Canon EOS
5D
 vs
Nikon
D700

Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 5D vs Nikon D800

Nikon D700

88
Winner

Nikon D700
"Fast and accurate 51 point auto-focus even in low light"
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's auto-focus
"Clean, artifact-free low ISO output with good resolution and detail"
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Nikon D700

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,303 ISO
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.72x
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
External flash not needed
Canon EOS 5D

61
Runner-up

Canon EOS 5D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D

Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 96% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 12.7 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 10% more detail in your photos
Weight Lighter 895 g vs 1,074 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Size Slightly smaller 152x113x75 mm vs 147x123x77 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 125 lenses vs 121 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Learn more about
the Canon 5D

Advantages of the Nikon D700
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 2,303 ISO vs 1,368 ISO
Help
 The D700 has a slight edge (0.8 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
 1.1 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
Overall image quality Better image quality 80.0 vs 71.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 22.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.6 more bits of color
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 5 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 Around 70% faster continuous shooting
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The D700's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
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
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.72x vs 0.71x
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The D700's boost ISO is 3 f-stops better
Lowest price Cheaper $2,649.00 vs $3,991.31
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,342 cheaper (more than 30% less)
Nikon D700 Learn more about
the Nikon D700
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 5D
61 vs 88
Explain scores
Nikon D700 Nikon D700
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D700.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
5D:0.71x
D700:0.72x
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
D700:1,074 g
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
5D:96%
D700:95%
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
5D:12.7 MP
D700:12.1 MP
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Movie format Do not shoot movies Help
No movies
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
5D:1,600 ISO
D700:6,400 ISO
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
5D:3 fps
D700:5 fps

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
5D:152x113x75 mm
D700:147x123x77 mm
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Thickness Thin Help
3"
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
5D:3,200 ISO
D700:25,600 ISO
Screen size Very small screens Help
5D:2.5"
D700:3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D7000 vs the D700
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,130 body only

$2,875 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Focus points Has much fewer focus points
Cross type focus points Has slightly fewer cross-type focus points
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D700
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,620 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
Focus points Has significantly fewer focus points
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D700
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 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 D5100 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D5100 vs the D700
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens
Movie format Records lower quality movies
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
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 D700
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
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D700
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
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the D700

Canon EOS 5D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 50D

Canon EOS 50D

Pro DSLR

$1,282 - $1,300 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

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
Compare the D800 vs the D700
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
Compare the D300S vs the D700

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Nikon D700
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D700
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D700

discussion

Showing 0 comments