Canon EOS
500D
 vs
Nikon
D90

Updated (February, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS 1100D vs Nikon D7000

Nikon D90

71
Winner

Nikon D90
"The D90 feels very comfortable and natural, with a good grip and logical, ergonomic, button placement."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's feel
"On a purely specification level, it's a highly competitive piece of kit, but it's the way the features have been chosen and put together that make it the camera that it is."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Overall image quality
 Great image quality
73.0
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.5 EV
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
Battery life
 Great battery life
850 shots
Canon EOS 500D

54
Runner-up

Canon EOS 500D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 500D

Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
159 ms shutter lag
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Thickness
 Thin
2.4"
Weight
 Light-weight
520 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon 500D
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 20fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video but at a lower frame rate
True resolution Higher true resolution 15.1 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Size Significantly smaller 129x98x62 mm vs 132x103x77 mm
Help
 Around 30% smaller
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 159 ms vs 208 ms
Help
 More than 20% less delay when taking photos
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.4" vs 3"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Weight Significantly lighter 520 g vs 703 g
Help
 Around 30% lighter
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The 500D's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $599.00 vs $849.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $250 cheaper (around 30% less)
Canon EOS 500D Learn more about
the Canon 500D

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 977 ISO vs 663 ISO
Help
 The D90 has a slight edge (0.6 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 21.7 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1 more bits of color
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 73.0 vs 63.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 11.5 EV
Help
 1 f-stop more dynamic range
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.63x vs 0.54x
Help
 Around 40% larger viewfinder
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 850 shots vs 400 shots
Help
 More than 2x more shots per battery charge
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 4.5 fps vs 3.4 fps
Help
 More than 30% faster continuous shooting
Focus points More focus points 11 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 96% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90
vs

recommendations

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

Canon EOS 500D Canon EOS 500D
54 vs 71
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D90.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 500D
 Canon EOS 500D vs Nikon D90
NikonD90
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
26
31
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
22
30
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
22
31
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
23
31
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
21
30
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
21
31
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
21
34
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
920k dots
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
300 ms startup delay
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
500D:162 lenses
D90:169 lenses
Screen size Larger than average screens Help
3.0"
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
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
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
1
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
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
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 500D
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
Canon EOS 550D

Canon EOS 550D

Entry-level DSLR

$664 - $932 body only

$763 - $964 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 550D vs the EOS 500D
Compare the EOS 550D 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
Thickness Is thicker
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 500D
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 500D
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Canon EOS 600D

Canon EOS 600D

Entry-level DSLR

$860 - $1,018 body only

$922 - $1,045 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the EOS 600D vs the EOS 500D
Compare the EOS 600D vs the D90
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$879 - $1,304 body only

$1,139 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 500D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Canon EOS 1100D

Canon EOS 1100D

Entry-level DSLR

$484 - $559 body only

$572 - $659 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Weight Is slightly lighter
Thickness Is thicker
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Compare the EOS 1100D vs the EOS 500D
Compare the EOS 1100D vs the D90

Canon EOS 500D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 450D

Canon EOS 450D

Entry-level DSLR

$803 body only
Color depth Better color depth
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Movie format Does not take movies
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Compare the EOS 450D vs the EOS 500D

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Focus points Many more focus points
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type 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 500D Nikon D90
Canon EOS 500D Nikon D90
Canon EOS 500D 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?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 0 comments