Canon EOS Rebel SL1 vs Nikon 1 J2

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and the Nikon 1 J2, 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 Rebel SL1 was introduced in July 2013 and Nikon 1 J2 was introduced in August 2012. 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 Rebel SL1 over Nikon 1 J2.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon 1 J2 over Canon EOS Rebel SL1.

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 Rebel SL1 and Nikon 1 J2 have 3.0" Fixed screens with 1,040k dot and 921k dot resolutions respectively. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 also features 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 (pentamirror) Viewfinder on Canon EOS Rebel SL1

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. It has a 95% coverage and 0.87x (0.55x 35mm equivalent) magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Nikon 1 J2.

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 features a 18.0 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 1 J2 features a 10.1 megapixel 1-inch CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 77.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400.

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 Rebel SL1 is equipped with DIGIC 5 processor and can take pictures up to 5184 x 3456 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 5184 x 2912, 4608 x 3456,3456 x 3456, 3456 x 2304, 3456 x 1944, 3072 x 2304, 2592 x 1728, 2592 x 1456, 2304 x 1728, 2304 x 2304, 1920 x 1280, 1920 x 1080, 1728 x 1728, 1696 x 1280, 1280 x 1280, 720 x 480, 720 x 400, 640 x 480, 480 x 480 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Nikon 1 J2 is equipped with EXPEED 3 processor and can take pictures up to 3872 x 2592 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3840 x 2160, 2896 x 1944, 1936 x 1296 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and Nikon 1 J2 has Nikon 1 lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Canon EOS Rebel SL1 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 J2 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 Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS Rebel SL1 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon 1 J2 nothing can be done. On Nikon 1 J2 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS Rebel SL1 nothing can be done.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has a Mini HDMI and Nikon 1 J2 has a Type C HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 comes with LP-E12 battery pack with battery life of 380 shots and Nikon 1 J2 comes with EN-EL20 battery pack with battery life of 230 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Nikon 1 J2 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Nikon 1 J2 has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Canon EOS Rebel SL1, and up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Nikon 1 J2. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 can shoot continuously up to 4.0 fps. Nikon 1 J2 can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 9 (1 cross-type) focusing points and Nikon 1 J2 has Hybrid autofocus (phase detection/contrast-detect AF)
AF-assist illuminator system with 135 focusing points. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has detection range from -0.5 to +18 EV.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 9.40 m on Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and 5.00 m on Nikon 1 J2. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and 1/60 sec on Nikon 1 J2.

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 body has dimensions of 117 x 91 x 69 mm (4.61 x 3.58 x 2.72") and Nikon 1 J2 body has dimensions of 106 x 61 x 30 mm (4.17 x 2.4 x 1.18"). Canon EOS Rebel SL1 weighs 407 g (0.90 lb / 14.36 oz) and Nikon 1 J2 weighs 238 g (0.52 lb / 8.40 oz).

Canon EOS Rebel SL1

Nikon 1 J2

117 mm

91 mm

106 mm

61 mm

91 mm

61 mm