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Nikon D5100 vs Fujifilm X-E1 Comparison

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Nikon D5100

16 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon D5100
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Fujifilm X-E1

16 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.6 mm) CMOS X-TRANS I Sensor

Fujifilm X-E1
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Nikon D5100 vs Fujifilm X-E1 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon D5100, which was introduced in April 2011 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 16.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Fujifilm X-E1, which was introduced in February 2013 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 16.0MP APS-C sensor. There is 22 months difference between D5100 and X-E1 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger X-E1, especially in sensor tech.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D5100 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-04-26
  • 16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 6400 ( expands to 25600)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 4 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 560g. 128 x 97 x 79 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D5000 Compare

Fujifilm X-E1 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2013-02-28
  • 16MP - APS-C CMOS X-TRANS I Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 6400 ( expands to 25600)
  • Fujifilm X Mount
  • 2.8" Fixed Type Screen
  • 2360k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 6 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 350g. 129 x 75 x 38 mm

Nikon D5100 was replaced by Nikon D5200. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D5200 vs Nikon D5100
Nikon D5200 vs Fujifilm X-E1

Fujifilm X-E1 was replaced by Fujifilm X-E2. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Fujifilm X-E2 vs Fujifilm X-E1
Fujifilm X-E2 vs Nikon D5100

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon D5100 over Fujifilm X-E1
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.8" 0.2 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 460k dots 100% higher resolution screen
Battery Life
660 shots vs 350 shots 310 more frames with a single charge
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
AE Bracketing Range
±2 EV vs ±1 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies


Reasons to choose Fujifilm X-E1 over Nikon D5100
Viewfinder Magnification
0.62x vs 0.52x Larger Viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage
100% vs 95% More accurate viewfinder
Continuous Shooting
6.0fps vs 4.0fps 2 fps faster
Weight
350 g vs 560 g 210 g lighter

Common Strengths of Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1
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 (Electronic) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.8" Small display
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Nikon D5100 vs Fujifilm X-E1: 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 Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon D5100 has external dimensions of 128 x 97 x 79 mm (5.04 x 3.82 x 3.11″) and weighs 560 g (1.23 lb / 19.75 oz) (including batteries). Fujifilm X-E1 has external dimensions of 129 x 75 x 38 mm (5.08 x 2.95 x 1.5″) and weighs 350 g (0.77 lb / 12.35 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1. Fujifilm X-E1 is 22mm shorter and 41mm thinner than Nikon D5100 but it is also 1mm wider.

Nikon D5100 vs Fujifilm X-E1 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1.

Nikon D5100 vs Fujifilm X-E1 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1.
Nikon D5100 vs Fujifilm X-E1 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Fujifilm X-E1 is significantly lighter (210g ) than the Nikon D5100 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 Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 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

Mirrorless Cameras

D5100
X-E1
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

D5100
X-E1
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon D5100 nor Fujifilm X-E1 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
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon D5100's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Fujifilm X-E1's 2.8" screen.

Moreover, Nikon D5100 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. On the other hand, Fujifilm X-E1 has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to D5100.
Nikon D5100 vs Fujifilm X-E1: Sensor Comparison

Both Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 have APS-C sized 16.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.

Below you can see the D5100 and X-E1 sensor size comparison.

Nikon D5100 vs Fujifilm X-E1 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 Cameras


Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

Nikon D5100 vs Fujifilm X-E1 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 Nikon D5100 has an advantage over Fujifilm X-E1. There are 309 lenses for Nikon D5100's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 56 lenses for Fujifilm X-E1's Fujifilm X 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 106 lenses for Nikon F mount and 13 lenses for Fujifilm X mount with IS.

Lens Type # of Nikon D5100 Lenses # of Fujifilm X-E1 Lenses
Standard Zoom 33 6
Standard Prime 21 14
Wideangle Zoom 33 3
Wideangle Prime 48 17
Telephoto Zoom 53 5
Telephoto Prime 45 5
SuperZoom 30 1
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 8 1
Macro Prime 26 2
Perspective Control Prime 11 2
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 n/a
TOTAL 309 56


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF Lens Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF
25.5 - 82.5mm 755gr 1315gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fujifilm 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR Lens Fujifilm 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR
24 - 82.5mm 655gr 1005gr 106mm 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 1910gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fujifilm 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS Lens Fujifilm 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS
82.5 - 300mm 580gr 930gr 118mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 35mm f1.8G Lens Nikon 35mm f1.8G
52.5mm 210gr 770gr 53mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fujifilm 35mm F1.4 R Lens Fujifilm 35mm F1.4 R
52.5mm 187gr 537gr 55mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED Lens Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED
15 - 36mm 460gr 1020gr 87mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fujifilm XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS Lens Fujifilm XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS
15 - 36mm 410gr 760gr 87mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR Lens Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR
24 - 120mm 480gr 1040gr 86mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fujifilm XF 16-80mm F4 R OIS WR Lens Fujifilm XF 16-80mm F4 R OIS WR
24 - 120mm 440gr 790gr 89mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR
80 - 400mm 1570gr 2130gr 203mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fujifilm XF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 Lens Fujifilm XF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6
150 - 600mm 1375gr 1725gr 211mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 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.

Nikon D5100 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Fujifilm X-E1 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon D5100 for Street Photography

GOOD

Fujifilm X-E1 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 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 (23.6 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon D5100 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Fujifilm X-E1 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
1 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 660 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Unknown Focus Points
Read the details

Nikon D5100 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Fujifilm X-E1 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Large Body
560g
Body Thickness 79mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
350g
Read the details

Nikon D5100 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Fujifilm X-E1 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon D5100 vs Fujifilm X-E1: 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 Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1, 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 Nikon D5100 and Fujifilm X-E1 scores compare:

Nikon D5100
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #24 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #196 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Fujifilm X-E1
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #89 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #391 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Nikon D5100 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Fujifilm X-E1 in all criteria except one: Portability. Fujifilm X-E1 is significantly smaller than Nikon D5100. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Fujifilm X-E1. Otherwise, Nikon D5100 is the better camera overall.

Nikon D5100
Nikon D5100
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Fujifilm X-E1
Fujifilm X-E1
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Fujifilm X-E1 vs Nikon D5100 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon D5100 Fujifilm X-E1
Brand Nikon Fujifilm
Announced 2011-04-26 2013-02-28
Body Type Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS X-TRANS I
Size APS-C APS-C
Dimensions 23.6 x 15.7 mm 23.6 x 15.6 mm
Area 370.52mm2 368.16mm2
Megapixels 16 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 4928 x 3264 4896 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 6,400 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 25600 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 11 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon F Fujifilm X
Number of Available Lenses 309 56
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Fixed type
Size 3" 2.8"
Resolution 921k dots 460k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 2,360k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.52x 0.62x
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 12.00 m (at ISO 100) n/a
Max Flash Sync 1/200s 1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 4.0 fps 6.0 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
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Eye-Fi Connected None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 560g 350g
Dimensions 128 x 97 x 79mm 129 x 75 x 38mm
Battery Life 660 shots 350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Optional None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 80 not tested
DxO Color Depth 23.5 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 13.6 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 1183 not tested
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