Nikon D5100 vs Nikon D5300

With 100% coverage you can compose the image correctly when you capture the photo. With less than full coverage you may have to crop your photos afterwards to get them looking perfect.

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Flip-out screens can be useful for tricky shots.

A hot shoe can be used to attach an external flash, as well as light meters, viewfinders, rangefinders and other attachments.

An optical viewfinder (or OVF) allows the photographer to compose a shot while seeing exactly what the lens will capture. OVFs have no time lag and require no power - as opposed to electronic viewfinders, which can drain battery life. OVFs are also better in low light situations.

The device has an LCD display with 3 subpixels per pixel, resulting in sharp and crisp images. Pixels in some displays (like AMOLED) share one subpixel to preserve space. This can result in a less crisp, slightly blurred image. Show more

A system camera has many interchangeable components such as lenses, flashes, and other accessories. System cameras offer greater flexibility than compact cameras.

The more focus points the more flexibility in picking which part of the scene to focus on. They also give the image sensor a better probability in identifying the right area of the scene to focus on in more automatic modes.

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The larger the sensor the more light the sensor captures yielding in better image quality.

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With AF tracking, once you choose the subject and press the shutter release part way down, as the subject moves, the autofocus will follow it. No more out of focus shots.

Phase-detection autofocus is much faster than a contrast detection autofocus, allowing for sharper images. Show more

With a higher light sensitivity (ISO level), the sensor absorbs more light. This can be used to capture moving objects using a fast shutter speed, or to take images in low light without using a flash. Show more

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The maximum resolution available for videos shot with the main camera. Although it may be possible to choose among other frame rates, those recordings usually have lower resolutions. Show more

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When recording movies they stay focussed and sharp. Show more

A phase-detection autofocus system is faster than a contrast detection autofocus system. Even when recording scenes with a lot of fast movements, the videos are sharp and clear.

A timelapse shows a long passage of time sped up. A series of photographs taken from the same position over a long period is joined together to create a short video. It is great way to capture things like the setting sun, or clouds moving across the sky. Show more

24p is a video format (24 frames per second) traditionally used in cinema. Nowadays, it is used to create film-like motion characteristics.

A stereo microphone allows to record audio files or movies in stereo without an external microphone.

A microphone port allows connecting external high-end or specialized microphones.

More microphones result in better sound quality and enable the device to filter out background noise.

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With a standard mini jack socket, you can use the device with most headphones. Show more

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CIPA is an independent, standard measurement that determines how many shots a camera can take before the battery dies.

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The battery is removable and can be replaced by the user if broken. Show more

The battery can be recharged and used over again.

An indicator shows you when the device has low battery.

A device's overall image quality score considers: color depth, dynamic range and low light performance. Source: DxOMark.

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The maximum ISO at which the device still captures excellent quality images. Source: DxOMark.

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The better a device's color depth the more color nuances it can distinguish. Source: DxOMark.

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The device has a standard memory slot (such as an SD or micro SD card slot) so that you can either extend the internal storage with affordable memory modules or you can retrieve data, such as photographs, easily from a memory card. Show more

The better the dynamic range the system captures a wider number of values from dark to light leading to more details in low and highlights. Source: DxOMark.

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The device can connect to Wi-Fi.