Nikon D5100 vs Sony Alpha 560 — Which Is Better?

The Nikon D5100 and the Sony Alpha 560 are both DSLRs, giving each the same reflex viewing design. The D5100 arrived a year later, in 2011, and is the smaller, lighter carry at 128 x 97 x 79 mm and 560 g, against 137 x 104 x 84 mm and 599 g.

The native lens systems are the other early decision. The D5100 takes Nikon F DX lenses and the Alpha 560 takes Sony Alpha DT glass, and neither mount accepts the other's optics, so any lenses you already own point the way.

The D5100 is the stronger choice for heavy cropping and large prints, offering 16.2 megapixels against 14.2 in the Alpha 560. Both use APS-C CMOS sensors, so the extra pixels serve tighter wildlife crops or landscape details within the same sensor format.

The Alpha 560 answers with in-body stabilisation, which the D5100 lacks, steadying handheld shots at slower shutter speeds with any attached lens. It also offers a 5 fps burst against 4 fps and 15 autofocus points against 11, both useful for moving subjects. Its native ISO ceiling of 12800 is twice the D5100's 6400, and expanded settings reach 25600 on both.

For editing flexibility, the Alpha 560 has the higher video frame-rate ceiling, 60 fps against 30 fps on the D5100, while both cameras top out at Full HD resolution. Those extra frames allow smoother motion and half-speed playback for action clips.

The D5100 offers a built-in timelapse mode instead, producing a finished sunrise or cloudscape clip in camera. The file formats differ as well, with AVCHD and MP4 on the Sony and MPEG-4, MOV and H.264 on the Nikon.

Both cameras make awkward angles easier, with a 3-inch LCD that flips out for waist-level or overhead composition, plus live view, a built-in flash and external flash support. Their screen dot counts nearly match at 921000 and 921600.

Neither body offers touch control, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or weather sealing, so geotagging travel shots and wireless transfer both need external solutions on either camera.

For time between charges, the D5100 carries the far higher rating at 2200 shots against 550 on the Alpha 560. That rated 1650-shot lead favours the Nikon across a long shooting day.

Both bodies use a single card slot with no USB charging, so spare batteries and cards are part of either kit. The Alpha 560 adds Memory Stick Pro Duo and Pro-HG Duo support alongside SD, SDHC and SDXC cards, a convenience if you already own Sony media.