Canon T6s vs Nikon D5500

Introduction

The Canon EOS Rebel T6s is an entry-level DSLR camera that does not look nor perform in such way, and since its release which dates back to February, 2015, it has quickly established itself as a popular and reliable option for the novices who are keen on investing in a solid camera for their purposes prior to becoming professionals.

On the contrary, the Nikon D5500 is also an entry-level DSLR camera that provides the beginners a huge freedom in terms of shooting and navigating between menus, and since it was launched on January, 2015, the difference between them isn’t huge, hence, they are more than interesting to be included in this list!

Now, let’s see which one deserves to be your pick if you ever decide to purchase it!

Similar Comparison: Sony A6000 vs Nikon D5500

Head To Head Comparison

Canon T6s

The Canon EOS Rebel T6s is a relatively compact, DSLR camera that measures 4 x 5.2 x 3.1″ (HWD), weighs approximately 1.2 pounds without a lens, and boasts a solid construction that is made of aluminum-alloy and polycarbonate resin with glass fiber which improves the camera’s rigidity to withstand the daily use for a considerably long period of time!

If we take these things aside, the EOS Rebel T6s is very comfortable to shoot with as well, and the reason is pretty similar. Canon has implemented a deep grip that is covered with a rubber-like coating that significantly improves your hold,stability and the comfort you feel in a return once you’re shooting with this camera.

Moreover, the control layout is rich and simple at the same time, giving you an opportunity to navigate between menus easily without putting effort at all! On the top plate, there is a single Mode dial with an On/Off switch positioned on the left, a hot shoe on the top-center, whereas on the right, you can find a neatly-positioned information LCD screen that is accompanied by three dedicated buttons that sit above which grant you an access to adjust the ISO, turn on the LCD backlight and adjust the autofocus area, as well as a shutter release button located on the grip.

On the top-rear, there are 3 buttons such as the Menu, Info, and a Live View Toggle which sit in-between the area which holds the viewfinder.

For your information, the EOS Rebel T6s has an optical pentamirror viewfinder with a coverage of up to 95% and a magnification of 0.82x which will help you have a convenient shooting experience because it is bright and it ensures that you will never miss a target!

Below the viewfinder, in the center, you can notice the presence of a 3″, 1040k-dot touchscreen which employs an anti-smudge coating that will surely improve your user experience, due to the fact that you will not only have an option to navigate and preview your content with a tap of a finger, but also because your site will not be affected even if you’re shooting under a bright daylight!

Unfortunately, the only remark I have is the lack of flexibility, so, you won’t be able to shoot from different angles, but still, since it is an entry-level camera, you shouldn’t be surprised at all!

Furthermore, the physical connection options include a mini-HDMI port, mini-USB port, single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards, a built-in microphone, and port for wired remote control. The built-in connections include Wi-Fi and NFC which is awesome since you will never face difficulties transferring your photos and videos to other devices!

Speaking of the performance, the EOS Rebel T6s is powered by a strong, DIGIC 6 image processor, holds a 24.2MP CMOS sensor, 19-point all cross-type AF system, has a decent continuous shooting rate of 5 fps and a native ISO range that stretches from 100-12,8000 which is expandable all the way up to 25,600!

For your information, this camera allows the beginner to shoot both, JPGs and RAW image format, but if you ask me, I’d start shooting JPGs, and after that, as your skills grow, you can switch and try yourself capturing RAW imagery.

The EOS Rebel T6s controls the noise really good, in fact, you can easily reach up to ISO 6400 because even though there is a bit of a noise, it isn’t that heavily pronounced to decrease the quality of the image. The worst it can happen would be that details will be kind of smudge but still, photos remain sharp and look great for the viewer/photographer.

However, everything changes once you opt to shoot through the upper side of the ISO range, especially at ISO 12,800-25,600, because noise becomes more prominent, and by default, it decreases the image quality and it makes them kind of unusable. Naturally, images may have a bit of blur, which is a result of the built-in optical low pass filter which does this in order to minimize the chances of dealing with a color moiré.

RAW images, on the other hand, reveal plenty of details which look indeed pleasing, and noise is so low, that you can barely notice it even if you reach ISO 6400. Of course, at higher levels, noise becomes more pronounced, but still, images look better than JPGs in the high ISO range.

Last but not least, the T6s records 1080p videos at 30 fps in MP4 format, and 720p at 60/30 fps, which is satisfying for an entry-level camera, but nothing spectacular to be honest, because I really like recording 1080p videos at 60 fps. Either way, considering the fact that even the cameras who have a saltier price tag lack this capability, the footage produced by the T6s will not disappoint you!

Canon EOS Rebel T6i Sample Images:

Similar Comparison: Nikon D5500 vs Nikon D5300

Nikon D5500

 

The Nikon D5500 features a sleek, black-finished boy with red accents that are spread below the grip, while giving the camera’s a truly stylish and professional look, although this is still an entry-level camera, after all!

