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Nikon D5100 vs Nikon Z50II

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

NikonD5100NikonZ50II
Overview
ReleasedApril 2011November 2024
Image and sensor
Camera typeDSLRMirrorless
Sensor formatAPS-CAPS-C
Sensor typeCMOSCMOS
Sensor dimensions23.6 × 15.6 mm23.5 × 15.7 mm
Effective resolution16.2 MP20.9 MP
Largest image4928 × 32645568 × 3712
RAW recordingYesYes
Standard ISO range100–6400100–51200
Sensor detailNikon DX CMOS with 16.2 million effective and 16.9 million total pixels; approximately 1.5× lens focal-length equivalent; sensor cleaning, Airflow Control System and Image Dust Off reference data21.51 million total pixels; Japanese exact specification gives 20.88 million effective, rounded to 20.9 on Nikon UK. Image-dust-off reference data requires NX Studio.
Image formatsCompressed 14-bit NEF RAW, JPEG and simultaneous RAW plus JPEG; maximum 4928 × 3264 pixels; customisable Picture Controls and in-camera RAW processing14-bit NEF RAW with lossless or high-efficiency compression; JPEG and HEIF; RAW plus JPEG or HEIF
ISO detailISO 100–6400 in one-third stops, expandable up to ISO 25600 equivalent; Auto ISO; Night Vision is a separate monochrome special effectStandard still-image ISO 100–51200, expandable to equivalent ISO 204800; HLG starts at ISO 400. Movie ISO 100–25600, with N-Log-specific limits.
Image processorEXPEED 2EXPEED 7
Lens and shooting
Lens mountNikon F mountNikon Z mount
StabilisationOptical lens stabilisationOptical lens stabilisation
Maximum continuous burst4 fps30 fps
Lens detailAutofocus with AF-S and AF-I lenses; no body autofocus motor for screw-drive lenses. Non-CPU lenses require manual exposure without metering; IX and F3AF lenses unsupportedNIKKOR Z FX and DX lenses; FX lenses have a DX field-of-view crop. F-mount NIKKOR lenses require an adapter and retain model-dependent restrictions.
AutofocusMulti-CAM 1000; 11 phase-detection points including one cross-type; -1 to +19 EV at ISO 100, 20°C; AF-S/AF-C/AF-A, single-point, dynamic, auto-area and 11-point 3D tracking. Contrast-detection live view supports face, wide, normal and subject-tracking areasHybrid phase/contrast detection; 209 single-point or 231 auto-area positions, nine subject types, 3D tracking and AF-A. Nikon's −9 EV sensitivity uses AF-S, ISO 100, an f/1.2 lens and 20°C.
Shutter1/4000 to 30 seconds in one-third or half stops, Bulb and Time with optional ML-L3 remote; flash sync 1/200 secondMechanical, electronic front-curtain and electronic; 1/4000 to 30 seconds plus Bulb/Time, extendable to 900 seconds in manual mode. Flash sync up to 1/250 second with reduced guide number above 1/200; Auto FP supported.
Burst detailApproximately 4 fps with manual focus, S/M exposure, 1/250 second or faster and remaining settings at defaults; quiet release and interval-timer shootingExtended continuous shooting approximately 11 fps, or 15 fps silent; ordinary high approximately 5.6 fps, rising to 9.7 fps silent without RAW. C15/C30 high-speed capture with pre-release capture reaches 30 fps for JPEGs, not RAW.
Stabilisation detailOptical VR depends on the lens; no sensor-shift stabilisationNo sensor-shift stabilisation; optical stabilisation depends on a VR lens. Electronic video VR adds a crop.
FlashBuilt-in pop-up flash; guide number approximately 12 m at ISO 100, 20°C, or 13 at manual full output; accessory shoeManual pop-up flash, guide number approximately 7 at ISO 100 in metres; i-TTL and ISO 518 accessory shoe
Exposure controlsP/S/A/M, Auto, scene and special-effects modes; 420-pixel RGB matrix, centre-weighted and spot metering; ±5 EV compensation; three-frame exposure/white-balance bracketing, two-frame Active D-Lighting bracketing and two-exposure HDRAuto, P/S/A/M and scene modes; ±5 EV still-image or ±3 EV movie compensation
Video
