Canon EOS
550D
 vs
Canon EOS
5D

Updated (February, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS 600D vs Canon EOS 5D

Canon EOS 550D

48

  
Canon EOS 5D

45

  

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 550D

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
1,040k dots
Live view
 Has live view
Preview your photos
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Thickness
 Thin
2.4"
 
Runner-up

Canon EOS 5D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D

Color depth
 Great color depth
22.9 bits
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
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 550D
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 1,040k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4.5x higher resolution screen
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.5 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
 0.4 f-stops more dynamic range
True resolution Higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 12.7 MP
Help
 Capture more than 40% more detail in your photos
Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 30% more lenses available
Size Significantly smaller 129x98x62 mm vs 152x113x75 mm
Help
 Around 40% smaller
Thickness Much thinner 2.4" vs 3"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The 550D's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Weight Significantly lighter 530 g vs 895 g
Help
 More than 40% lighter
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 3.7 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 More than 20% faster continuous shooting
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Lowest price Cheaper $612.58 vs $3,461.23
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,849 cheaper (5.7x less)
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 550D's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Canon EOS 550D Learn more about
the Canon 550D

Advantages of the Canon 5D
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,368 ISO vs 784 ISO
Help
 The 5D has a slight edge (0.8 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.54x
Help
 More than 70% larger viewfinder
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 2.5x larger sensor
Color depth Better color depth 22.9 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.8 more bits of color
Overall image quality Better image quality 71.0 vs 66.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 96% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Canon EOS 5D Learn more about
the Canon 5D
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 550D Canon EOS 550D
48 vs 45
Explain scores
Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 5D
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 550D. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a entry-level DSLR with a pro DSLR.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Thickness Thin Help
550D:2.4"
5D:3"
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
550D:95%
5D:96%
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
550D:12,800 ISO
5D:3,200 ISO
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
550D:3.7 fps
5D:3 fps
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
550D:6,400 ISO
5D:1,600 ISO
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
550D:11.5 EV
5D:11.1 EV
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
550D:66.0
5D:71.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 600D

Canon EOS 600D

Entry-level DSLR

$470 - $689 body only

$548 - $927 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 600D vs the EOS 550D
Compare the EOS 600D vs the EOS 5D
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Dynamic range Has significantly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 550D
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$699 - $899 body only

$999 - $1,279 with 18-135mm lens
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 550D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D
Canon 650D / T4i

Canon EOS 650D

Entry-level DSLR

$580 - $797 body only

$650 - $1,144 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 650D vs the EOS 550D
Compare the EOS 650D vs the EOS 5D
Canon EOS 1100D

Canon EOS 1100D

Entry-level DSLR

$436 - $445 body only

$439 - $818 with 18-55mm lens
Shutter lag Has significantly less shutter lag
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 1100D vs the EOS 550D
Compare the EOS 1100D vs the EOS 5D
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$447 - $740 with 18-55mm lens
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 550D
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 5D
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$547 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3200 vs the EOS 550D
Compare the D3200 vs the EOS 5D

Canon EOS 550D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 550D.

Canon EOS 5D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 5D.

appearance

Canon EOS 550D Canon EOS 5D
Canon EOS 550D Canon EOS 5D
Canon EOS 550D Canon EOS 5D

discussion

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