Canon EOS 70D vs Nikon 1 J5

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 70D and the Nikon 1 J5, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 70D was introduced in October 2013 and Nikon 1 J5 was introduced in April 2015. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 70D over Nikon 1 J5.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon 1 J5 over Canon EOS 70D.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 70D and Nikon 1 J5 have 3.0" screens with 1,040k dot and 1,037k dot resolutions respectively. Canon EOS 70D has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Nikon 1 J5 has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Both models feature touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder on Canon EOS 70D

Canon EOS 70D has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 98% coverage and 0.95x (0.59x 35mm equivalent) magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Nikon 1 J5.

Canon EOS 70D features a 20.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 22.5 x 15 mm and a total area of 337.5 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. Nikon 1 J5 features a 20.8 megapixel 1-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 77.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 160 - 12,800.

Nikon 1 J5 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS 70D is equipped with DIGIC 5+ processor and can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3468x2432, 2736x1824, 1920x1280, 720x480, 4864x3648, 3248x2432, 2432x1824, 1696x1280, 640x480,5472x3072, 3468x2048, 2736x1536, 1920x1080, 720x408, 3648x3648, 2432x2432, 1824x1824, 1280x1280, 480x480 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Nikon 1 J5 is equipped with EXPEED 5A processor and can take pictures up to 5568 x 3712 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4176 x 2784, 2784 x 1856 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 70D has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and Nikon 1 J5 has Nikon 1 lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Canon EOS 70D its crop factor is equal to 1.6x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.6. Due to 1-inch sensor in Nikon 1 J5 its crop factor is equal to 2.7x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.7.

No Low-Pass Filter on Nikon 1 J5

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon 1 J5. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS 70D it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon 1 J5 nothing can be done. On Nikon 1 J5 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 70D nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g 2.4 GHz on Nikon 1 J5) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC on Nikon 1 J5

Nikon 1 J5 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS 70D has a Mini HDMI and Nikon 1 J5 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 70D comes with LP-E6 battery pack with battery life of 920 shots and Nikon 1 J5 comes with EN-EL24 battery pack with battery life of 250 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 70D has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Nikon 1 J5 has a single MicroSD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Nikon 1 J5 has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 70D, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Nikon 1 J5. Canon EOS 70D can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps. Nikon 1 J5 can shoot continuously up to 20.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 70D has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 19 (19 cross-type) focusing points and Nikon 1 J5 has Hybrid autofocus (phase detection/contrast-detect AF)
AF-assist illuminator system with 171 focusing points. Canon EOS 70D has detection range from -0.5 to +18 EV.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m on Canon EOS 70D and 5.00 m at ISO 100 on Nikon 1 J5. Canon EOS 70D also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Canon EOS 70D.

Canon EOS 70D body has dimensions of 139 x 104 x 79 mm (5.47 x 4.11 x 3.09") and Nikon 1 J5 body has dimensions of 98 x 60 x 32 mm (3.86 x 2.36 x 1.26"). Canon EOS 70D weighs 755 g (1.66 lb / 26.63 oz) and Nikon 1 J5 weighs 231 g (0.51 lb / 8.15 oz).

Canon EOS 70D

Nikon 1 J5

139 mm

104 mm

98 mm

60 mm

104 mm

60 mm

79 mm

32 mm