Canon EOS
5D
 vs
Nikon
D800

Nikon D800

100
Winner

Nikon D800

Reasons to buy the Nikon D800

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,853 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
95.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
25.3 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
14.4 EV
Screen size
 Large screen
3.2"
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.72x
Canon EOS 5D

61
Runner-up

Canon EOS 5D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D

Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Thickness
 Thin
3"

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.2"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Size Smaller 152x113x75 mm vs 146x123x82 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 125 lenses vs 121 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Learn more about
the Canon 5D

Advantages of the Nikon D800
Screen size Much larger screen 3.2" vs 2.5"
Help
 Around 30% larger screen
Overall image quality Much better image quality 95.0 vs 71.0
Help
 More than 30% better image quality
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 2,853 ISO vs 1,368 ISO
Help
 The D800 has excellent image quality 1.1 f-stops higher ISO than the 5D
Dynamic range More dynamic range 14.4 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
 3.3 f-stops more dynamic range
True resolution Much higher true resolution 36.2 MP vs 12.7 MP
Help
 Capture around 3x more detail in your photos
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 921k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4x higher resolution 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
Color depth Better color depth 25.3 bits vs 22.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 2.4 more bits of color
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 96%
Help
 Almost the same
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The D800's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 4 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 More than 30% 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
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The D800's boost ISO is 3 f-stops better
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.72x vs 0.71x
Help
 Almost the same
Lowest price Cheaper $2,999.00 vs $3,991.31
Help
 The best price we've seen is $992 cheaper (more than 20% less)
Nikon D800 Learn more about
the Nikon D800
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 5D
61 vs 100
Explain scores
Nikon D800 Nikon D800
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D800.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
5D:Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
D800:Full frame 35.9x24.0mm
Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
5D:0.71x
D800:0.72x
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Weight Heavy Help
5D:895 g
D800:900 g
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
5D:3 fps
D800:4 fps
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
5D:1,600 ISO
D800:6,400 ISO

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
5D:152x113x75 mm
D800:146x123x82 mm
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Weight Light weight Help
5D:895 g
D800:900 g
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
5D:3,200 ISO
D800:25,600 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,499 - $3,500 body only

$4,299 - $4,300 with 24-105mm lens
Light sensitivity Significantly higher maximum light sensitivity
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the D800
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,199 body only
Weight Is slightly heavier
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D700 vs the D800
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D7000 vs the D800
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,198 body only

$2,898 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D800
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,500 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D800
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D5100 vs the D800
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$830 - $897 body only

$1,199 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Size Is slightly smaller
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D90 vs the D800

Canon EOS 5D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 50D

Canon EOS 50D

Pro DSLR

$1,282 - $1,330 body only
Screen size Much larger screen
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Color depth Worse color depth
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Compare the EOS 50D vs the EOS 5D
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Screen size Much larger screen
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Viewfinder size Significantly smaller viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 5D

Nikon D800 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$5,999 - $6,000 body only
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Battery life Much longer battery life
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the D4 vs the D800
Nikon D3S

Nikon D3S

Pro DSLR

$5,197 body only
Battery life Much longer battery life
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the D3S vs the D800

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Nikon D800
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D800
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D800

discussion

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