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Canon 600D vs Nikon D3300 Comparison

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Canon 600D

18 MP | APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon 600D
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Nikon D3300

24 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon D3300
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Canon 600D vs Nikon D3300 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing 600D and D3300, two Entry-Level DSLR cameras from Canon and Nikon. Both cameras have APS-C sensors but Canon 600D has a 18.0 MP and Nikon D3300 has a 24.0 MP resolution. Canon 600D was introduced to market in March 2011 and Nikon D3300 was launched in April 2014. As you can see, 600D is 3 years older than D3300. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 600D Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-03-31
  • 18MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 6400 ( expands to 12800)
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 4 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 570g. 133 x 100 x 80 mm
  • Also known as EOS Rebel T3i / EOS Kiss X5
  • Replaced Canon EOS 550D Compare

Nikon D3300 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-21
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 12800 ( expands to 25600)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 430g. 124 x 98 x 76 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D3200 Compare

Canon 600D was replaced by Canon EOS 650D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 650D vs Canon EOS 600D (EOS Rebel T3i / EOS Kiss X5)
Canon EOS 650D vs Nikon D3300

Nikon D3300 was replaced by Nikon D3400. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D3400 vs Nikon D3300
Nikon D3400 vs Canon EOS 600D (EOS Rebel T3i / EOS Kiss X5)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 600D over Nikon D3300
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
LCD Screen Resolution
1.040k dots vs 921k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Flash Coverage
13.0m vs 12.0m 1m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
18.54µm2 vs 15.28µm2 21% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies


Reasons to choose Nikon D3300 over Canon EOS 600D
Viewfinder Magnification
0.57x vs 0.53x Larger Viewfinder
Max Sensor Resolution
24 MP vs 18 MP 33% more pixels
Max ISO
12.800 vs 6.400 100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
11 vs 9 2 more focus points
Continuous Shooting
5.0fps vs 4.0fps 1 fps faster
Battery Life
700 shots vs 440 shots 260 more frames with a single charge
Weight
430 g vs 570 g 140 g lighter
Color Depth
24.3 vs 22.1 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
12.8 vs 11.5 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
1385 vs 793 better High ISO performance
UHS Card Support
UHS-I vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds

Common Strengths of Canon EOS 600D and Nikon D3300
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
18 MP vs 24 MP Bigger prints and more details
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS 600D and Nikon D3300
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Optical Viewfinder Type
Pentamirror vs Pentamirror not as bright as Pentaprism Viewfinders
AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune)
No vs No no option to fine tune Auto focus
New4
Canon 600D vs Nikon D3300: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon 600D has external dimensions of 133 x 100 x 80 mm (5.24 x 3.94 x 3.15″) and weighs 570 g (1.26 lb / 20.11 oz) (including batteries). Nikon D3300 has external dimensions of 124 x 98 x 76 mm (4.88 x 3.86 x 2.99″) and weighs 430 g (0.95 lb / 15.17 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 600D and Nikon D3300. Nikon D3300 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 9mm narrower, 2mm shorter and 4mm thinner than Canon 600D.

Canon 600D vs Nikon D3300 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Canon 600D and Nikon D3300.

Canon 600D vs Nikon D3300 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Canon 600D and Nikon D3300.
Canon 600D vs Nikon D3300 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D3300 is significantly lighter (140g ) than the Canon 600D which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 have the same APS-C sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

600D
D3300
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

600D
D3300
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Canon EOS 600D (EOS Rebel T3i / EOS Kiss X5) nor Nikon D3300 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Canon 600D and Nikon D3300's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Canon 600D sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Nikon D3300's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to 600D.
Canon 600D vs Nikon D3300: Sensor Comparison

Canon 600D has a 18.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor. On the other hand, Nikon D3300 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor.

Nikon D3300's sensor provides 6MP more than Canon 600D's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Nikon D3300's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the 600D and D3300 sensor size comparison.

Canon 600D vs Nikon D3300 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 Cameras


As seen above, Nikon D3300 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon 600D. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D3300 has a better overall score of 82, 17 points higher compared to 600D's score of 65.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Canon 600D 65 22.1 bits 11.5 Evs 793 ISO
Nikon D3300 82 24.3 bits 12.8 Evs 1385 ISO
Canon 600D vs Nikon D3300 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon 600D has an advantage over Nikon D3300. There are 326 lenses for Canon 600D's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 309 lenses for Nikon D3300's Nikon F lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 112 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount and 106 lenses for Nikon F mount with IS.

Lens Type # of Canon 600D Lenses # of Nikon D3300 Lenses
Standard Zoom 40 33
Standard Prime 19 21
Wideangle Zoom 37 33
Wideangle Prime 49 48
Telephoto Zoom 58 53
Telephoto Prime 43 45
SuperZoom 28 30
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 7 8
Macro Prime 28 26
Perspective Control Prime 16 11
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 1
TOTAL 326 309


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM Lens Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
25.5 - 82.5mm 645gr 1215gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF Lens Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF
25.5 - 82.5mm 755gr 1185gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM
75 - 225mm 1350gr 1920gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM
75 - 225mm 1350gr 1780gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM Lens Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM
45mm 435gr 1005gr 63mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 35mm f1.8G Lens Nikon 35mm f1.8G
52.5mm 210gr 640gr 53mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM Lens Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM
15 - 30mm 520gr 1090gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED Lens Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED
15 - 36mm 460gr 890gr 87mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM
22.5 - 127.5mm 575gr 1145gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR Lens Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR
24 - 120mm 480gr 910gr 86mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM
100 - 400mm 1590gr 2160gr 193mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR
80 - 400mm 1570gr 2000gr 203mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon 600D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3300 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon 600D for Street Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3300 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Canon 600D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3300 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
1 Cross Type Focus sensors
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
1 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 700 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon 600D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3300 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Large Body
570g
Body Thickness 80mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
430g
Body Thickness 76mm
Read the details

Canon 600D for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3300 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon 600D vs Nikon D3300: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon 600D and Nikon D3300, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon 600D and Nikon D3300 scores compare:

Canon 600D
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #34 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #250 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Nikon D3300
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #27 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #209 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Nikon D3300 has a higher Overall Score than the Canon 600D and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Canon 600D
Canon 600D
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Nikon D3300
Nikon D3300
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Nikon D3300 vs Canon 600D Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Canon EOS 600D Nikon D3300
Brand Canon Nikon
Announced 2011-03-31 2014-04-21
Body Type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size APS-C APS-C
Dimensions 22.3 x 14.9 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 332.27mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 18 megapixels 24 megapixels
Max Resolution 5184 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 12800 ISO 25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 9 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Canon EF/EF-S Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses 326 309
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Fixed type
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 1,040k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.53x 0.57x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 13.00 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync 1/200s 1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 4.0 fps 5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Eye-Fi Connected Optional
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 570g 430g
Dimensions 133 x 100 x 80mm 124 x 98 x 76mm
Battery Life 440 shots 700 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 65 82
DxO Color Depth 22.1 24.3
DxO Dynamic Range 11.5 12.8
DxO Low Light ISO 793 1385
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