Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 50D vs Nikon D800

Nikon D700

88

Winner

Nikon D700

"The control layout on the right side on the top of the camera is identical to the D300."
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's button-layout
"Fast and accurate 51 point auto-focus even in low light"
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's auto-focus

Reasons to buy the Nikon D700

Low light performance
Low noise at high ISO
2,303 ISO
Overall image quality
Great image quality
80.0
Color depth
Great color depth
23.5 bits
Viewfinder size
Large viewfinder
0.72x
Weather sealed
Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Sensor size
Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Canon EOS 50D

60

Runner-up

Canon EOS 50D

"Nine point auto focus system accurate, even in low light"
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's auto-focus
"The EOS 50D has to stand its ground in a highly competitive bracket of the DSLR market."
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 50D

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

Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 121 lenses
Help
More than 30% more lenses available
True resolution Higher true resolution 15.1 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6.3 fps vs 5 fps
Help
Around 30% faster continuous shooting
Size Smaller 146x108x74 mm vs 147x123x77 mm
Help
Around 20% smaller
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 131 ms vs 150 ms
Help
More than 10% less delay when taking photos
Weight Lighter 822 g vs 1,074 g
Help
More than 20% lighter
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
Around 30% less delay when turning on
Thickness Thinner 2.9" vs 3"
Help
Almost the same
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $1,281.99 vs $2,199.00
Help
The best price we've seen is $917 cheaper (more than 40% less)
Canon EOS 50D Learn more about
the Canon 50D

Advantages of the Nikon D700

Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 2,303 ISO vs 696 ISO
Help
The D700 has excellent image quality 1.7 f-stops higher ISO than the 50D
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 80.0 vs 63.0
Help
Around 30% better image quality
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 21.8 bits
Help
Distinguishes 1.7 more bits of color
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 11.4 EV
Help
0.8 f-stops more dynamic range
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
More than 2.5x larger sensor
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.72x vs 0.59x
Help
Around 50% larger viewfinder
Focus points Many more focus points 51 vs 9
Help
Set focus accurately within the frame
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
Sealed to shoot in the rain
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 15 vs 9
Help
Grab focus in difficult situations
Battery life Longer battery life 1000 shots vs 640 shots
Help
Around 60% more shots per battery charge
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
The D700's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
The D700's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Nikon D700 Learn more about
the Nikon D700
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 50D
60 vs 88
Explain scores
Nikon D700 Nikon D700
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D700.

advice

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2 people recommend the Nikon D700:

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" The D700 is a full-frame camera and has much better image quality in low light conditions (accor..."

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Shutter lag Minimal shutter lag Help
50D:131 ms
D700:150 ms
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
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
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
50D:3,200 ISO
D700:6,400 ISO
Movie format Do not shoot movies Help
No movies

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
50D:146x108x74 mm
D700:147x123x77 mm
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Thickness Thin Help
50D:2.9"
D700:3"
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
50D:$1,281.99
D700:$2,199.00
Built-in flash Built-in flashes Help
External flash not needed
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
50D:12,800 ISO
D700:25,600 ISO
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
50D:15.1 MP
D700:12.1 MP
Battery life Few shots per battery charge Help
50D:640 shots
D700:1000 shots
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
50D:6.3 fps
D700:5 fps
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
50D:9
D700:15
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,198 body only

$2,898 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens

Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
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 slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$830 - $897 body only

$1,199 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens

Movie format Records lower quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
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 slightly higher resolution photos
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 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
Thickness Is thicker
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 slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder

Canon EOS 50D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon EOS 40D

Canon EOS 40D

Pro DSLR

$650 body only

Color depth Better color depth
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Autofocus Slower autofocus

Nikon D700 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only

Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Thickness Thicker
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,690 - $1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality

appearance

Canon EOS 50D Nikon D700
Canon EOS 50D Nikon D700
Canon EOS 50D Nikon D700

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