Nikon D3100 vs Sony A6500

Sony A6500 advantages over Nikon D3100

• Focus peaking
  Peaker vs Non-peaker
  Your camera will highlight what's in focus
• In-Camera Image Stabilization
  Yes vs No
  Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
• Shoot 4K video
  4K (UHD) vs 1080p
  Make sure you have a fast computer
• Touchscreen
  Touch vs No touch
  Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
• In-camera panoramas
  Yes vs No
  Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
• Tiltable Screen
  Tiltable vs Fixed
  Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
• Built-in Wi-Fi
  Wi-Fi vs None
  Share your photos wirelessly
• NFC
  Yes vs No
  Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
• Built-in Bluetooth
  Yes vs No
  Always-on wireless connectivity
• 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.

  A6500 test data on DxO Mark D3100 test data on DxO Mark
  1,405 vs 919 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.

  A6500 test data on DxO Mark D3100 test data on DxO Mark
  13.7 vs 11.2 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• On-sensor phase detect
  Yes vs No
  Usually improves live view and video AF performance
• Thinner
  53 mm vs 74 mm
  Thinner
• External Mic Jack
  Jack vs No jack
  Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
• Newer
  8 years vs 14 years old
  Newer cameras often support more advanced features
• More dots on screen
  922k vs 230k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Less shutter lag
  0.18 vs 0.28 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More viewfinder magnification
  0.70x vs 0.53x
  Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
• More pixels
  24.2 vs 14.2 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Shoots 60p video
  Yes vs No
  A faster framerate can give you more editing options
• Faster JPEG shooting
  11.1 fps vs 2.9 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  231 vs 100 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Slow-motion videos
  Yes vs No
  Shoot slow-motion videos
• Higher extended ISO
  51200 vs 12800 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility