Nikon D5200 vs Canon T5i(700D): Difference Explained Simply

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 VideoThese two cameras are very similar in size and shape. You may want to put your hands on both to see what feels nicest. Additional sample videos 

What the T5i has that the D5200 doesn't:

  • Touch screen - use is optional as all physical buttons are still present but it does allow access to all features of the camera in quick and efficient manner.
  • Silent Auto Focus during video when paired with the 18-55 STM or the 18-135 STM lenses.  Nikon also offers full time AF but does not have a silent lens.
  • Wireless Flash Control - ability to fire external flashes that are not attached to the camera
  • The ability to adjust your aperture during live view - Useful for learning and a depth of field preview button
  • Shooting in various aspect ratios 1:1, 4:3, 3:2. 16:9 but only when shot through live view
  • A bit more space on the back of the camera for larger hands.
  • Built in focus motor - the T5i will auto focus with all EF and EF-S lenses. D5200 lacks focus motor which limits lens selection - this is not nearly as big a deal as it was a few years ago, Nikon has released plenty of lenses that will AF with the D5200.

What the D5200 has that the T5i doesn't:

  • Faster focusing brain with 39 AF points - Focus performance was occasionally slightly faster through the viewfinder and in live view.  T5i has 9 focus points but the Nikon's general operation is slower and I have missed action shots with the D5200 that I caught with the T5i.
  • Below 1600 ISO the two cameras perform similarly, above you start to see a difference with less noise and more detail out of the Nikon D5200
  • More megapixels 24 vs 18 - not nearly as big a difference as it looks on paper.  (Illustration coming)
  • Small flashlight for low-light auto focus assist. T5i has flash that pops up and annoyingly strobes.
  • More shutter modes - a slow burst 3FPS versus normal 5FPS(same as T5i) and a Quiet Shutter that doesn't sound much quieter.
  • 1080i at 60fps. T5i only offers 1080p at 30fps. At the 60 frame rates the video is interlaced and cropped, quality is OK but not really worth using..
  • Additional Scene Modes and effects and a more robust HDR feature.
  • Wireless dongle accessory($60) makes it easy to use phone as live viewfinder/remote and download photos to phone/tablet.
  • Built in intervalometer for shooting time lapse - though it is limited and basic and possible buggy too.
  • A retouch menu with a several more options.
  • A few quirks: aperture changing, tendency to lean greenish though it can be argued that the Canon leans redish

Canon T5i vs Nikon D5200 Summary:

If you were to just count the bullets Nikon would get a fairly clear K.O but not every bullet is worth the same weight and it depends on your needs and use case.  Both cameras produce excellent images in a variety of conditions.  If I had to pick highlights for each -On the Canon T5i side I would mention that user friendly touchscreen which makes the whole camera a bit simpler to operate and the pairing with the 18-55 STM or the 18-135 STM that provides silent and smooth auto focus during video -this is a very family friendly feature and makes this an all around photo and video machine.On the Nikon D5200 side I would mention the ISO performance and general feature richness of the camera.Another Item worth mentioning - Nikon's track record of customer service is a bit less than stellar, they have had a few camera models in recent years shipped out with serious issues that they denied for way to long and their general average repair time is often several times longer than Canon.  I really haven't heard of any customer horror stories with Canon, although they too have shipped cameras with problems they seem to deal with the issue quickly enough and fairly.So which should you buy?  You are going to make the best pictures with the camera you are most comfortable using and I think for many of you this will be your first DSLR and that friendly touchscreen and user interface of the Canon is worth lots.  If you are willing to work a bit harder it is *possible" to get better photos out of the Nikon but I don't think for many of you that it is worth the quirks and in my opinion the more difficult operating system.Would you like a personal recommendation? Leave me a message on my Facebook page or a comment below letting me know about you, what you like to photograph and where you hope to be as a photographer in a year or two.

Buying

Buying the Nikon or Canon through my links supports this site and costs you nothing extra.

Coming Soon -Next Steps - Price out lens packages for general use.  What does Nikon offer for general walk around, good zooms for wildlife, portraits, street, primes, macros etc.    External Flash options - Articles/Videos are coming along with "What would be your cost of owning"  

D5200 vs T4i (650D) Real World Use

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After nearly three months of using the Canon T4i side by side with the Nikon D5200, I  thought an updated comparison and discussion of the two cameras would be helpful.   I am not going to tell you which camera to buy. They both have strengths and weaknesses and depending on the type of photography/videography you do or plan to do.

Key Points or Differences Nikon D5200 & Canon T4i (650D):

Image Quality

  • In most day to day photos (auto mode or manual) you see little difference between the two camera.  There are some shots where extra detail is visible from the D5200 but only after I stopped using the kit lens.  The Canon kit lens seems better and the fact that the T4i with 18-135 currently costs less than the D5200 with a less sharp and less convenient 18-55 lens is worth noting.
  • When the pop up flash is used the Nikon wins every time, flash exposure is significantly better with the D5200.
  • In lower light the D5200 does an excellent job, The T4i is close but not on par.  You also see a higher dynamic range from the D5200, a better ability to handle a range of light. In lower light the T4i does not do as well and you notice a loss of detail in some areas, a neon sign is a good example.   You see these differences in photos and video.

Performance & Usability

  • The T4i feels responsive with very little lag in navigating the menu, switching modes etc.  The t5i is said to be even slightly improved with no mirror flip down while switching modes on the dial.   The D5200, from time to time, exhibits just a bit of lag, mostly I notice it when waiting to review a shot taken with live view on, it takes noticeably longer which leads me to next point
  • The Nikon has greater focus point covereage but I find myself using a single point often and have not seen any noticeable differences with focus speed but I have noticed a hesitation from the Nikon when trying to get a burst of shots in, granted these are larger files but the T4i doesn't suffer from this and the other day I was using both side by side on some skateboarders and missing shots with the D5200 because of the hesitation.  Shot for shot in RAW though they do end up very close, both manage about 6 or 7 shots before the buffer fills and they start to slow down.
  • The touchscreen makes the T4i a breeze to use and I often find myself using a hybrid approach of buttons and touchscreen, this approach feels very efficient.  I have knocked the Nikon for usability and it does lack the touchscreen but the "i" button does provide quick access to commonly used settings and the programable function button (fn) gives you some customizability that the T4i lacks, though you can program the SET button on the T4.
  • The touchscreen is also lovely for reviewing images - pinch to zoom works and "flipping" through images is snappy.
  • After shooting the T4i provides quick menu (Q) with a variety of operations, anything you want to do with an image on the D5200 needs a few clicks into the menu system
  • Getting picky, there are times when I notice just a bit of distortion around the edges of the Nikon viewfinder, I don't see that with the Canon.
  • Arghh - the D5200 does not allow you to change aperture when you are in live view.  The Nikon does let you adjust shutter speed and ISO but does not update live view, for learning and teaching I love the real time feedback you get on Canon as you change shutter speed, ISO or aperture and watch the LCD simulate your exposure.  You can display an exposure indicator.
  • The D5200 is not nearly as fun to shoot video with, mostly because of the aperture lock out and lack of exposure simulation in live view. I usually shoot a 1/60 of a second and adjust my aperture and ISO as needed, with the Nikon D5200 this requires a few trips out of live view and back before I am happy.   The upside is the video quality out of the D5200 at the higher ISOs it is quite impressive.

Feature Set

  • There really aren't any features on the T4i that are fun, this isn't necessarily a bad thing but when you compare say the HDR mode on the Canon(very barebones) against the HDR mode on the Nikon which actually takes fewer shots but gives you control over processing power - it feels like a pretty simple camera there is wireless flash control which is quite nice and the D5200 lacks but the HDR and the effects menu is fairly simple.
  • Nikon D5200 offers effects and scenes and allows you to shoot video in with some of those effects applied in realtime.  The t5i will offer a similar option but this isn't something the T4i allows.
  • The Retouch menu in the D5200 is quite robust, not so much on the t4i.  I don't recommend you spend lots of time retouching in camera but the options are there if it is important to you.
  • The Magic Lantern folks are working, an Alpha version is available, and this certainly ups the feature set but I am not sure it is fair to talk about in this review, it doesn't come with the camera.

Bottom lineNikon D5200 - Power camera, excellent quality, nice feature sets that suffers from a few quirks, tad slower performance and needs a lens other than the kit to really shine.Canon T4i -  Simple and snappy with tools that help you grow as a photographer, paired with the 18-135 STM is a very friendly and easy to use photo and video machine. Support this site.  Buy the Canon T4i(or T5i) or Nikon D5200 from Amazon  

Nikon D5200 vs Canon T4i (Explained Simply)

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I have here the T4i (650D) and the D5200 -Shown below is both mounted on my super fancy side by side comparator board- Canon T4i vs Nikon D5200Now with videoThese two cameras are very similar in size and shape. You may want to put your hands on both to see what feels nicest and watch my video comparing and contrasting the physical differences and similarities D5200 and T4i. I also have a page of High ISO Sample photos and video from the Nikon and the Canon. 

What the T4i has that the D5200 doesn't:

  • Touch screen - use is optional as all physical buttons are still present but it does allow access to all features of the camera in quick and efficient manner.
  • Silent Auto Focus during video when paired with the 18-135 STM lens.  Nikon also offers full time AF but does not have a silent lens.
  • Wireless Flash Control - ability to fire external flashes that are not attached to the camera
  • The ability to adjust your aperture during live view - Useful for learning.
  • Shooting in various aspect ratios 1:1, 4:3, 3:2. 16:9 but only when shot through live view
  • A bit more space on the back of the camera for larger hands.
  • Built in focus motor - the T4i will auto focus with all EF and EF-S lenses. D5200 lacks focus motor which limits lens selection - this is not nearly as big a deal as it was a few years ago, Nikon has released plenty of lenses that will AF with the D5200.
  • Custom Menu to save your most used settings.

What the D5200 has that the T4i doesn't:

  • Faster focusing brain with 39 AF points - Focus performance was occasionally slightly faster through the viewfinder and in live view.  T4i has 9 focus points.
  • Better low light performance.  Below 1600 ISO the two cameras perform similarly, above you start to see a difference with less noise and more detail out of the Nikon.
  • More megapixels 24 vs 18 - not nearly as big a difference as it looks on paper.  (Illus coming)
  • Small light for low-light auto focus assist. T4i has flash that pops up and annoyingly strobes.
  • More shutter modes - a slow burst 3FPS versus normal 5FPS(same as T4i) and a Quiet Shutter that doesn't sound much quieter.
  • 1080i at 60fps. T4i only offers 1080p at 30fps. At the 60 frame rates the video is interlaced and cropped a bit more.
  • Additional Scene Modes and effects (video coming soon) and a more robust HDR feature.
  • Wireless dongle accessory($60) makes it easy to use phone as live viewfinder/remote and download photos to phone/tablet.
  • Built in intervalometer for shooting time lapse.
  • A retouch menu with a several more options.
  • A few quirks: aperture changing, tendency to lean greenish though it can be argued that the Canon leans redish and an intervalometer that seems to just stop.

Canon T4i vs Nikon D5200 Summary:

If you were to just count the bullets Nikon would get a fairly clear K.O but not every bullet is worth the same weight and it depends on your needs and use case.  Both cameras produce excellent images in a variety of conditions.  If I had to pick highlights for each -On the Canon side I would mention that user friendly touchscreen which makes the whole camera a bit simpler to operate and the pairing with the 18-135 that provides silent and smooth auto focus during video -this is a very family friendly feature.On the Nikon side I would mention that the focus brain, ISO performance and general feature richness of the camera.Another Item worth mentioning - Nikon's track record of customer service is a bit less than stellar, they have had a few camera models in recent years shipped out with serious issues that they denied for way to long and their general average repair time is often several times longer than Canon.  I really haven't heard of any customer horror stories with Canon, although they too have shipped cameras with problems they seem to deal with the issue quickly enough and fairly.So which should you buy?  You are going to make the best pictures with the camera you are most comfortable using and I think for many of you this will be your first DSLR and that friendly touchscreen and user interface of the Canon is worth lots.  If you are willing to work a bit harder it is *possible" to get better photos out of the Nikon but I don't think for many of you that it is worth the quirks and in my opinion the more difficult operating system.Would you like a personal recommendation? Leave me a message on my Facebook page or a comment below letting me know about you, what you like to photograph and where you hope to be as a photographer in a year or two.

Buying

Buying the Nikon or Canon through my links supports this site and costs you nothing extra.

Coming Soon -Cat at ISO 3200 Nikon D5200Next Steps - Price out lens packages for general use.  What does Nikon offer for general walk around, good zooms for wildlife, portraits, street, primes, macros etc.    External Flash options - Articles/Videos are coming along with "What would be your cost of owning"