Nikon D5300 vs Canon 70D

Introduction

The camera industry is now pretty huge, and companies are constantly releasing new cameras each one with improvements and upgrades. It can be frustrating searching for the camera that meets your requirements the most, while often times, we get stuck be reading reviews which immediately affect our decision.

In this article today, I’m going to be comparing two highly-rated DSLRs whereas one of them is more of an entry-level and the other is a mid-range DSLR. Take in mind that it always depends on what type of photography you’re in, considering this fact, you’re going to be looking out for the features that serve you the most.

I’ve also made other comparison reviews with the Nikon D5300 and some other DSLR, and the same goes for the Canon 70D, you can find plenty of other comparison reviews about both cameras, so if you find that more eligible, you can search my website and plenty of results will appear.

Although for this article I thought it’d be interesting to see how an entry-level DSLR does against a mid-range DSLR, and I’m really hyped about this one because just from the specs that I’m seeing, I think that these two cameras will turn out to be pretty similar.

Okay, now, let’s start with the reviews and see what can these cameras offer to you.

Head To Head Comparison

Nikon D5300

In the camera industry, the Nikon D5300 is known as the companies advanced entry-level DSLR, and that’s not by accident and the camera didn’t gain its reputation overnight. At the time of the release, this camera was one of the most feature-rich budget-friendly DSLRs on the market, and if you’re a long-time follower, then you probably know that I’m a fan of Nikon and I’ve been using Nikon camera’s since forever, and the D5300 is no exception.

The camera has that traditional classic DSLR design, it’s bulky and it’s a bit heavier than you’d expect, but in terms of quality, it’s built very well. The button layout is pretty classic, just like any other DSLR, you’re going to see a 4-way controller on the back of the camera which can be used to move the active focus point among the 39-total points in the viewfinder. It’s solid and well-thought-out, and to some people, it may seem cheap due to its plastic shell, but it is what it is. The 4-way controller and the OK button allows for navigating through the menu, set shooting parameters, and adjust autofocus point.

Just like it’s traditional for Nikon cameras, the handgrip is deeply sculpted and widened enough to give you comfortable handling, and due to the texture, you’ll also find it more secure to hold the camera which by some percentage it prevents accidental drops.

When it comes to the LCD screen, it may be disappointing to some users as the D5300 doesn’t have a touch-enabled screen, but when talking in numbers, the 3.2-inch fully-articulated 1.04-million dot LCD delivers some impressive preview quality, you’re going to notice vibrant colors with sharpness, details, and even in outdoor light, everything is pretty much viewable.

If you ask me, personally I’m not really disappointed that it lacks touchscreen capabilities, it’s a low-cost DSLR and it offers pretty much everything else which basically pays the debt fully.

Now, let’s get more into the specifics and see what this camera is truly capable of.

The Nikon D5300 features a 24-megapixel CMOS sensor which delivers some impressive results with an image quality full of details and sharpness, and for faster processing speed and enhanced image quality, it runs the EXPEED 4 image processor.

ISO performance is quite decent as well, it performs well under low-light conditions and it has a native ISO sensitivity that ranges from 100 to up to 12,800 with a boosted ISO of 25,600.

During my testing, I was able to get noise-free at up to ISO 6,400, while higher than that, I noticed some noise and overexposure, while highlights were also a bit over the charts.

When it comes to the autofocus, the Nikon D5300 includes a plethora of modes that you can choose from, such as the contrast-detect, phase-detect, multi-area, center, selective single-point, tracking, single, continuous, and face-detection. To be more specific, in numbers, this particular camera has a 39-point autofocus system with a focal length multiplier of 1.5x, and for more convenience, it also features autofocus where you’ll be able to select the area where you want the focus to be. It’s also important to note that the optical viewfinder has a field coverage of 95% and a magnification of 0.82x.

Moreover, for video recording, you can shoot at 1080 60p/30p, but if you’re hoping for 4K, the D5300 doesn’t support 4K recording.

So before we get to the verdict, this particular camera is also Wi-Fi and GPS enabled which means that you can share your images instantly or transfer them with compatible smartphones or tablets, and you can also get remote access to the camera using your smartphones, so there’s that. With that being said, it secured a spot in our best DSLR cameras with WiFi roundup post.

As you can see, even though this camera was released years ago, it still has pretty impressive specs, and it has remained to be a top-option for users even today not only due to the affordable price, but the value that it brings along.

Nikon D5300 Sample Images:

Related: Nikon D5300 vs Canon T6i 

Canon 70D 

The 70D is the predecessor of the 80D, and for those of you who want to know where do they differ, you can read my full review on the Canon 80D, for now, let’s continue with the 70D.

