Canon
EOS-1Ds Mark II
 vs
Nikon
D90

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

Nikon D90

77
Winner

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
Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Live view
 Has live view
Preview your photos
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

54

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,480 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
74.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.3 bits
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.70x
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Viewfinder coverage
 Great viewfinder coverage
100%

differences

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,480 ISO vs 977 ISO
Help
 The EOS-1Ds Mark II has a slight edge (0.6 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.70x vs 0.63x
Help
 More than 20% larger viewfinder
Color depth Better color depth 23.3 bits vs 22.7 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.6 more bits of color
True resolution Higher true resolution 16.6 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 40% more detail in your photos
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 96%
Help
 Almost the same
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-1Ds Mark II Learn more about
the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.0"
Help
 More than 50% larger screen
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 11.3 EV
Help
 1.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Size Much smaller 132x103x77 mm vs 156x158x80 mm
Help
 Around 50% smaller
Lens availability More lenses available 169 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 40% more lenses available
Weight Much lighter 703 g vs 1,565 g
Help
 2.2x lighter
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
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The D90's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 4.5 fps vs 4 fps
Help
 More than 10% faster continuous shooting
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-1Ds Mark II Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II
54 vs 77
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D90. 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-1Ds Mark II
 Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II vs Nikon D90
NikonD90
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
0
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
0
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
0
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
0
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
0
0
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
EOS-1Ds Mark II:3,200 ISO
D90:6,400 ISO
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
EOS-1Ds Mark II:1,600 ISO
D90:3,200 ISO
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
EOS-1Ds Mark II:4 fps
D90:4.5 fps

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
Movie format Records higher quality movies
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-1Ds Mark II
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
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II
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
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II
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
Movie format Records higher quality movies
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 T2i vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D90
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Weight Is slightly heavier
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D90
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
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D700 vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II
Compare the D700 vs the D90

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$4,726 - $4,918 body only
Screen size Much larger screen
Live view Has live view
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Viewfinder size Significantly smaller viewfinder
Compare the EOS-1D Mark III vs the EOS-1Ds Mark II

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Autofocus Video autofocus
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
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-1Ds Mark II Nikon D90
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II Nikon D90
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II 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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