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, Nikon D3000 has a
10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Expeed processor.
Nikon D5100's sensor provides 6MP more than Nikon D3000'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 D3000 sensor size comparison.
Nikon D5100 and Nikon D3000 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Nikon D5100 and Nikon D3000 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, 18 points higher than D3000.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D5100 |
80 |
23.5 bits |
13.6 Evs |
1183 ISO |
Nikon D3000 |
62 |
22.3 bits |
11.1 Evs |
563 ISO |