Canon EOS
50D
 vs
Nikon
D300S

Nikon D300S

95
Winner

Nikon D300S
"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
"It is significantly improved over existing Nikon DSLRs. The biggest difference it that the camera can now use its contrast-detection autofocus system while shooting movies."
dpreview.com | talking about the D300S's video-quality

Reasons to buy the Nikon D300S

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
7 fps
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
Cross type focus points
 Many cross-type focus points
15
Viewfinder coverage
 Great viewfinder coverage
100%
Canon EOS 50D

79
Runner-up

Canon EOS 50D
"The ergonomics feel well sorted, all the controls are in the right place and even the formerly rather pointless Direct Print button now serves a purpose"
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's button-layout
"The 50D delivers a lot of detail and clean images with well balanced contrast and colors."
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 50D

Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
131 ms shutter lag
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second

differences

Advantages of the Canon 50D
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 131 ms vs 225 ms
Help
 More than 40% less delay when taking photos
True resolution Higher true resolution 15.1 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Weight Lighter 822 g vs 938 g
Help
 More than 10% lighter
Size Slightly smaller 146x108x74 mm vs 147x114x74 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The 50D's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $1,281.99 vs $1,699.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $418 cheaper (more than 20% less)
Canon EOS 50D Learn more about
the Canon 50D

Advantages of the Nikon D300S
Color depth Better color depth 22.5 bits vs 21.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.7 more bits of color
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 11.4 EV
Help
 0.8 f-stops more dynamic range
Overall image quality Better image quality 70.0 vs 63.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Focus points Many more focus points 51 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 787 ISO vs 696 ISO
Help
 The D300S has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 15 vs 9
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.62x vs 0.59x
Help
 Around 10% larger viewfinder
Battery life Longer battery life 950 shots vs 640 shots
Help
 Around 50% more shots per battery charge
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 7 fps vs 6.3 fps
Help
 More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D300S Learn more about
the Nikon D300S
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 50D
79 vs 95
Explain scores
Nikon D300S Nikon D300S
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D300S.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 50D
 Canon EOS 50D vs Nikon D300S
NikonD300S
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
1
7
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
1
9
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
1
7
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
7
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
1
6
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
1
9
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
50D:162 lenses
D300S:169 lenses
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
920k dots
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
300 ms startup delay
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Thickness Thin Help
2.9"
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Weight Heavy Help
50D:822 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
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
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
Size Fairly small Help
50D:146x108x74 mm
D300S:147x114x74 mm
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
50D:$1,281.99
D300S:$1,699.99
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
50D:12,800 ISO
D300S:6,400 ISO
Sensor size Very small sensors Help
50D:APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
D300S:APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
50D:15.1 MP
D300S:12.2 MP
Battery life Few shots per battery charge Help
50D:640 shots
D300S:950 shots
Viewfinder size Below average viewfinder size Help
50D:0.59x
D300S:0.62x
Movie format One shoots movies Help
50D:None
D300S:720p @ 24fps
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
50D:696 ISO
D300S:787 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
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 significantly better image quality
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D7000 vs the D300S
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$879 - $1,304 body only

$1,139 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 50D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D300S
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$849 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Weight Is slightly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
External mic jack Lacks and external mic jack
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D90 vs the D300S
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
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 50D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D300S
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$569 - $867 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
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 50D
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D300S
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 significantly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D5100 vs the D300S
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only
Low light performance Is much less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D700 vs the D300S

Canon EOS 50D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 40D

Canon EOS 40D

Pro DSLR

$1,000 body only
Color depth Better color depth
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
True resolution Lower true resolution
Compare the EOS 40D vs the EOS 50D

Nikon D300S Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D300S.

appearance

Canon EOS 50D Nikon D300S
Canon EOS 50D Nikon D300S
Canon EOS 50D 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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