Canon EOS
5D Mark III
 vs
Nikon
D4

Updated (March, 2013): Compare the Canon EOS 7D MII vs Nikon D4

Nikon D4

94

  
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

85

  
Winner

Nikon D4

Reasons to buy the Nikon D4

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,965 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
89.0
Screen size
 Large screen
3.2"
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
11 fps
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
 

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Screen size
 Large screen
3.2"
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
25,600 ISO
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
120 ms shutter lag
 

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark III
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points 41 vs 15
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 22.1 MP vs 15.9 MP
Help
 Capture around 40% more detail in your photos
Size Much smaller 152x116x76 mm vs 160x157x91 mm
Help
 More than 40% smaller
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark III's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 120 ms vs 208 ms
Help
 More than 40% less delay when taking photos
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 1,040k dots vs 920k dots
Help
 More than 10% higher resolution screen
Thickness Much thinner 3" vs 3.6"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Focus points More focus points 61 vs 51
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Weight Significantly lighter 950 g vs 1,340 g
Help
 Around 30% lighter
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.70x
Help
 Almost the same
Lowest price Cheaper $3,249.95 vs $5,996.95
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,747 cheaper (around 50% less)
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 125 lenses vs 121 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark III

Advantages of the Nikon D4
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 2,965 ISO vs 2,293 ISO
Help
 The D4 has a slight edge (0.4 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Battery life Much longer battery life 2600 shots vs 950 shots
Help
 More than 2.5x more shots per battery charge
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13.1 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
 1.4 f-stops more dynamic range
Overall image quality Better image quality 89.0 vs 81.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 11 fps vs 6 fps
Help
 More than 80% faster continuous shooting
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 204,800 ISO vs 102,400 ISO
Help
 The D4's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Color depth Better color depth 24.7 bits vs 24 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.7 more bits of color
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 300 ms vs 500 ms
Help
 40% less delay when turning on
Nikon D4 Learn more about
the Nikon D4
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Canon EOS 5D Mark III
85 vs 94
Explain scores
Nikon D4 Nikon D4
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D4.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Low light performance Relatively low noise at high ISO Help
5D Mark III:2,293 ISO
D4:2,965 ISO
Screen size Larger than average screens Help
3.2"
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Focus points Many focus points Help
5D Mark III:61
D4:51
Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
5D Mark III:0.71x
D4:0.70x
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Light sensitivity (boost) Very good boost ISO Help
5D Mark III:102,400 ISO
D4:204,800 ISO
Viewfinder coverage Above average viewfinder coverage Help
100%
Storage slots Multiple storage slots Help
2
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
Professional
Weight Heavy Help
5D Mark III:950 g
D4:1,340 g
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
GPS No built-in GPS Help
Missing geo-tagging

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,797 body only

$3,187 with 70-300mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
True resolution Takes much higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Light sensitivity (boost) Significantly lower boost light sensitivity
Compare the D800 vs the EOS 5D Mark III
Compare the D800 vs the D4
Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

Pro DSLR

$1,999 body only

$2,599 with 24-105mm lens
Size Is slightly smaller
GPS Has a built-in GPS
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 5D Mark III
Compare the EOS 6D vs the D4
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,479 body only

$2,699 - $3,000 with 24-105mm lens
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Light sensitivity (boost) Significantly lower boost light sensitivity
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 5D Mark III
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D4
Nikon D600

Nikon D600

Pro DSLR

$1,997 body only

$2,397 with 24-85mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Built-in flash Has a built-in flash
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D600 vs the EOS 5D Mark III
Compare the D600 vs the D4
Canon EOS 1D X

Canon EOS 1D X

Pro DSLR

$6,799 body only
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
Light sensitivity Much higher maximum light sensitivity
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 1D X vs the EOS 5D Mark III
Compare the EOS 1D X vs the D4
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,499 body only

$1,699 with 28-135mm lens
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Light sensitivity (boost) Significantly lower boost light sensitivity
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark III
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D4
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Light sensitivity (boost) Significantly lower boost light sensitivity
Sensor size Has a significantly smaller sensor
Compare the D7100 vs the EOS 5D Mark III
Compare the D7100 vs the D4

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

Nikon D4 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D4.

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Nikon D4
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Nikon D4
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Nikon D4

discussion

Showing 5 comments

Avatar for Indranil Chatterjee Indranil Chatterjee (7:30 PM, April 23, 2013)
both r great
 
Avatar for Athena.Long Athena.Long (11:40 PM, September 14, 2012)
Cynthia - I'm a Canon girl, and am not bothered/see any bais here. Almost consistently, my Canon's get beat by comparable Nikons, but I never get angry or anything. What's your deal?

As Nekkon2002 said, it's based on specs, not opinions. (the only gripe i could have with Snapsort is that it's presented as an advantage that the D4 has a full frame sensor at 36x24, implying that the 5DIII does not, when it in fact has the same exact type and size as the D4, and therefore should not be singly listed)

And how is it that it's slanted toward Canon when it says that the D4 wins?

You're illogical and just want to complain. THANK YOU SNAPSORT for being a great, easy to understand, and FREE RESOURCE. Oh yeah and that reminds me, you're also ungrateful.
 
Nekkon2002 (9:08 PM, April 20, 2012)
I dont see how unbalanced it is. It is based on numbers and factory specs, not comments. 
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (4:23 PM, March 28, 2012)
Hey @4da27dabc076548405f1d691f81c2e02:disqus Snapsort, is independent and doesn't have any brand preferences. We try to offer a side by side comparison of most cameras, so you can see why one camera is better than another. Sorry that you felt our review was slanted, but we try to only represent the facts.
 
cynthia (3:39 PM, March 28, 2012)
I found this review to be very slanted toward the cannons.  I will look elsewhere for a more balanced review.