# Nikon D5100 vs Canon EOS 550D Which is Better????



## syaoran7li (Jun 26, 2012)

Hey Everyone,

nice to meet u all... I am About to buy a new DSLR camera and i have chosen Nikon D5100 and Canon EOS 550D. In these two which is better??.. I have checked the spec sheets and they r almost the same with some slight difference and the price range is almost same too...

but now i want to know which is a better DSLR.. I will be using it mainly to take photos than video. and i have tried out both cameras and liked them both... so im not sure which to buy.. and one more thing i want the photos to be taken as almost as a professional photo quality...

Hope u guys can give me suggestions...

Thanks.... ^_^


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## TCampbell (Jun 26, 2012)

Uh oh... another "which is better" question.  The answer is... neither is "better".  You won't go wrong either way.  The results you get depend on (1) YOU and your skill, (2) the lighting, (3) the lens, and lastly... (4) the camera.  

A poor camera might hold you back, but a great camera isn't going to guarantee that you'll get good results... it'll just enable you provided that you do well on the other areas.

When you buy a DSLR, you're buying into a "system" of gear... you can keep expanding the capabilities by buying accessories... flashes, remote shutter releases, lenses, filters, etc.  Both Nikon and Canon have an excellent array of gear from which to choose and enjoy extremely good support from 3rd party companies making gear to work with these cameras.

I shoot with a Canon, but frankly both brands are excellent.  An "entry level" DSLR is still far beyond anything a point & shoot camera could hope to offer.

Just do yourself a favor... to maximize enjoyment.  They will both let you shoot on full "automatic" just like a point & shoot.  But the camera isn't nearly as artistic as you are.  So shooting on full auto will just yield a result where the camera looks for a photo that is focused and some average correct exposure.  The thing is... these camera allow you to take control in ways that a point & shoot will not.  You realize you can use the camera to create a shot where your subject of interest is tack sharp and yet the background is beautifully blurred... or a shot where you freeze action... or a shot where you track the action in such a way that you "imply" motion by creating deliberate motion blur.  

To achieve these shots, take the time to learn the camera's controls.  Read the manual or buy a book that explains the camera (David Busch writes  a series of books that are basically expanded versions of the owners manually... he describes the features but goes into much more detail explaining how it works and why you'd use it.)  The Bryan Peterson "Understanding Exposure" book is possibly one of the most recommended books for anyone new to cameras that actually allow you to control the exposure and help you understand how to get the shots you want.

I'm not saying that reading two books will teach you everything you ever need to know... far from it.  But taking the time to learn the concepts will put you vastly ahead of where you'd be by shooting on full-automatic or learning by trial & error and hoping for the best.


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## AlexJ (Jun 26, 2012)

A really useful post, thanks Tim. I've started looking for my first "proper" camera and with not knowing where to start this was really useful. No closer to actually deciding on what to buy, but it's given me more to think about.


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## syaoran7li (Jun 26, 2012)

TCampbell said:


> Uh oh... another "which is better" question.  The answer is... neither is "better".  You won't go wrong either way.  The results you get depend on (1) YOU and your skill, (2) the lighting, (3) the lens, and lastly... (4) the camera.
> 
> A poor camera might hold you back, but a great camera isn't going to guarantee that you'll get good results... it'll just enable you provided that you do well on the other areas.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the Reply... and thank for this awesome reply... explaining eveything i needed to know.... thanks.... 
but in most threads i have seen and ratings given nikon d5100 is better compared to canon eos 550d... why is tat????

Edit: i willl probably buy those books too.. thanks for letting me know...


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## gryffinwings (Jun 26, 2012)

syaoran7li said:


> TCampbell said:
> 
> 
> > Uh oh... another "which is better" question.  The answer is... neither is "better".  You won't go wrong either way.  The results you get depend on (1) YOU and your skill, (2) the lighting, (3) the lens, and lastly... (4) the camera.  A poor camera might hold you back, but a great camera isn't going to guarantee that you'll get good results... it'll just enable you provided that you do well on the other areas.When you buy a DSLR, you're buying into a "system" of gear... you can keep expanding the capabilities by buying accessories... flashes, remote shutter releases, lenses, filters, etc.  Both Nikon and Canon have an excellent array of gear from which to choose and enjoy extremely good support from 3rd party companies making gear to work with these cameras.I shoot with a Canon, but frankly both brands are excellent.  An "entry level" DSLR is still far beyond anything a point & shoot camera could hope to offer.Just do yourself a favor... to maximize enjoyment.  They will both let you shoot on full "automatic" just like a point & shoot.  But the camera isn't nearly as artistic as you are.  So shooting on full auto will just yield a result where the camera looks for a photo that is focused and some average correct exposure.  The thing is... these camera allow you to take control in ways that a point & shoot will not.  You realize you can use the camera to create a shot where your subject of interest is tack sharp and yet the background is beautifully blurred... or a shot where you freeze action... or a shot where you track the action in such a way that you "imply" motion by creating deliberate motion blur.  To achieve these shots, take the time to learn the camera's controls.  Read the manual or buy a book that explains the camera (David Busch writes  a series of books that are basically expanded versions of the owners manually... he describes the features but goes into much more detail explaining how it works and why you'd use it.)  The Bryan Peterson "Understanding Exposure" book is possibly one of the most recommended books for anyone new to cameras that actually allow you to control the exposure and help you understand how to get the shots you want.I'm not saying that reading two books will teach you everything you ever need to know... far from it.  But taking the time to learn the concepts will put you vastly ahead of where you'd be by shooting on full-automatic or learning by trial & error and hoping for the best.
> ...


