Canon EOS
5D
 vs
Nikon
D80

Canon EOS 5D

57
Winner

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
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 5D
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 1,368 ISO vs 524 ISO
Help
 The 5D has excellent image quality 1.4 f-stops higher ISO than the D80
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 71.0 vs 61.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
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
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.62x
Help
 Around 30% larger viewfinder
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
True resolution Higher true resolution 12.7 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture around 30% more detail in your photos
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
Thickness Slightly thinner 3" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Learn more about
the Canon 5D

Advantages of the Nikon D80
Lens availability More lenses available 169 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 40% more lenses available
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.2 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
 0.1 f-stops more dynamic range
Size Smaller 132x103x77 mm vs 152x113x75 mm
Help
 Around 20% smaller
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 $700.00 vs $3,279.25
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,579 cheaper (4.7x less)
Weight Lighter 668 g vs 895 g
Help
 Around 30% lighter
Nikon D80 Learn more about
the Nikon D80
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 5D
57 vs 43
Explain scores
Nikon D80 Nikon D80
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D. 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 5D
 Canon EOS 5D vs Nikon D80
NikonD80
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
0
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
0
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
0
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
0
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
0
0
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
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Live view No live view Help
Preview with viewfinder
Screen size Very small screens Help
2.5"
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
3,200 ISO
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
5D:96%
D80:95%
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
3 fps
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
1,600 ISO
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
230k dots
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
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
5D:12.7 MP
D80:10 MP
Movie format Do not shoot movies Help
No movies
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
5D:11.1 EV
D80:11.2 EV

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
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
Dynamic range Has significantly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D90 vs the D80
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
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D5100 vs the D80
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
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D7000 vs the D80
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen size Has a much larger screen
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 D80
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
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 60D 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
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 5D
Compare the Rebel T2i 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
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 5D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D80

Canon EOS 5D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens
Screen size Much larger screen
Movie format Shoots movies
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 5D
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Screen size Much larger screen
Movie format Shoots movies
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D

Nikon D80 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D200

Nikon D200

Pro DSLR
Weather sealed Weather sealed
Overall image quality Better image quality
Size Larger
Weight Heavier
Compare the D200 vs the D80
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 5D Nikon D80
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D80
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D80

Find similar cameras

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discussion Which do you think is better?

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