Canon
EOS-1D Mark IV
 vs
Nikon
D90

Updated (October, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS 1D X vs Nikon D7000

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

100
"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

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
Battery life
 Great battery life
1500 shots
Focus points
 Many focus points
45
Nikon D90

75
Runner-up

Nikon D90
"Fast Autofocus with useful control options"
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's auto-focus
"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

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.5 EV
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses

differences

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points 39 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,320 ISO vs 977 ISO
Help
 The EOS-1D Mark IV has a slight edge (0.4 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 10 fps vs 4.5 fps
Help
 More than 2x faster continuous shooting
Focus points Many more focus points 45 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 104 ms vs 208 ms
Help
 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
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
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 96%
Help
 Almost the same
True resolution Higher true resolution 16 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Battery life Longer battery life 1500 shots vs 850 shots
Help
 Around 80% more shots per battery charge
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-H 27.9x18.6mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Help
 Around 40% larger sensor
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 74.0 vs 73.0
Help
 Almost the same
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Learn more about
the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Size Much smaller 132x103x77 mm vs 156x157x80 mm
Help
 Around 50% smaller
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
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 12 EV
Help
 0.5 f-stops more dynamic range
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.63x vs 0.59x
Help
 More than 10% larger viewfinder
Weight Much lighter 703 g vs 1,230 g
Help
 More than 40% lighter
Lowest price Significantly cheaper $869.00 vs $4,999.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $4,131 cheaper (5.8x less)
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
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 IV Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
100 vs 75
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. 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.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS-1D Mark IV
 Canon EOS-1D Mark IV vs Nikon D90
NikonD90
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
1
7
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
1
7
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
8
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
8
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
8
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
8
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
0
8
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
920k dots
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
D90:300 ms
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

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
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
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
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
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
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
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D90
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Size Is slightly smaller
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D90
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
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D90

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
Compare the EOS-1Ds Mark III vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
Nikon D3S

Nikon D3S

Pro DSLR

$5,197 body only
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Better image quality
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Cross type focus points Many fewer cross-type focus points
Compare the D3S vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
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
Compare the D3X vs the EOS-1D Mark IV
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
Compare the D4 vs the EOS-1D Mark IV

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Focus points Many more focus points
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the D300S vs the D90

appearance

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

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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