Canon T3i vs Nikon D5500

Nikon D5500 advantages over Canon T3i

• Larger sensor
  APS-C vs APS-C
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Touchscreen
  Touch vs No touch
  Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
• Fast startup
  ~0.40 vs 1.5 sec
  Faster startup lets you catch the moment
• Built-in Wi-Fi
  Wi-Fi vs None
  Share your photos wirelessly
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  D5500 test data on DxO Mark T3i test data on DxO Mark
  1,438 vs 793 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  D5500 test data on DxO Mark T3i test data on DxO Mark
  14.0 vs 11.5 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  820 vs 440 shots
  Capture more photos
• More cross-type AF points
  9 vs 1
  Cross-type AF points improve autofocus performance
• Newer
  10 years vs 14 years old
  Newer cameras often support more advanced features
• Lighter weight
  668g vs 1031g
  Lighter weight
• Less shutter lag
  0.20 vs 0.28 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More pixels
  24.2 vs 18.0 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• More AF points
  39 vs 9
  More AF points improve autofocus
• Lacks anti-aliasing filter
  No Filter vs Filter
  Enjoy sharper photos
• Faster JPEG shooting
  4.9 fps vs 3.6 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  100 vs 9 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Bigger RAW buffer
  7 vs 5 shots
  Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
• Higher extended ISO
  25600 vs 12800 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility