Canon EOS
50D
 vs
Nikon
D80

Canon EOS 50D

67
Winner

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 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

Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Live view
 Has live view
Preview your photos
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
131 ms shutter lag
Sensor type
 CMOS Sensor
Better in low light
Nikon D80

43
Runner-up

Nikon D80

Reasons to buy the Nikon D80

Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses

differences

Advantages of the Canon 50D
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
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
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 696 ISO vs 524 ISO
Help
 The 50D has a slight edge (0.4 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6.3 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 More than 2x faster continuous shooting
True resolution Higher true resolution 15.1 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture 50% more detail in your photos
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 63.0 vs 61.0
Help
 Almost the same
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.4 EV vs 11.2 EV
Help
 0.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The 50D's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 50D's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Thickness Thinner 2.9" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 50D Learn more about
the Canon 50D

Advantages of the Nikon D80
Color depth Better color depth 22.1 bits vs 21.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.3 more bits of color
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.62x vs 0.59x
Help
 More than 10% larger viewfinder
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
Size Slightly smaller 132x103x77 mm vs 146x108x74 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Weight Lighter 668 g vs 822 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $700.00 vs $1,281.99
Help
 The best price we've seen is $582 cheaper (around 50% less)
Nikon D80 Learn more about
the Nikon D80
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 50D
67 vs 43
Explain scores
Nikon D80 Nikon D80
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 50D. 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 50D
 Canon EOS 50D vs Nikon D80
NikonD80
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
4
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
1
2
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
1
4
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
1
2
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
5
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
1
4
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
D80:169 lenses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
50D:3,200 ISO
D80:1,600 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
Movie format Do not shoot movies Help
No movies
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
50D:11.4 EV
D80:11.2 EV
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
50D:63.0
D80:61.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
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
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 D80
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm 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
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D90 vs the D80
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
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 D80
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 much 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 D80
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 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 D3100 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D3100 vs the D80
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
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 50D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D80
Canon EOS 40D

Canon EOS 40D

Pro DSLR

$1,000 body only
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 40D vs the EOS 50D
Compare the EOS 40D vs the D80

Canon EOS 50D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Color depth Better color depth
Size Slightly larger
Weight Slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 50D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Much better image quality
Cross type focus points Fewer cross-type focus points
Shutter lag More shutter lag
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 50D

Nikon D80 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3000

Nikon D3000

Entry-level DSLR

$677 with 18-55mm lens
Screen size Much larger screen
Color depth Better color depth
Viewfinder size Smaller viewfinder
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D3000 vs the D80

appearance

Canon EOS 50D Nikon D80
Canon EOS 50D Nikon D80
Canon EOS 50D Nikon D80

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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