Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Canon EOS-1D Mark III vs Nikon D7000

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

64

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Weather sealed
Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
Rapid fire
10 fps
Sensor size
Large sensor
APS-H 28.7x18.7mm
Shutter lag
Barely any delay taking photos
94 ms shutter lag
Battery life
Great battery life
2200 shots
Focus points
Many focus points
45
Nikon D90

62

Tie

Nikon D90

"Although the buttons have been redesigned and are a lot easier to press the layout is identical to the D80."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's button-layout
"Fast Autofocus with useful control options"
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's auto-focus

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Dynamic range
Wide dynamic range
12.5 EV
Viewfinder size
Large viewfinder
0.63x
Badge
Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses

differences

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
Sealed to shoot in the rain
Focus points Significantly more focus points 45 vs 11
Help
Set focus accurately within the frame
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 10 fps vs 4.5 fps
Help
More than 2x faster continuous shooting
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 2200 shots vs 850 shots
Help
More than 2.5x more shots per battery charge
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points 19 vs 1
Help
Grab focus in difficult situations
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 94 ms vs 208 ms
Help
2.2x less delay when taking photos
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 96%
Help
Almost the same
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-H 28.7x18.7mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Help
More than 40% larger sensor
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 1,078 ISO vs 977 ISO
Help
The EOS-1D Mark III has a slight edge (0.1 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 100 ms vs 300 ms
Help
3x less delay when turning on
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
2x faster max shutter speed
Canon EOS-1D Mark III Learn more about
the Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Advantages of the Nikon D90

Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 930k dots vs 230k dots
Help
More than 4x higher resolution screen
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
0.8 f-stops more dynamic range
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Lens availability More lenses available 169 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
Around 40% more lenses available
Size Much smaller 132x103x77 mm vs 156x157x80 mm
Help
Around 50% smaller
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 73.0 vs 71.0
Help
Almost the same
True resolution Higher true resolution 12.2 MP vs 10.1 MP
Help
Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Weight Much lighter 703 g vs 1,335 g
Help
Around 50% lighter
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.63x vs 0.61x
Help
Around 10% larger viewfinder
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.1"
Help
Almost the same
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Canon EOS-1D Mark III
64 vs 62
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro DSLR with a entry-level DSLR.

advice

Need help deciding?

Ask the community!

I am considering either the Canon EOS-1D Mark III or the Nikon D90,
For example: Taking photos in low light or great family photos or ability to take great photos underwater

Select aspects that are most important to you: (max 3)

Popular tags:

Are you a camera expert? Share your knowledge!

0
votes
by Deanna-Strieb last week
Canon T3i vs Nikon D90

I'm mainly taking pictures of my children but am super picky!  I don't want to do manual setting...

0
votes
by Lisa-Bunn last month
Canon T3i vs Nikon D90

been stealing my dad's d-slr for quite some time for mini photo shoots with my dogs and friends ...

0
votes
by Howard-Ridge last month
Nikon D40 vs Nikon D90

Was a very keen amateur photographer in the old days 35mm and had a few dslrs.

1
votes
by Lance-Villanueva-Ramos last month
Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D90

Beginner,capturing the moment of different events

2 people recommend the Nikon D3100:

" D3100 is going to have better video capabilities which you outlined as a need, image quality wil..."

"The D3100 is better for beginners because it has a great guide that will help you set up the camer..."

0
votes
by Kate-Hughes 2 days ago
Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D90

I am a beginner is DSLR photography & have been researching entry level models. I kep coming bac...

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
EOS-1D Mark III:100 ms
D90:300 ms
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
6,400 ISO
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
EOS-1D Mark III:10.1 MP
D90:12.2 MP
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Movie format One shoots movies Help
EOS-1D Mark III:None
D90:720p @ 24fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,500 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Weight Is slightly heavier
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,690 - $1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens

External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Thickness Is thinner
Weight Is slightly heavier
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Nikon D300

Nikon D300

Pro DSLR

$2,000 body only

Thickness Is thinner
Weight Is slightly heavier
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Placeholder

Canon EOS-1Ds

Pro DSLR

Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder
Screen size Much smaller screen
Live view No live view
Canon EOS 5D

Canon EOS 5D

Pro DSLR

$3,991 - $4,273 with 24-105mm lens

Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Screen size Much smaller screen
Live view No live view
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,499 - $3,500 body only

$4,299 - $4,300 with 24-105mm lens

Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Battery life Significantly shorter battery life
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly slower

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens

Overall image quality Better image quality
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Viewfinder size Significantly smaller viewfinder
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Higher resolution movies
Autofocus Video autofocus
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $700 with 18-55mm lens

True resolution Much higher true resolution
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Viewfinder size Significantly smaller viewfinder
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor

appearance

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Nikon D90
Canon EOS-1D Mark III Nikon D90
Canon EOS-1D Mark III Nikon D90

discussion

Showing 0 comments