
Sony a5100 Street photography details
69
screen can move to multiple angles
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
82
has a tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
supports touch focus
great high ISO (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Nikon D5300 as a Sports photography camera
Sony a5100 as a Sports photography camera
65
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
has phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
no image stabilization
68
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking focus
great battery power (400 shots)
supports phase detect AF
continuous shooting slow (6.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Nikon D5300
Travel photography with Sony a5100
80
sensor resolution is decent (24MP)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
80
great battery power (400 shots)
supports touch focus
decent sensor resolution (24MP)
built-in flash
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Nikon D5300
Landscape photography with Sony a5100
76
manual focus
change lenses (Nikon F mount)
nice screen size (3.2 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
no anti-alias filter
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
79
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
decent sensor resolution (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (400 CIPA)
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D5300 Vlogging highlights
Sony a5100 Vlogging highlights
72
display is selfie friendly
includes face detection focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone socket
no image stabilization
34
has touchscreen
provides face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
no mic support
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Nikon D5300 vs Sony a5100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D5300 and Sony a5100
 Nikon D5300Sony Alpha a5100
General Information
Brand Name Nikon Sony
Model type Nikon D5300 Sony Alpha a5100
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2014-02-12 2014-08-17
Physical type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Expeed 4 Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 6000 x 4000 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 12800 25600
Max boosted ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 39 179
Cross type focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens support Nikon F Sony E
Available lenses 309 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3.2 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,037 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology TFT LCD monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per sec 6.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain Flash off, auto, fill-flaw, slow sync, redeye reduction
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/200s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p, 25p), 1280 x 720 (120p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 480g (1.06 pounds) 283g (0.62 pounds)
Dimensions 125 x 98 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 83 80
DXO Color Depth rating 24.0 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.9 12.7
DXO Low light rating 1338 1347
Other
Battery life 600 photographs 400 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL14,EN-EL14a NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous (3-5 shot))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Launch cost $429 $448