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Nikon D5600 vs Canon 80D

Introduction

The Nikon D5600 and Canon 80D can be considered as advanced entry-level DSLR cameras that would be an incredibly good option for beginners and enthusiasts who are keen on investing in a highly-capable, yet affordable DSLR cameras. They have been on the market since 2016, and throughout their existence, they have become of the most sold and widely used cameras in this category which definitely has to mean something, and in fact, they also share numerous common things which comes like a cherry on a top of a cake because I love doing this kind of comparisons.

Shall we begin? Alright, let’s dive into action and reveal their pros and cons, and how they can help you evolve as a photographer if you, by any chance, decide to purchase the one that you think would satisfy your preferences!

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Head To Head Comparison

Nikon D5600

The D5600 sports a sleek and slim, black-finished body with red accents that is made of a strong polycarbonate material that makes this camera able to withstand daily use and maintain its original look even if you’ve been using it for a couple of years!

Aside from being stylish and solid, the D5600 is also very comfortable to use mainly because of its proportioned handgrip which ensures that the camera will always remain steady and comfortable in your hands, and this is one of the key aspects which photographers love the most.

Moreover, on the top-center, you can notice a hot shoe, while next to it, on the right, there’s a Mode dial with an integrated Live View toggle, EV compensation buttons, movie Record button, and a shutter release and a power switch.

On the rear, most of the controls are spread across the top and right-handed part, whereas, at the top-center and in the middle, a viewfinder and a LCD screen are waiting for you to be used and significantly enhance your user experience.

Namely, the viewfinder has a pentamirror design, and although it is a bit smaller and dimmer in comparison to the pentaprisms viewfinders, it is highly useful without a doubt, due to the fact that it covers up to 95% of the frame, has a magnification of around 0.82x, and it lets you lock onto a target nicely and by default, it means that your shooting sessions are going to be butter-smooth!

When it comes to the screen, the D5600 employs a 3.2″ 1037k-dot vari-angle touchscreen which is very responsive because it will detect all of your gestures instantly, and this definitely comes handy when you opt to change the focus while you’re working in Live View, or simply when you intend to switch between menus. Also, it outputs strong visuals and until now, I don’t have remarks regarding this unit, so let’s move forward!

For your information, the connectivity options include a USB 2.0 port, mini-HDMI port, 3.5mm microphone input, wired remote port, single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, and although it lacks Wi-Fi support, it is Bluetooth-enabled, hence, Nikon played nicely here because you’d be able to transfer your content to compatible devices quickly and effectively!

Performance-wise, the D5600 is powered by an EXPEED 4 Image processor, utilizes a 24.2MP DX-Format CMOS sensor, burst shooting rate of 5 fps, 39-point AF with 9 cross-type AF points, and ISO sensitivity range of 100-25,600!

Shooting with Nikon D5600 is nothing but a pleasure, since you’d be able to switch between JPG and RAW-format imagery, and what’s even cooler is that the noise may unlikely affect the overall image quality until you reach the highest points, which is completely normal though.

For example, JPGs taken between ISO 3200-6400 are superb in my opinion, and although you can notice the presence of noise, it isn’t that pronounced to decrease the color accuracy or the details. As a matter of fact, images are usable even at ISO 12,800, however, at this point, the noise starts to become more prominent and it reaches the peak at ISO 25,600 which should be only used if you really, really have to. Otherwise, I’d recommend you stick between ISO 3200-6400.

RAW images have way more details than JPGs because the noise-reduction isn’t enabled here, but, keep in mind that the noise is more prominent in comparison to JPGs. In comparison to JPGs, RAW format imagery taken at ISO 12,800 looks strong and the level of details is preserved, but yet again, I wouldn’t recommend you push up to ISO 25,600!

Last but not least, the D5600 is a strong performer in terms of video recording as well, even though it lacks 4K which isn’t nothing to surprised of considering its category and price tag, this unit records 1080p videos at 60 fps and the footage looks exceptionally crisp, while the color accuracy is indeed excellent!

Nikon D5600 Sample Images:

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Canon 80D

The Canon EOS 80D boasts a handsome-looking yet tough, polycarbonate resin with glass fiber construction that is furtherly protected by a weather-sealing which is awesome in my opinion, and clearly, Canon deserves a lot of credits here, because the EOS 80D in terms of protection simply beats the D5600 who lacks weather-sealing.

In addition, EOS 80D’s grip has a textured pattern which lets you have a comfortable hold which is always welcome during your shooting sessions, because the camera will remain stable in your hands all the time, while you, on the other side, will be able to shoot for hours without any problem!

The control layout is really well-organized as well, even though there are numerous dedicated controls spread over the body, each of them is easily accessible and easy to use, hence, novices will never have difficulties using each of them and learn what do they do in practice.

