Nikon D5100 has a
16.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 2 processor. On the other hand, Canon SL2 has a
24.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 7 processor.
Canon SL2's sensor provides 8MP more than Nikon D5100'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.
Below you can see the D5100 and SL2 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D5100 and Canon SL2 Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D5100 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon SL2. 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
Both Nikon D5100 and Canon SL2 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark 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. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, D5100 has scored 80, 1 points higher than SL2.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon D5100
80
23.5 bits
13.6 Evs
1183 ISO
Canon SL2
79
23.6 bits
13.4 Evs
1041 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Nikon D5100
or the
Canon SL2 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
