Nikon D5500 vs Nikon D5100

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon D5500 and the Nikon D5100, 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 D5500 was introduced in January 2015 and Nikon D5100 was introduced in April 2011. 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 D5500 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 D5500 has a 3.2" screen with 1,037k dot resolution and Nikon D5100 has a 3.0" screen with 921k dot resolution. Both have Fully Articulated screens. Fully articulated screen makes cameras selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Nikon D5500 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.

Nikon D5500 features a 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 366.6 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600. 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 243.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 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

Nikon D5500 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. 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.

Lens Mount

Cameras have Nikon F 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 Low-Pass Filter on Nikon D5500

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon D5500. 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 Nikon D5500 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D5100 nothing can be done. On Nikon D5100 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D5500 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon D5500

Nikon D5500 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.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Nikon D5500 has a Mini HDMI and Nikon D5100 has a Mini Type C HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D5500 comes with EN-EL14,EN-EL14a battery pack with battery life of 820 shots and Nikon D5100 comes with EN-EL14 battery pack with battery life of 660 shots.

External Storage Slots

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

Shutter

Nikon D5500 and Nikon D5100 have Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane. shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon D5500, and up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon D5100. Nikon D5500 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Nikon D5100 can shoot continuously up to 4.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon D5500 has 39 (9 cross-type) focusing points and Nikon D5100 has 11 (1 cross-type) focusing points. They both have detection range from -1 to +19 EV

Exposure

Both cameras' exposure metering ranges from 0 to +20 EV 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 both models.

Flash

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

Nikon D5500 body has dimensions of 124 x 97 x 70 mm (4.88 x 3.82 x 2.76") and Nikon D5100 body has dimensions of 128 x 97 x 79 mm (5.04 x 3.82 x 3.11"). Nikon D5500 weighs 420 g (0.93 lb / 14.82 oz) and Nikon D5100 weighs 560 g (1.23 lb / 19.75 oz).

Nikon D5500

Nikon D5100

124 mm

97 mm

128 mm

97 mm

97 mm

97 mm

70 mm

79 mm