For your information, Nikon has implemented a carbon fiber composite material during the manufacturing of this camera, which drastically strengthens its appearance and boosts its durability so that you can use it for years without noticing a huge difference in terms of its look.

Also, the D5500 is one of the lightest if not the lightest DSLR cameras produced by Nikon. It measures 3.8 x 4.9 x 2.8″ (HWD), weighs around 14.7 ounces without a lens, and if you have smaller hands, this is the best camera to shoot with, otherwise, those with larger hands may not completely enjoy the comfort given by the camera.

As a matter of fact, the grip is deep and it has a textured pattern that helps you hold it firmly and shoot for hours without feeling strained at all!

Moreover, the control layout consists of a hot shoe that sits on the top-center, the left part lacks controls, but that’s why, on the right, you can find a single Control dial, a Live View Switch, dedicated button for video recording, shutter release button with an On/Off switch and an exposure compensation button. In comparison to the T6s, the top part of the D5500 is definitely more compressed, but still, I doubt that you will have problems with it.

On the rear, the control layout is squeezed once again, but still, there is room to place your fingers and navigate way better in comparison to the top part. On the top-rear, there’s a single button that sits next to the viewfinder on the left, two dedicated buttons on the right, whereas, on the right-handed side, there is a four-way directional pad that is surrounded by a couple of more buttons.

In the center, there’s a 3.2″, vari-angle LCD touchscreen with a resolution of 1,037k-dots which outputs sharp visuals and when we add the fact that you can adjust it to face up, down, forward, flat or sit completely hidden when shooting, while registering your gestures instantly, I really think that you will love it.

Above the LCD screen, you can notice the pentamirror viewfinder that covers up to 95% of the frame, and although you won’t have difficulties targetting subjects and capturing them, I think both cameras would be better if they had pentaprism viewfinders who are always brighter and larger. Hence, the result is a tie, and their viewfinders are decent until you reach the point where you should seek for better cameras.

Furthermore, the physical connection ports are composed of a mini-HDMI port, USB port, remote control port, single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards, and in comparison to the EOS Rebel T6s who is Wi-Fi and NFC-enabled, the D5500 is only Wi-Fi enabled, so I will leave this up to you to decide which camera offers you more connection options.

Performance-wise, the D5500 combines a 24.2MP DX-Format CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter, 39point AF, ISO range that stretches from 100-25,600, continuous shooting speed of 5 fps, and an EXPEED 4 image processor that facilitates fast processing speeds and superb image quality.

As was the case with the EOS Rebel T6s, this camera does also capture JPG and RAW format images, and for instance, if you opt to shoot JPGs keep in mind that the best results can be achieved at the default setting, or up to ISO 3200, although at ISO 3200, images may look a bit strong for some viewers. Personally, I like the output even at ISO 6400 because noise is handled exactly as it should be, and the quality is great.

If you decide to push the camera to ISO 12,800 or even at ISO 25,600, I wouldn’t advise you to do that because noise is heavily pronounced and it affects the details and the color accuracy, so, try to avoid these settings as much as possible.

RAW images handle pretty well up to ISO 12,800 in comparison to the JPGs, and the same happens for ISO 25,600, but still, blur progresses as you’re pushing higher, so it’s up to you.

In comparison to the EOS Rebel T6s, the D5500 records 1080p videos at 60 fps and although its stereo mic may pick up noise, the footage looks excellent and in fact, a lot better than the T6s who records 1080p videos at 30fps.

Nikon D5500 Sample Images:

Similar Comparison: Nikon D3400 vs Nikon D5500

Canon T6s vs Nikon D5500 Feature Comparison

	Canon T6s	Nikon D5500
Camera Type	DSLR	DSLR
Megapixels	24.2	24.2
ISO Range	100-12,800;25;600	100-25,600
Flip-Out Screen	Yes	Yes
AF Points	19 AF Points	39 AF Points
Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	Yes	Yes
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	APS-C	APS-C

Similar Comparison: Nikon D5500 vs Nikon D5600

Conclusion

Considering the fact that both cameras employ an APS-C image sensor of 24.2MP and share multiple things in common, by default it means that both cameras are great for novices, and kind of hard to decide which ones deserve to be a winner. That’s why, let’s take a look at their strongest points and the areas where one camera beats the other and vice-versa.

For Portrait photography, the result is a tie, for Street photography, both cameras output an above-average performance, however, the D5500 is slightly better, whereas for Sports, both cameras are excellent, but the D5500 is a better although the difference isn’t huge.

For Landscape photography, result is once again a tie, while for Daily photography, the D5500 proves itself as better.

The only field where the EOS Rebel T6s outperforms the D5500 is with its NFC connectivity, and the fact that it has 10 more cross-type focus points. Otherwise, the Nikon D5500 has a better battery life (~820 vs ~440shots), it is lighter, has a larger display by 0.2″, performs better under low light ISO and has a higher color depth.

Clearly, the winner is the D5500!

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