If I remember correctly, the competitor to the Nikon D5100 was the Canon 600D/T3i, not the 550D/T2i.Anyways, the Nikon D5100 is a nice camera, it doesn't have the in camera focus motor, which makes me tempted to buy an older camera that does so I can use them. But either way, the camera does take nice pictures, I've got 4 lens for it now, mainly because I thought the 18-55mm lens was limiting, the 18-70mm I got recently is very nice, but you might want to try and get a lens like the Nikkor 18-105mm that the D90 and D7000 have. You might want to consider getting the Nikon D90, it is slightly older, but I've seen some great pictures come out of that camera, it may be a little dated but people take great pictures with even older cameras, and this camera will allow you to get some of the older lens that need an in camera motor. If you have money to burn get the D7000, you will have more room to grow.That's my take on Nikon, I really can't give an opinion on canon.


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## greybeard (Jun 26, 2012)

Canon 550D vs Nikon D5100 - Our Analysis


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## syaoran7li (Jun 27, 2012)

gryffinwings said:


> syaoran7li said:
> 
> 
> > TCampbell said:
> ...



Thanks for suggesting some lenses which i wanted to know....


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## syaoran7li (Jun 27, 2012)

greybeard said:


> Canon 550D vs Nikon D5100 - Our Analysis



Thanks for directing me... it cleared my confusion.... now 1 final question.... can you suggest me some good lens for both nikon and canon which is around 10000 indian money...???

Thanks...

Edit:

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (3.0x) Lens, Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G (4.3x) Len, Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D Lensout of these three which is better?? or is there something better than this around this price range for nikon...???

and for canon 

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens is this lens good??? or is there something better???


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## Solarflare (Jun 27, 2012)

Well, I choose the D5100 because I wanted great low light performance. For the same reason my main lens is a prime, albeit only a 1.8 one. So for me, the D5100 is "better".


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## syaoran7li (Jun 27, 2012)

Solarflare said:


> Well, I choose the D5100 because I wanted great low light performance. For the same reason my main lens is a prime, albeit only a 1.8 one. So for me, the D5100 is "better".



Ohhhh ok ok thanks....


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## stingx (Jun 27, 2012)

One thing to consider is that the Canon can use both EF and EF-S lenses. The Nikon can only use the crop sensor lenses so something to keep in mind when looking at bodies.


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## syaoran7li (Jun 27, 2012)

stingx said:


> One thing to consider is that the Canon can use both EF and EF-S lenses. The Nikon can only use the crop sensor lenses so something to keep in mind when looking at bodies.



whats the use of those lenses???


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## Solarflare (Jun 27, 2012)

Err, where do you people get these rumors ?

The D5100 can use almost any Nikon lens. Both DX and FX.

 BUT if is not an AF-S lens, it wont have autofocus. You still get the message if you have the right focus in the viewfinder (if the lens is AF, so the camera knows what lens it is and can know when it is in focus), but you have to find it by hand.

All newer Nikon lenses are AF-S, though, so the problem only exists with the old lenses. AF-S lenses are more silent, and often also faster. Top lenses like the 24-70mm and 70-200mm VR2 are all AF-S.

Main reason for wanting an autofocus motor in the camera is really to use these old cheap primes, and special lenses like the 105/135mm DC (a lens you need a full frame camera for, since its a special portrait lens and 105/135mm makes no sense at DX for portraits, and you cant get a lens like this for Canon in the first place anyway).

Personally I am not too much bothered by this. I wont be able to use my 35mm DX on a FX lens anyway (or only in the DX compability mode), so I'll have to get a 50mm FX lens if I ever get a FX camera. And FX cameras so far, even the new D600, all have autofocus motors.



Finally I would like to add that it really depends upon what you consider important. Canon cameras reportedly are more careful at preserving details, they seem to have better controls, and they usually have advantages when it comes to video. Also, there are lenses for Canon which arent available for Nikon, and vice versa. Such as the f/1.2 primes. The only f/1.2 primes available for Nikon are manual focus only (no matter if you have a focus motor or not).


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## syaoran7li (Jun 27, 2012)

Solarflare said:


> Err, where do you people get these rumors ?
> 
> The D5100 can use almost any Nikon lens. Both DX and FX.
> 
> ...



Ohhhh ok ok.. so nikon is a good choice... Thanks for explaining it to me... ^_^


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