With Canon and Nikon both competing to dominate the entry-level category, they have both released video friendly DSLRs to tempt enthusiast and professional videographers. Despite the two DSLRs coming from different manufacturers, they have a lot in common. They are both useful upgrades to current digital SLRs (the Canon T3i and the D5100), and are designed to strengthen their markets by extending into movie making, which both Canon and Nikon recognize as potential areas for expansion. It is clear that Nikon and Canon are treating the beginner level market as a major battleground, particularly in the USA.
The Canon T4i doesn't feel quite as sturdy as the D5200, but it is solid enough for everyday use. It is a bit bigger than the D5200 though, and so easier for someone with average sized hands to hold. The scroll-wheel clicks reassuringly as it spins and the rear buttons are tactile. The modelling on the back of the Canon T4i is well thought out and has more buttons, making diving into the menu settings a lot quicker and easier. Some are multioption buttons, which can take some thought. For example, the same button that begins recording video in movie mode also allows Live View in still shooting mode. The minor downside of this is that some of the buttons are too close together. However, the Canon T4i offers a dedicated ISO button, and immediate access to white balance, drive mode, and AF settings (the D5200 lacks all of these). There is an IR sensor on the front of the camera, but no Fn button as there isn't really any requirement for it.
Both cameras have an articulating LCD view screen. The Canon T4i has a recognizable larger resolution than that of the D5200. The Canon's liquid crystal display viewingscreen has 1040 thousand pixels, while the D5200 has 921 thousand. One of the the Canon T4i's best selling points is that the LCD view screen is touch sensitive. This makes it much easier to program settings and, more importantly, it lets you select a focus point through Live View. You can also shoot your photo by tapping on the area where you want the digital SLR to focus. These are very progressive and useful options, taken from the Compact System Camera (CSC) categories that are available now. It is splendid to see this technology being adopted by the Canon T4i as it makes it far more useable than any other camera in its bracket.
The Canon's phase detect AutoFocus system is extremely fast. Although it has only 9-point AF system, against the 39-points of the D5200, it is both responsive and accurate for normal picture taking. The Canon T4i lacks a dedicated AF assist light, but it is able to use its built-in flash in these circumstances. The T4i offers full-time AF in video mode, which competes with the D5200 and, with Canon's STM lenses, the focussing is silent enough for shooting video. It also has an external Mic socket. It is fair to say that the Canon Rebel T4i is probably the better DSLR for shooting movies. The liquid crystal display backscreen, full-time AF, and external Mic make it perfect for your everyday video needs.
The Nikon D5200 is a solidly built camera and smaller than it's predecessor, the D5100. This could introduce issues for those of us with large (average!) hands. It doesn't always have the feel of an ordinary DSLR, especially when attached to a larger lens. While it doesn't equal the build specifications of the magnesium alloy D7000, the tough plastic body feels fairly solid and sturdy. The layout at the back is easy to navigate with an array of buttons to make access to the multiple functions simple to follow. Live view is easily accessed and movie recording can be started with a press of a single button. It has just a single control wheel which is snappy and responsive. There is an IR spot on the front of the camera and also a dedicated AF assist light, which the Canon T4i lacks. On the right side there is a customizable Fn button which can be used to control image quality, ISO, active-D lighting, or white balance (there are no dedicated single buttons for these options). The pop-up flash automatic in green mode, meaning that the flash will open on its own if the camera thinks it is needed.
The LCD screen is taken from the D5100, where it was hugely popular. Like with the Canon T4i, it is very handy for shooting at unusual angles and is particularly useful when shooting films. The help features are good and make the Nikon D5200 quite novice friendly. The visual display rotates with the camera, meaning that text on the status screen won't show sideways when you're photographing uprights. The playback mode is quick and efficient you won't have to wait for photos to load. And there is a comprehensive info screen which lets you manage just about every shooting parameter that the camera has t choose from. However the four way selector is not as simple to use as the one on the Canon. The Nikon D5200 doesn't have as many buttons on the back as the Canon T4i, making some of the menu choices difficult to locate. The new(ish) Expeed 3 processor makes the Nikon fast and decisive in phase detect AF and extremely fast in Live View. The D5200's articulating screen comes in handy for shooting video, and Nikon have increased the choices of frame rate options, introducing 60i and 50i. Like the Canon T4i, it will accept an external microphone and has full-time video AutoFocus.
At low very ISO, the Canon T4i equals the Nikon, though the D5200 is a little better at maximum (non-expanded) ISO. Overall, the Nikon offers slightly better image quality than the Canon. Remember, the Canon T4i also has a physically smaller sensor than the D5200. It may not seem like much, but 1.6x rather than 1.5x, combined with the increased resolution, puts the Nikon D5200 on top. For more information on the sensors, take a look at the sensor scores published by DxO labs.
To summarize, the Canon Rebel T4i has superb AutoFocus, a splendid articulated touchscreen and is a truly superb video camera. The Nikon D5200 has remarkable, fast AutoFocus, a good articulating screen, a great buffer/processor and very useful in-camera guides.
In my opinion if you had no lens loyalty either way, the Canon T4i would be the better camera to purchase. The difference in image quality is hardly noticeable under average conditions and the Canon certainly competes with the D5200 on the video front. Whilst both cameras are superb in their own ways, the Nikon D5200 costs more than the small improvements over the Canon T4i would warrant.
