Canon EOS R100 vs Nikon D3500

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS R100 and the Nikon D3500, 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 R100 was introduced in May 2023 and Nikon D3500 was introduced in August 2018. 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 R100 over Nikon D3500.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D3500 over Canon EOS R100.

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 R100 and Nikon D3500 have 3.0" Fixed screens with 1,040k dot and 921k dot resolutions respectively.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS R100 has a built-in 0.39" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 2,360k dot resolution and Nikon D3500 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. Canon EOS R100 has 100% coverage with 0.95x (0.59x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Nikon D3500 has 95% coverage with 0.85x (0.57x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Canon EOS R100 features a 24.1 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 22.3 x 14.9 mm and a total area of 332.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. Nikon D3500 features a 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 243.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600.

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 R100 is equipped with DIGIC 8 processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. Nikon D3500 is equipped with EXPEED 4 processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4496 x 3000, 2992 x 2000 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS R100 has Canon RF lens mount and Nikon D3500 has Nikon F lens mount. They both have APS-C sensor but because of a small size difference their crop factors (also called lens multiplier) differ from each other. Canon EOS R100 has the crop factor of 1.6x which means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.6. Nikon D3500 has the crop factor of 1.5x which means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

No Low-Pass Filter

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on either of the cameras. 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 R100 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D3500 nothing can be done. On Nikon D3500 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS R100 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Canon EOS R100

Canon EOS R100 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz) 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.

Bluetooth

Canon EOS R100 and Nikon D3500 have built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS R100 has a Micro HDMI and Nikon D3500 has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS R100 comes with LP-E17 battery pack with battery life of 370 shots and Nikon D3500 comes with EN-EL14a battery pack with battery life of 1550 shots.

External Storage Slots

Cameras have a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS R100 has Electronic 1st curtain shutter and Electronic shutter. Nikon D3500 has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Canon EOS R100, and up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon D3500. Canon EOS R100 can shoot continuously up to 6.5 fps. Nikon D3500 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS R100 has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 143 focusing points and Nikon D3500 has 11 focusing points. Canon EOS R100 has detection range from -4 to +20 EV and Nikon D3500 has detection range from -1 to +19 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS R100 and Nikon D3500 range from -2 to +20 EV and 0 to +20 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Canon EOS R100 and ±5 EV range on Nikon D3500. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS R100 and exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D3500.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 6m at ISO 100 on Canon EOS R100 and 7.00 m at ISO 100 on Nikon D3500. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Canon EOS R100 and 1/200 sec on Nikon D3500.

Canon EOS R100 body has dimensions of 116 x 86 x 69 mm (4.57 x 3.39 x 2.72") and Nikon D3500 body has dimensions of 124 x 97 x 70 mm (4.88 x 3.82 x 2.76"). Canon EOS R100 weighs 356 g (0.78 lb / 12.56 oz) and Nikon D3500 weighs 365 g (0.80 lb / 12.87 oz).

Canon EOS R100

Nikon D3500

116 mm

86 mm

124 mm

97 mm

86 mm

97 mm

69 mm

70 mm