Highest video resolution1920 × 1080 at 30 fps3840 × 2160 at 60 fps
Video detailH.264 MOV at Full HD 30p/25p/24p, 720p 30p/25p/24p or 640 × 424 at 30p/25p; actual NTSC rates 29.97/23.976; maximum approximately 20 minutes or three minutes with Miniature Effect. Photography Blog's 1920 × 1280, Motion JPEG AVI and five-minute passages differ from Nikon's technical sheetUHD 3840 × 2160 up to 60p, with additional crop at 50/60p; full-width DX UHD up to 30p is oversampled from 5.6K. Full HD up to 120p; H.265 8/10-bit and H.264, N-Log and HLG, waveform, timecode, tally lamp, Product Review mode and Full HD Hi-Res Zoom. Maker recording limit 125 minutes, subject to conditions; no internal RAW video listed.
AudioBuilt-in mono microphone with adjustable sensitivity; external stereo microphone through 3.5 mm input; linear PCM audioBuilt-in stereo microphones; PCM 48 kHz/24-bit for MOV or AAC 48 kHz/16-bit for MP4; external microphone and headphone monitoring
Screen and viewfinder
ViewfinderOpticalElectronic
Screen size3″3.2″
Screen dots921,0001,040,000
Touchscreen–Yes
Tilting screenYesYes
Display detailSide-hinged 3-inch vari-angle TFT, approximately 921000 dots globally, rounded to 920000 in Japan; 170° viewing angle and 100% coverage; dots count subpixelsVari-angle TFT, approximately 100% coverage and 170° viewing angle; dots count subpixels
Viewfinder detailPentamirror; approximately 95% coverage, 0.78× magnification with 50mm f/1.4 at infinity and 17.9 mm eyepoint0.39-inch XGA OLED, approximately 2.36 million dots, 100% coverage, 1.02× magnification and 19.5 mm eyepoint; maker maximum brightness claim 1000 cd/m²
Connections and design
Wi-Fi–Yes
Bluetooth–Yes
Battery life (maker's claim)660 photographs250 photographs
Body weight510 g495 g
Release detailNikon Japan records first sale on 21 April 2011; global announcement on 5 April 2011Announced in November 2024; Nikon US states availability in late November 2024. Month precision is retained because an exact first UK retail day is unconfirmed.
Recording mediaOne SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot; MMC unsupportedSingle SD/SDHC/SDXC slot supporting UHS-II, in the battery compartment
PortsHi-Speed USB, HDMI Type C, NTSC/PAL analogue video output, 3.5 mm external microphone input and accessory terminal for optional MC-DC2 remote or GP-1 GPS; optional ML-L3 infrared remoteUSB-C SuperSpeed USB; Micro HDMI Type D; 3.5 mm microphone input and headphone output, the latter also supports MC-DC3 remote release
Wireless connectionsNo integrated wireless networking; optional GP-1 GPS unitWi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0; SnapBridge and Nikon Imaging Cloud
Battery life detailEN-EL14 rechargeable lithium-ion battery; approximately 660 CIPA photographs per chargeEN-EL25a; CIPA approximately 250 monitor shots with power saving enabled or 230 without; EVF 240 with power saving or 220 without. Tested with NIKKOR Z DX 16–50mm f/3.5–6.3 VR; movie battery-life claim 55 minutes. EN-EL25 compatibility gives shorter battery life; Photography Blog's 300-shot EN-EL25 narrative is not the current maker claim.
ChargingExternal MH-24 charger; optional EH-5b adapter with EP-5A power connectorUSB charging and power with compatible equipment; optional EH-8P adapter
DimensionsApproximately 128 × 97 × 79 mmApproximately 127 × 96.8 × 66.5 mm
Weight detailApproximately 510 g body only or 560 g including battery and SD card, excluding body capApproximately 495 g body only or 550 g including battery/card, excluding body cap
In the boxEN-EL14 battery, MH-24 charger, AN-DC3 strap, EG-CP14 audio-video cable, UC-E6 USB cable, DK-5 eyepiece cap, BS-1 shoe cover, DK-20 eyecup, BF-1B body cap and ViewNX 2 CD-ROMEN-EL25a battery, AN-DC29 strap, USB-C cable and BF-N1 body cap

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