The Canon T4i doesn't feel quite as sturdy as the D5200, but it is solid enough for everyday use. It is a bit bigger than the D5200 though, and so easier for someone with average sized hands to hold. The scroll-wheel clicks reassuringly as it spins and the rear buttons are tactile. The modelling on the back of the Canon T4i is well thought out and has more buttons, making diving into the menu settings a lot quicker and easier. Some are multioption buttons, which can take some thought. For example, the same button that begins recording video in movie mode also allows Live View in still shooting mode. The minor downside of this is that some of the buttons are too close together. However, the Canon T4i offers a dedicated ISO button, and immediate access to white balance, drive mode, and AF settings (the D5200 lacks all of these). There is an IR sensor on the front of the camera, but no Fn button as there isn't really any requirement for it.
Both cameras have an articulating LCD view screen. The Canon T4i has a recognizable larger resolution than that of the D5200. The Canon's liquid crystal display viewingscreen has 1040 thousand pixels, while the D5200 has 921 thousand. One of the the Canon T4i's best selling points is that the LCD view screen is touch sensitive. This makes it much easier to program settings and, more importantly, it lets you select a focus point through Live View. You can also shoot your photo by tapping on the area where you want the digital SLR to focus. These are very progressive and useful options, taken from the Compact System Camera (CSC) categories that are available now. It is splendid to see this technology being adopted by the Canon T4i as it makes it far more useable than any other camera in its bracket.
The Canon's phase detect AutoFocus system is extremely fast. Although it has only 9-point AF system, against the 39-points of the D5200, it is both responsive and accurate for normal picture taking. The Canon T4i lacks a dedicated AF assist light, but it is able to use its built-in flash in these circumstances. The T4i offers full-time AF in video mode, which competes with the D5200 and, with Canon's STM lenses, the focussing is silent enough for shooting video. It also has an external Mic socket. It is fair to say that the Canon Rebel T4i is probably the better DSLR for shooting movies. The liquid crystal display backscreen, full-time AF, and external Mic make it perfect for your everyday video needs.
The Nikon D5200 is a solidly built camera and smaller than it's predecessor, the D5100. This could introduce issues for those of us with large (average!) hands. It doesn't always have the feel of an ordinary DSLR, especially when attached to a larger lens. While it doesn't equal the build specifications of the magnesium alloy D7000, the tough plastic body feels fairly solid and sturdy. The layout at the back is easy to navigate with an array of buttons to make access to the multiple functions simple to follow. Live view is easily accessed and movie recording can be started with a press of a single button. It has just a single control wheel which is snappy and responsive. There is an IR spot on the front of the camera and also a dedicated AF assist light, which the Canon T4i lacks. On the right side there is a customizable Fn button which can be used to control image quality, ISO, active-D lighting, or white balance (there are no dedicated single buttons for these options). The pop-up flash automatic in green mode, meaning that the flash will open on its own if the camera thinks it is needed.
The LCD screen is taken from the D5100, where it was hugely popular. Like with the Canon T4i, it is very handy for shooting at unusual angles and is particularly useful when shooting films. The help features are good and make the Nikon D5200 quite novice friendly. The visual display rotates with the camera, meaning that text on the status screen won't show sideways when you're photographing uprights. The playback mode is quick and efficient you won't have to wait for photos to load. And there is a comprehensive info screen which lets you manage just about every shooting parameter that the camera has t choose from. However the four way selector is not as simple to use as the one on the Canon. The Nikon D5200 doesn't have as many buttons on the back as the Canon T4i, making some of the menu choices difficult to locate. The new(ish) Expeed 3 processor makes the Nikon fast and decisive in phase detect AF and extremely fast in Live View. The D5200's articulating screen comes in handy for shooting video, and Nikon have increased the choices of frame rate options, introducing 60i and 50i. Like the Canon T4i, it will accept an external microphone and has full-time video AutoFocus.
At low very ISO, the Canon T4i equals the Nikon, though the D5200 is a little better at maximum (non-expanded) ISO. Overall, the Nikon offers slightly better image quality than the Canon. Remember, the Canon T4i also has a physically smaller sensor than the D5200. It may not seem like much, but 1.6x rather than 1.5x, combined with the increased resolution, puts the Nikon D5200 on top. For more information on the sensors, take a look at the sensor scores published by DxO labs.
To summarize, the Canon Rebel T4i has superb AutoFocus, a splendid articulated touchscreen and is a truly superb video camera. The Nikon D5200 has remarkable, fast AutoFocus, a good articulating screen, a great buffer/processor and very useful in-camera guides.
In my opinion if you had no lens loyalty either way, the Canon T4i would be the better camera to purchase. The difference in image quality is hardly noticeable under average conditions and the Canon certainly competes with the D5200 on the video front. Whilst both cameras are superb in their own ways, the Nikon D5200 costs more than the small improvements over the Canon T4i would warrant.
About the Author:
Jeremy Bayston has worked in the photographic industry for two decades. He has a particular interest in digital imagery. Learn more about the new Nikon D5200 on his website www.d5200.org and download a free 25 page guide to the new camera. Discover more about the Canon rebel T4i on his website www.rebel-T4i.com. Both sites offer expert advice and reviews of Nikon and Canon products.
