Canon EOS Rebel SL1 vs Nikon D5300

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and the Nikon D5300, 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 D5300 was introduced in February 2014. 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 D5300.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D5300 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 D5300 has a 3.2" Fully Articulated screen with 1,037k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Nikon D5300 selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. 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.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinders. They both have 95% coverage.

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 D5300 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 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 25,600 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 D5300 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 Rebel SL1 has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and Nikon D5300 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 D5300 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 D5300

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon D5300. 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 D5300 nothing can be done. On Nikon D5300 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 GPS on Nikon D5300

Nikon D5300 has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon D5300

Nikon D5300 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.

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 D5300 has a Mini 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 D5300 comes with EN-EL14,EN-EL14a battery pack with battery life of 600 shots.

External Storage Slots

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

Shutter

Nikon D5300 has Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Canon EOS Rebel SL1, and up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon D5300. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 can shoot continuously up to 4.0 fps. Nikon D5300 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 9 (1 cross-type) focusing points and Nikon D5300 has 39 (9 cross-type) focusing points. Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has detection range from -0.5 to +18 EV and Nikon D5300 has detection range from -1 to +19 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D5300 ranges from 0 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 D5300.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 9.40 m on Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and 12.00 m at ISO 100 on Nikon D5300. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on both cameras.

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 body has dimensions of 117 x 91 x 69 mm (4.61 x 3.58 x 2.72") and Nikon D5300 body has dimensions of 125 x 98 x 76 mm (4.92 x 3.86 x 2.99"). Canon EOS Rebel SL1 weighs 407 g (0.90 lb / 14.36 oz) and Nikon D5300 weighs 480 g (1.06 lb / 16.93 oz).

Canon EOS Rebel SL1

Nikon D5300

117 mm

91 mm

125 mm

98 mm

91 mm

98 mm

69 mm

76 mm