Canon EOS
5D
 vs
Nikon
D300

Nikon D300

91
Winner

Nikon D300
"The body is constructed from magnesium alloy, soft rubber is used on the grips both front and back as well as environmental seals on compartment doors."
dpreview.com | talking about the D300's build-quality
"High ISO 3200 perfectly usable (if slightly softer due to NR), ISO 6400 usable for small output"
dpreview.com | talking about the D300's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Nikon D300

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
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%
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Canon EOS 5D

81
Runner-up

Canon EOS 5D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,368 ISO
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 5D
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,368 ISO vs 679 ISO
Help
 The 5D has excellent image quality 1 f-stop higher ISO than the D300
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Help
 Around 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 67.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.62x
Help
 More than 30% larger viewfinder
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 12.7 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Slightly lighter 895 g vs 925 g
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Learn more about
the Canon 5D

Advantages of the Nikon D300
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
 0.9 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 922k 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
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 2x faster continuous shooting
Lens availability More lenses available 169 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 40% more lenses available
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 96%
Help
 Almost the same
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 Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The D300's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Lowest price Cheaper $1,672.81 vs $3,279.25
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,606 cheaper (around 50% less)
Size Slightly smaller 147x114x74 mm vs 152x113x75 mm
Help
 Almost the same
Thickness Slightly thinner 2.9" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D300 Learn more about
the Nikon D300
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 5D
81 vs 91
Explain scores
Nikon D300 Nikon D300
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D300.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 5D
 Canon EOS 5D vs Nikon D300
NikonD300
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
1
1
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
1
2
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
2
0
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
1
2
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
1
2
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
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
D300:925 g
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
5D:3,200 ISO
D300:6,400 ISO
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
5D:1,600 ISO
D300:3,200 ISO
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
5D:12.7 MP
D300:12.2 MP
Movie format Do not shoot movies Help
No movies

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
5D:152x113x75 mm
D300:147x114x74 mm
Thickness Thin Help
5D:3"
D300:2.9"
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
5D:3 fps
D300:6 fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Focus points Has slightly fewer focus points
Cross type focus points Has slightly fewer cross-type focus points
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D7000 vs the D300
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Movie format Records lower quality movies
Weight Is slightly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Focus points Has much fewer focus points
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D90 vs the D300
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 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
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D5100 vs the D300
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
Focus points Has much fewer focus points
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D300
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 Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Focus points Has much fewer focus points
Cross type focus points Has significantly fewer cross-type focus points
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D300
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
Focus points Has significantly fewer focus points
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D300
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
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 5D
Compare the D3100 vs the D300

Canon EOS 5D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

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

Nikon D300 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Movie format Shoots movies
Overall image quality Better image quality
Compare the D300S vs the D300

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Nikon D300
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D300
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D300

Find similar cameras

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discussion Which do you think is better?

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