Canon EOS Rebel SL1 vs Nikon D500

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and the Nikon D500, 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 D500 was introduced in January 2016. 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 D500.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D500 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 has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 1,040k dot resolution and Nikon D500 has a 3.2" Tilting screen with 2,359k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Nikon D500 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.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinderNikon D500 has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has 95% coverage with 0.87x (0.55x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Nikon D500 has 100% coverage with 1x (0.67x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

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 D500 features a 20.9 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.7 mm and a total area of 246.5 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200 and expands to 50 - 1,640,000 in boosted mode.

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 D500 is equipped with EXPEED 5 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 Rebel SL1 has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and Nikon D500 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 Rebel SL1 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 D500 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 on Nikon D500

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon D500. 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 Rebel SL1 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D500 nothing can be done. On Nikon D500 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS Rebel SL1 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon D500

Nikon D500 has a built-in Wi-Fi 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 on Nikon D500

Nikon D500 has a built-in Bluetooth (version 4.1 LE) 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.

NFC on Nikon D500

Nikon D500 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 inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has a Mini HDMI and Nikon D500 has a Mini 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 D500 comes with EN-EL15 battery pack with battery life of 1240 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Nikon D500 has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) and one for CFexpress Type B / XQD.

Shutter

Nikon D500 has Mechanical Focal Plane shutter and Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Canon EOS Rebel SL1, and up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon D500. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 can shoot continuously up to 4.0 fps. Nikon D500 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 D500 has 153 (99 cross-type) focusing points. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has detection range from -0.5 to +18 EV and Nikon D500 has detection range from -4 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D500 ranges from -4 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D500.

Flash

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 9.40 m and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Nikon D500 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and 1/250 sec on Nikon D500.

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 body has dimensions of 117 x 91 x 69 mm (4.61 x 3.58 x 2.72") and Nikon D500 body has dimensions of 147 x 115 x 81 mm (5.79 x 4.53 x 3.19"). Canon EOS Rebel SL1 weighs 407 g (0.90 lb / 14.36 oz) and Nikon D500 weighs 860 g (1.90 lb / 30.34 oz).

Canon EOS Rebel SL1

Nikon D500

117 mm

91 mm

147 mm

115 mm

91 mm

115 mm

69 mm

81 mm