Canon EOS
20D
 vs
Nikon
D90

Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Canon EOS 20D vs Nikon D7000

Nikon D90

71
Winner

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

Overall image quality
 Great image quality
73.0
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.5 EV
Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.63x
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Sensor size
 Large sensor
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Canon EOS 20D

31
Runner-up

Canon EOS 20D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 20D

Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second

differences

Advantages of the Canon 20D
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 5 fps vs 4.5 fps
Help
 More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Thickness Thinner 2.8" vs 3"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Canon EOS 20D Learn more about
the Canon 20D

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 1.8"
Help
 Around 70% larger screen
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 977 ISO vs 721 ISO
Help
 The D90 has a slight edge (0.4 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 73.0 vs 62.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 11 EV
Help
 1.5 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 930k dots vs 118k dots
Help
 Around 8x higher resolution screen
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 21.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.8 more bits of color
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 12.2 MP vs 8.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 50% more detail in your photos
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.63x vs 0.56x
Help
 Around 30% larger viewfinder
Sensor size Significantly larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs APS-C 22.5x15.0mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
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
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 96% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Size Smaller 132x103x77 mm vs 144x106x72 mm
Help
 Almost the same
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The D90's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Weight Lighter 703 g vs 770 g
Help
 Around 10% lighter
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent entry-level DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 20D Canon EOS 20D
31 vs 71
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D90.

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
20D:162 lenses
D90:169 lenses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Weight Heavy Help
20D:770 g
D90:703 g
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
20D:3,200 ISO
D90:6,400 ISO
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
20D:1,600 ISO
D90:3,200 ISO
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
20D:8.2 MP
D90:12.2 MP
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Movie format One shoots movies Help
20D:None
D90:720p @ 24fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 20D
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
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 significantly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 20D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 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
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 20D
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
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 significantly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 20D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D90
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 significantly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 20D
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D90
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 significantly higher resolution photos
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 20D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D90
Nikon D80

Nikon D80

Entry-level DSLR

$700 body only
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D80 vs the EOS 20D
Compare the D80 vs the D90

Canon EOS 20D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 30D

Canon EOS 30D

Entry-level DSLR

$2,434 - $2,557 with 17-85mm, 70-300mm lenses
Screen size Much larger screen
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen
Color depth Worse color depth
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the EOS 30D vs the EOS 20D
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Entry-level DSLR

$348 - $595 body only

$439 with 18-55mm lens
Screen size Much larger screen
Live view Has live view
Viewfinder size Smaller viewfinder
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Compare the EOS Digital Rebel XS vs the EOS 20D
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi

Entry-level DSLR

$749 with 18-55mm lens
Screen size Much larger screen
Color depth Better color depth
Low light performance Slightly more noise at high ISO
Viewfinder size Smaller viewfinder
Compare the EOS Digital Rebel XTi vs the EOS 20D

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Focus points Many more focus points
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Shutter lag More shutter lag
Viewfinder size Slightly smaller viewfinder
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Viewfinder size Significantly smaller viewfinder
Battery life Significantly shorter battery life
Compare the D3200 vs the D90

appearance

Canon EOS 20D Nikon D90
Canon EOS 20D Nikon D90
Canon EOS 20D Nikon D90

discussion

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