Just a quick note, the 80D, and the 70D are pretty similar with some slight differences, but let’s see how it does with the Nikon D5300, they’re both pretty reasonably priced and they are both great options to go with. So first, let’s start with the design, whereas later on, I’ll continue about performance and specs.

It boasts quite a traditional design actually, everything says DSLR, the body, the construction, the button layout, and so on. It has weather sealing which means you can use it in rainy weather as well as snow, but that’s not all, it’s also dust-resistant. As for the body material, the 70D features a polycarbonate and aluminum construction which to some people seems cheap, and it’s true, a magnesium alloy build it’s more solid and it gives that premium feeling when holding the camera, at least that’s what I think.

You’ll find the controls to be well-spaced, balanced and everything is well-thought-out, which prevents accidental clicks when shooting due to the properly positioned controls, and as for the handgrip, it’s deeply sculpted and curved while the camera is actually a bit smaller from its predecessor which adds an extra flair of comfort to the overall aesthetics of the camera.

As we move on, let’s also point out some interesting facts about the rear display. The Canon EOS 70D has a fully-articulated touchscreen LCD, and it has been greatly improved from its predecessor, starting with the elimination of the air gap between the cover glass and the screen itself which improves the display’s quality in outdoor light. Apart from being a touchscreen LCD, the screen can also rotate and flip out upward, downward, and forward which serves for shooting from different angles and shooting positions, and it’s also great to have such a feature for taking selfies.

To continue, this particular camera features a 20.2-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, while it’s also a fast performer since the DIGIC 5+ image processor enhances the camera’s image quality and speed, all of which brings out a continuous shooting speed of 7-frames per second.

I find the camera to be quite decent in low-light conditions as well, as it has a native ISO that ranges from 100 to up to 12,800, and a boosted ISO sensitivity to up to 25,600. In terms of autofocus, the camera is able to easily maintain focus on moving subjects and it’s actually great for portrait photography, wildlife, and events all due to the 19-point autofocus system all of which are cross-type AF points.

In addition, the Dual Pixel CMOS AF enhances the 70D’s performance even more, with points being present in video shooting as well which allows for a combination with the Movie Servo AF, so everything that’s in the frame, subject and background will be checked while when the subject is immediately detected, they will be smoothly and consistently tracked in order to maintain focus.

Before we end, the Canon 70D can only record at 1080p30 video, so for those hoping for 4K, you won’t get that in this camera. Also, when it comes to connectivity, the 70D includes Wi-Fi capability, but take in mind that when Wi-Fi is active, movie mode is disabled, and any other connection to a computer or printer gets broken, I don’t quite understand why, but it is what it is. You can transfer images with Wi-Fi, while you can also connect to a smartphone or tablet via the EOS Remote.

To cut it short, Canon 70D is a reliable DSLR camera which I highly suggest for portrait photographers, landscape, sports, events, and stills. It packs a decent performance along with a plethora of premium features, and even though it’s not my favorite DSLR camera, you simply can’t go wrong with this one. To get the best out of it, i recommend you also get a tripod. You can take a look at our article about the best tripods for Canon 70D.

Canon 70D Sample Images:

Similar Comparison: Sony A6000 vs Nikon D5300

Nikon D5300 vs Canon 70D Feature Comparison

	Nikon D5300	Canon 70D
Camera Type	DSLR	DSLR
Megapixels	24.0	20.2
ISO Range	100-12800(25600)	100-12800(25,600)
Flip-Out Screen	Yes	Yes
AF Points	39 AF Points	19 AF Points
Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	No	Yes
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	CMOS	APS-C

Similar Comparison: Nikon D5300 vs Canon T6I 

Conclusion

Looking from one perspective, the Nikon D5300 delivers great value for money, while looking from another perspective, the Canon 70D comes with more features.

This is exactly why it’s hard to choose a camera, but to simplify this, I recommend you buy the camera which has the features that serve your photography the most, so depending on what type of photography you’re in more, that’s how you’re going to know which one to get.

Even so, the Nikon D5300 is a better performer for still photography and landscape due to the 24-megapixel sensor, while in terms of ISO, you can see from the comparison table that they’re the same. A noticeable difference can be seen in the autofocus system, where the D5300 has a 39-point AF and the 70D has a 19-point AF, but nonetheless, those are both great specs.

The Canon 70D does come at a relatively higher price, but again, if I were to choose between these two camera’s, I’d go with the Canon 70D, it has all the features I need, and it has a remarkably fast performance, while the addition of a tilting touchscreen LCD is perfect for those users who don’t want to use the camera in an old and traditional way via the four-way navigational pad, but instead while using the touch-enabled display.

Similar Comparison: Canon T5I vs Nikon D5300