Updated (October, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS 1D X vs Nikon D300S

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

96

"Very good high ISO performance even at 25,600"
dpreview.com | talking about the EOS-1D Mark IV's iso-noise
"Highly detailed 16MP images in a wide range of condition"
dpreview.com | talking about the EOS-1D Mark IV's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Movie format
Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Light sensitivity
High ISO
12,800 ISO
Weather sealed
Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
Rapid fire
10 fps
Shutter lag
Barely any delay taking photos
104 ms shutter lag
Focus points
Many focus points
45
Nikon D300S

95

"Most high-end DSLRs feature Magnesium alloy construction but the D300 stood out as a particularly weighty and well-constructed example"
dpreview.com | talking about the D300S's build-quality
"The D300S is not the standout product that its predecessor was and unless you find your clients are clamoring for video footage... that shouldn't take away from an absolutely excellent product - a gently polished and refined update of a product that we considered a benchmark when it was released."
dpreview.com | talking about the D300S's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Nikon D300S

Weather sealed
Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Focus points
Many focus points
51
Viewfinder coverage
Great viewfinder coverage
100%
Storage slots
More storage slots
2
Thickness
Thin
2.9"
Built-in flash
Built-in flash
External flash not needed

differences

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,320 ISO vs 787 ISO
Help
The EOS-1D Mark IV has a slight edge (0.7 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points 39 vs 15
Help
Grab focus in difficult situations
Overall image quality Better image quality 74.0 vs 70.0
Help
Around 10% better image quality
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 104 ms vs 225 ms
Help
2.2x less delay when taking photos
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
The EOS-1D Mark IV's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 10 fps vs 7 fps
Help
More than 40% faster continuous shooting
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 102,400 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
The EOS-1D Mark IV's boost ISO is 4 f-stops better
True resolution Higher true resolution 16 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-H 27.9x18.6mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Help
Around 40% larger sensor
Color depth Better color depth 22.8 bits vs 22.5 bits
Help
Distinguishes 0.3 more bits of color
Battery life Longer battery life 1500 shots vs 950 shots
Help
Around 60% more shots per battery charge
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Learn more about
the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Advantages of the Nikon D300S

Lens availability More lenses available 169 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
Around 40% more lenses available
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Size Significantly smaller 147x114x74 mm vs 156x157x80 mm
Help
Around 40% smaller
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.62x vs 0.59x
Help
Around 10% larger viewfinder
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 12 EV
Help
0.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Focus points More focus points 51 vs 45
Help
Set focus accurately within the frame
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
Around 30% less delay when turning on
Lowest price Significantly cheaper $1,699.99 vs $4,999.99
Help
The best price we've seen is $3,300 cheaper (2.9x less)
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
Weight Significantly lighter 938 g vs 1,230 g
Help
More than 20% lighter
Thickness Thinner 2.9" vs 3.1"
Help
Around 10% thinner
Nikon D300S Learn more about
the Nikon D300S
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
96 vs 95
Explain scores
Nikon D300S Nikon D300S
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS-1D Mark IV
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV vs Nikon D300S
NikonD300S
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
1
1
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
1
1
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
1
1
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
1
1
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
1
1
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
1
1
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
1
1
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Focus points Many focus points Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:45
D300S:51
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
920k dots
Cross type focus points Many cross-type focus points Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:39
D300S:15
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:400 ms
D300S:300 ms
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
Weight Heavy Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:1,230 g
D300S:938 g
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
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

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.

True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:16 MP
D300S:12.2 MP
Sensor size Very small sensors Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:APS-H 27.9x18.6mm
D300S:APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Viewfinder size Below average viewfinder size Help
EOS-1D Mark IV:0.59x
D300S:0.62x

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Cross type focus points Has slightly fewer cross-type focus points
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens

Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Focus points Has significantly fewer focus points
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens

Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Viewfinder coverage Slightly less viewfinder coverage
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only

Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Weight Is slightly heavier
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Nikon D3S

Nikon D3S

Pro DSLR

$5,197 body only

Low light performance Is much less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens

Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Weight Is slightly lighter
Thickness Is thicker
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Pro DSLR

$7,714 body only

Viewfinder size Much larger viewfinder
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Movie format Does not take movies
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Nikon D3X

Nikon D3X

Pro DSLR

$8,000 body only

Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Cross type focus points Many fewer cross-type focus points
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly slower
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$6,000 body only

Screen size Significantly larger screen
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder
Cross type focus points Many fewer cross-type focus points
Size Larger

Nikon D300S Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens

Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Better image quality
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Focus points Many fewer focus points
Nikon D300

Nikon D300

Pro DSLR

$1,673 - $1,816 body only

$2,639 with 16-85mm lens

Movie format Does not take movies
Overall image quality Worse image quality

appearance

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Nikon D300S
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Nikon D300S
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Nikon D300S

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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