Canon EOS
5D
 vs
Nikon
D90

Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Canon EOS 5D vs Nikon D7000

Nikon D90

77
Winner

Nikon D90
"Fast Autofocus with useful control options"
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's auto-focus
"High sensitivity performance up there with the best we've seen."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.5 EV
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Canon EOS 5D

57
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 Lower noise at high ISO 1,368 ISO vs 977 ISO
Help
 The 5D has a slight edge (0.5 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.63x
Help
 Around 30% larger viewfinder
Color depth Better color depth 22.9 bits vs 22.7 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.2 more bits of color
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 12.7 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Almost the same
Thickness Slightly thinner 3" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Learn more about
the Canon 5D

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
 1.4 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 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 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Lens availability More lenses available 169 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 40% more lenses available
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 73.0 vs 71.0
Help
 Almost the same
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 4.5 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 50% faster continuous shooting
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 $869.00 vs $3,279.25
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,410 cheaper (3.8x less)
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The D90's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Weight Lighter 703 g vs 895 g
Help
 More than 20% lighter
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 5D
57 vs 77
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D90. 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 D90
NikonD90
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
2
7
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
1
7
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
2
5
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
2
5
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
4
3
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
3
5
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
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
96%
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
5D:3,200 ISO
D90:6,400 ISO
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
5D:1,600 ISO
D90:3,200 ISO
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
D90:12.2 MP
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
5D:3 fps
D90:4.5 fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
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 D90
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 D90
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
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
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
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
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 D90
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
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
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 D90
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
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 D90
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
Weight Is slightly heavier
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D90

Canon EOS 5D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

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

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Focus points Many more focus points
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the D300S vs the D90

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Nikon D90
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D90
Canon EOS 5D Nikon D90

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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