Canon 800D versus Nikon D5200

The Canon EOS 800D (called Canon T7i in some regions) and the Nikon D5200 are two digital cameras that were announced, respectively, in February 2017 and November 2012. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with an APS-C sensor. Both cameras offer a resolution of 24 megapixel. Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their size, their sensors, their features, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison: Canon 800D vs Nikon D5200

The physical size and weight of the Canon 800D and the Nikon D5200 are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter. You can also use the toggle button to switch to a percentage comparison if you prefer that the measures are being expressed in relative terms (in this case, the camera on the left side – the 800D – represents the basis for the calculations across all the size and weight measures).

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Nikon D5200 is somewhat smaller (3 percent) than the Canon 800D. However, the D5200 is slightly heavier (4 percent) than the 800D. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the 800D nor the D5200 are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. Yet, since both cameras are based around an APS-C sensor, their respective lenses will tend to have similar dimensions and heft. You can find an overview of optics for the two cameras in the Canon EF Lens Catalog (800D) and the Nikon Lens Catalog (D5200).

Concerning battery life, the 800D gets 600 shots out of its LP-E17 battery, while the D5200 can take 500 images on a single charge of its EN-EL14 power pack.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you want to switch the focus of the display and review another camera pair, just select a new right or left comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible camera comparisons there.

The price is, of course, an important factor in any camera decision. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The two cameras under review were launched at the same price and fall into the same market segment. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison: Canon 800D vs Nikon D5200

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature an APS-C sensor, but their sensors differ slightly in size. The sensor area in the D5200 is 11 percent bigger. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have format factors, respectively, of 1.6 (800D) and 1.5. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

Even though the D5200 has a larger sensor, both cameras offer the same resolution of 24 megapixel. This implies that the D5200 has a lower pixel density and larger individual pixels (with a pixel pitch of 3.91μm versus 3.72μm for the 800D), which gives it a potential advantage in terms of light gathering capacity. It should, however, be noted that the 800D is much more recent (by 4 years and 3 months) than the D5200, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that at least partly compensate for the smaller pixel size.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The two cameras under consideration both have sensors whose read-out speed is fast enough to capture moving pictures, but the 800D provides a higher frame rate than the D5200. It can shoot video footage at 1080/60p, while the Nikon is limited to 1080/60i.

Feature comparison: Canon 800D vs Nikon D5200

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The 800D and the D5200 are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder. The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon 800D, the Nikon D5200, and comparable cameras. The full specs-sheets can be found in the camera manual or, for example, in the dpreview camera hub.

The 800D is a current model that online retailers, such as amazon, will have in stock. In contrast, the D5200 has been discontinued (but it can be found pre-owned on eBay). As a replacement in the same line of cameras, the D5200 was succeeded by the Nikon D5300.

Review summary: Canon 800D vs Nikon D5200

So what conclusions can be drawn? Is there a clear favorite between the Canon 800D and the Nikon D5200? Below is a summary of the relative strengths of each of the two contestants.

Reasons to prefer the Canon EOS 800D:

• Better video: Provides higher movie framerates (1080/60p versus 1080/60i).
• More detailed LCD: Has a higher resolution rear screen (1040k vs 921k dots).
• Fewer buttons to press: Is equipped with a touch-sensitive rear screen to facilitate handling.
• Faster burst: Shoots at higher frequency (6 vs 5 flaps/sec) to capture the decisive moment.
• Longer lasting: Can take more shots (600 versus 500) on a single battery charge.
• More modern: Reflects 4 years and 3 months of technical progress since the D5200 launch.

Arguments in favor of the Nikon D5200:

• More heavily discounted: Has been around for much longer (launched in November 2012).

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the 800D is the clear winner of the match-up (6 : 1 points). However, the pertinence of the various camera strengths will differ across photographers, so that you might want to weigh individual camera traits according to their importance for your own imaging needs before making a camera decision.

In any case, while the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the 800D or the D5200 handle or perform in practice. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites. The full reviews are available, respectively, at cameralabs.com, dpreview.com, ephotozine.com, imaging-resource.com, and photographyblog.com.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you are interested in seeing how other cameras pair up, just make your choice using the following search menu. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool. If you cannot find the camera you are interested in, please contact me, and I will try to update the database with the necessary infos.

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