Nikon D5100 vs Sony Alpha 6300

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon D5100 and the Sony Alpha 6300, 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.

Nikon D5100 was introduced in April 2011 and Sony Alpha 6300 was introduced in February 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 Nikon D5100 over Sony Alpha 6300.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 6300 over Nikon D5100.

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

Nikon D5100 and Sony Alpha 6300 have 3.0" screens with 921k dot and 922k dot resolutions respectively. Nikon D5100 has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Sony Alpha 6300 has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Viewfinder

Nikon D5100 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinderSony Alpha 6300 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,359k dot resolution. Nikon D5100 has 95% coverage with 0.78x (0.52x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Sony Alpha 6300 has 100% coverage with 1.07x (0.71x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Nikon D5100 features a 16.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.6 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 368.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. Sony Alpha 6300 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 and expands to 100 - 51,200 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

Nikon D5100 is equipped with EXPEED 2 processor and can take pictures up to 4928 x 3264 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3696 x 2448, 2464 x 1632 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Sony Alpha 6300 is equipped with BIONZ X processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3:2 (4240 x 2832, 3008 x 2000), 16:9 (6000 x 3376, 4240 x 2400, 3008 x 1688) with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Nikon D5100 has Nikon F lens mount and Sony Alpha 6300 has Sony E lens mount. Due to their APS-C sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is equal to 1.5x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Nikon D5100 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sony Alpha 6300 nothing can be done. On Sony Alpha 6300 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D5100 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Sony Alpha 6300

Sony Alpha 6300 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 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.

NFC on Sony Alpha 6300

Sony Alpha 6300 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. Nikon D5100 has a Mini Type C HDMI and Sony Alpha 6300 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D5100 comes with EN-EL14 battery pack with battery life of 660 shots and Sony Alpha 6300 comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 400 shots.

External Storage Slots

Cameras have a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Nikon D5100 has Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon D5100, and up to 1/4000 sec on Sony Alpha 6300. Nikon D5100 can shoot continuously up to 4.0 fps. Sony Alpha 6300 can shoot continuously up to 11.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon D5100 has 11 (1 cross-type) focusing points and Sony Alpha 6300 has Fast Hybrid AF (Phase-detection / Contrast-detection) system with 425 focusing points. Nikon D5100 has detection range from -1 to +19 EV and Sony Alpha 6300 has detection range from -1 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D5100 and Sony Alpha 6300 range from 0 to +20 EV and -2 to +20 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D5100 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony Alpha 6300.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m at ISO 100 on Nikon D5100 and 6.00 m at ISO 100 on Sony Alpha 6300. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe to Nikon D5100 and via Hot Shoe or Wireless connection to Sony Alpha 6300. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Nikon D5100 and 1/160 sec on Sony Alpha 6300.

Nikon D5100 body has dimensions of 128 x 97 x 79 mm (5.04 x 3.82 x 3.11") and Sony Alpha 6300 body has dimensions of 120 x 67 x 49 mm (4.72 x 2.64 x 1.93"). Nikon D5100 weighs 560 g (1.23 lb / 19.75 oz) and Sony Alpha 6300 weighs 404 g (0.89 lb / 14.25 oz).

Nikon D5100

Sony Alpha 6300

128 mm

97 mm

120 mm

67 mm

97 mm

67 mm

79 mm

49 mm