<p>I own the D800 and recently added the D5300. I have owned the D300, D70S (now converted to IR), and D70, and am familiar with the D7000 and D60.</p>
<p>Main advantages of the D5300 over the D7100: slightly better IQ, flip screen, smaller (about 20%) and lighter (479g vs 765g), cheaper, slightly better light sensitivity, and very slightly lower noise at high ISO.</p>
<p>Main advantages of the D7100 over the D5300: weather sealed, better battery life, more focus points, and built-in focus motor (so you can autofocus old Nikon and non-Nikon lenses).</p>
<p>For me, I was looking for a small size and flip screen primarily for potential street photography use and so I chose the D5300. <br>
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