For instance, a locking Mode dial sits is set on the top-plate and sit next to the pop-up flash and hot shoe which lay on the left, whereas, on the right, there is a monochrome Information LCD screen that is surrounded by 5 dedicated buttons, as well as 2 more buttons of which one is the shutter release button that sits on the usual position, where your index finger should lay.

If you flip the camera over, you will notice that the rear part houses a Menu, Info, AF-ON, two dedicated buttons for zooming and a Start/Stop button that sit on the top, while on the right, there is a joypad which is surrounded by a 3 buttons and a lock switch.

On the top-center, there’s a fixed pentaprism viewfinder that covers up to 100% of the field, and when we add the fact that it is bright enough to offer you a truly convenient view of the objects you intend to shoot, without a doubt, I can say that you will be very satisfied when you shoot through it.

Slightly below, in the middle, a 3″ vari-angle LCD touch display is sitting, that has a resolution of 1,040k-dots, and to be honest, it is very bright as well which is awesome because you will have a superb sight of everything you wish to record and it is also responsive enough to detect your gestures, and in this point, even though both cameras employ vari-angle touchscreen, the 80D wins the race here because it has a better resolution than the Nikon D5500 ( 1,037k vs 1,040k).

When it comes to the connection options, the Canon EOS 80D packs a mini-USB port, mini-HDMI port, microphone input, wired remote control, headphone output and what got my attention the most is the built-in support for Wi-Fi, which will dramatically enhance the way you transfer your captured photos and videos! If you ask me, I think that the 80D deserves more credit here because it is Wi-Fi enabled on the contrary to the D5600 who has built-in support for Bluetooth.

Performance-wise, the Canon EOS 80D combines a 24.2MP (APS-C) CMOS sensor, DIGIC 6 image processor, has an impressive 45-point AF, burst shooting speed of 7 fps, and an ISO range of 100-12,800!

Once you take the camera in your hands and start shooting, you will recognize its potential because it does a really good job in both situations, whether you shoot under low or bright light conditions.

Thanks to its versatility, you will also be able to capture JPGs and RAW format images, and now, let’s see how does this camera deal with the noise.

Well, the EOS 80D outputs the best results at ISO 1600, because the details remain strong and nearly intact by the noise, while the color accuracy is excellent, however, once you reach the ISO 6400, image noise starts to appear more but still, it isn’t heavily pronounced. Details are still there and the built-in camera noise reduction does not make them look murky. This happens untill you reach ISO 12,800, or especially at ISO 25,600 where details are getting decreased and the overall image quality is definitely noise.

RAW imagery shot between ISO 1600 – 3200 looks great in my opinion, although you will still be able to detect noise, however, at ISO 12,800 or at the highest setting the ISO 25,600, you will instantly notice the camera’s weakness, however, results are far better than JPGs taken at these sensitivity levels.

Finally, the EOS 80D records 1080p videos at 60fps as is the case with the Nikon D5600, and I really favor the footage quality because it looks sharp and here, the autofocus system does really contributes in maintaining the image quality to the highest levels. We ranked it as the best camera for videos in our best cameras for cars list

Canon 80D Sample Images:

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Nikon D5600 vs Canon 80D Feature Comparison

  Nikon D5600 Canon 80D
Camera Type DSLR DSLR
Megapixels 24.2 24.2
ISO Range 100-25,600 100-16,000;25,600
Flip-Out Screen Yes Yes
AF Points 39 AF Points 45 AF Points
Viewfinder Yes Yes
Touchscreen Yes Yes
Video Recording Yes Yes
Sensor Size APS-C APS-C

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Conclusion

Finally, we reached the part where we should officially announce the winner after this intense battle, however, this process requires one more thing, and that’s a quick overview of the camera’s key areas!

The result of Portrait photography are identical of both cameras, while for Street photography, the result is above average of both cameras and it is nearly identical, however, the D5600 performs slightly better but the advantage isn’t huge at all!

For Sports photography, the Canon EOS 80D is better because of its faster shutter speed, continuous shooting rate and focus points, whereas for Daily photography, both of them are average, but once again, the EOS 80D outperforms the D5600 by a tiny difference. The same can also be said for Landscape photography, by the way. I also recommend you take a look at our article about the best tripods for canon 80d if you are interested in shooting stills.

In comparison to the EOS 80D, the D5600 proves itself as better in terms of having a 60% higher max ISO setting, 0.2″ larger display, slightly higher color depth (24.1 vs 23.6), and a better low light ISO performance.

On the other side, the EOS 80D packs 6 more focus points ( 45 vs 39), has 36 more cross-type focus points ( 45 vs 9), has a faster shutter speed ( 1/8000s vs 1/4000s), more accurate viewfinder ( 100% vs 95%), it is by 2 fps faster in terms of bursting shooting ( 7 vs 5 fps), has a better battery life ( 960 vs 820 shots) and thanks to its environmental sealing, it will allow to have an uncompromised shooting experience under a variety of different weather conditions!

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