Nikon D6 vs Sony Alpha 5100

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon D6 and the Sony Alpha 5100, 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 D6 was introduced in February 2020 and Sony Alpha 5100 was introduced in August 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 Nikon D6 over Sony Alpha 5100.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 5100 over Nikon D6.

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 D6 has a 3.2" Fixed screen with 2,359k dot resolution and Sony Alpha 5100 has a 3.0" Tilting screen with 922k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Sony Alpha 5100 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.

Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder on Nikon D6

Nikon D6 has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.72x magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Sony Alpha 5100.

Nikon D6 features a 20.8 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 858 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 102,400 and expands to 50 - 3,280,000 in boosted mode. Sony Alpha 5100 features a 24.3 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.

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 D6 is equipped with EXPEED 6 processor and can take pictures up to 5568 x 3712 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3648 x 2432 (DX format) with 1:1, 5:4, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Sony Alpha 5100 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 6000 x 3376, 4240 x 2832, 4240 x 2400, 3008 x 2000, 3008 x 1688 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Nikon D6 has Nikon F lens mount and Sony Alpha 5100 has Sony E lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Nikon D6 its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length. Due to APS-C sensor in Sony Alpha 5100 its crop factor 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 D6 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sony Alpha 5100 nothing can be done. On Sony Alpha 5100 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D6 nothing can be done.

Built-in GPS on Nikon D6

Nikon D6 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

Cameras have built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac/b/g/n 2.4/5 GHz on Nikon D6, 802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz on Sony Alpha 5100) 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 D6

Nikon D6 has a built-in Bluetooth 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 Sony Alpha 5100

Sony Alpha 5100 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. Nikon D6 has a Mini HDMI and Sony Alpha 5100 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D6 comes with EN-EL18c battery pack with battery life of 3580 shots and Sony Alpha 5100 comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 400 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon D6 has Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD card slots. Sony Alpha 5100 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo Hybrid (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Nikon D6 has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Sony Alpha 5100 has Electronically controlled Vertical-traverse Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon D6, and up to 1/4000 sec on Sony Alpha 5100. Nikon D6 can shoot continuously up to 14.0 fps. Sony Alpha 5100 can shoot continuously up to 6.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon D6 has 105 (105 cross-type) focusing points and Sony Alpha 5100 has Fast Hybrid AF (Phase-detection / Contrast-detection) system with 179 focusing points. Nikon D6 has detection range from -4.5 to +20 EV and Sony Alpha 5100 has detection range from -1 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D6 and Sony Alpha 5100 range from -3 to +20 EV and -1 to +20 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Nikon D6 and ±3 EV range on Sony Alpha 5100. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D6 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony Alpha 5100.

Flash

Sony Alpha 5100 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 4.00 m at ISO 100. Nikon D6 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Nikon D6 and 1/160 sec on Sony Alpha 5100.

Nikon D6 body has dimensions of 160 x 163 x 92 mm (6.3 x 6.42 x 3.62") and Sony Alpha 5100 body has dimensions of 110 x 63 x 36 mm (4.33 x 2.48 x 1.42"). Nikon D6 weighs 1450 g (3.20 lb / 51.15 oz) and Sony Alpha 5100 weighs 283 g (0.62 lb / 9.98 oz).

Nikon D6

Sony Alpha 5100

160 mm

163 mm

110 mm

63 mm

163 mm

63 mm

92 mm

36 mm