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

Nikon D800
Winner
Nikon D800

98

vs
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

83

Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Runner-up
     
 

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
 

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Thickness
 Thin
3"
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
 
Differences | Recommendations | Cast your vote | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II

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Thickness Significantly thinner 3" vs 3.2"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.70x
Help
 Almost the same
Size Smaller 152x114x75 mm vs 146x123x82 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Weight Lighter 850 g vs 1,000 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 156 lenses vs 152 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II

Advantages of the Nikon D800

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Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 95.0 vs 79.0
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 More than 20% better image quality
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 2,853 ISO vs 1,815 ISO
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 The D800 has a slight edge (0.7 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
True resolution Much higher true resolution 36.2 MP vs 21 MP
Help
 Capture more than 70% more detail in your photos
Dynamic range More dynamic range 14.4 EV vs 11.9 EV
Help
 2.5 f-stops more dynamic range
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.2" vs 3.0"
Help
 Around 10% larger screen
Focus points Many more focus points 51 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Color depth Better color depth 25.3 bits vs 23.7 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.6 more bits of color
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points 15 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Startup delay Less startup delay 200 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 2x less delay when turning on
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 98%
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
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $2,796.95 vs $3,120.39
Help
 The best price we've seen is $323 cheaper (more than 10% less)
Nikon D800 Learn more about
the Nikon D800
vs

recommendations

Which camera do we recommend? Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Snapsort Recommends
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II 83
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        vs
        98 Nikon D800 Nikon D800
        Retailer
          Style
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              similarities

              Compared to recent DSLRs

              Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
              Sensor size Large sensors Help
              5D Mark II:Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
              D800:Full frame 35.9x24.0mm
              Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
              5D Mark II:0.71x
              D800:0.70x
              Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
              Shoot in extreme weather
              Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
              5D Mark II:400 ms
              D800:200 ms
              Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
              Pentaprism
              Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
              1/8000 of a second
              Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
              5D Mark II:3.9 fps
              D800:4 fps
              Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
              6,400 ISO
              Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
              Less flexible
              Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
              Risk of blur

              Compared to recent pro DSLRs

              Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

              Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
              Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
              25,600 ISO
              GPS No built-in GPS Help
              Missing geo-tagging
              Battery life Few shots per battery charge Help
              5D Mark II:850 shots
              D800:900 shots

              dxomark

              DXOMark

              competitors

              Shared Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages
              Canon EOS 5D Mark III

              Canon EOS 5D Mark III

              Pro DSLR

              $3,060 - $3,399 body only

              $3,999 with 24-105mm lens
              Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
              Light sensitivity Significantly higher maximum light sensitivity
              Startup delay Has slightly more startup delay
              Dynamic range Has slightly narrower dynamic range
              Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the D800
              Canon EOS 6D

              Canon EOS 6D

              Pro DSLR

              $1,668 - $1,899 body only

              $2,364 - $2,499 with 24-105mm lens
              Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
              Light sensitivity Significantly higher maximum light sensitivity
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
              Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the EOS 6D vs the D800
              Nikon D610

              Nikon D610

              Pro DSLR

              $1,897 body only

              $2,797 - $2,800 with 28-300mm lens
              Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Thickness Is thicker
              Compare the D610 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the D610 vs the D800
              Canon EOS 7D

              Canon EOS 7D

              Pro DSLR

              $1,299 body only

              $1,599 - $1,799 with 18-135mm lens
              Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
              Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
              Sensor size Has a significantly smaller sensor
              True resolution Takes slightly lower resolution photos
              Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the EOS 7D vs the D800
              Nikon D600

              Nikon D600

              Pro DSLR

              $1,600 - $1,613 body only

              $1,999 - $2,150 with 24-85mm lens
              Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
              Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
              Thickness Is thicker
              Compare the D600 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the D600 vs the D800
              Nikon D7100

              Nikon D7100

              Entry-level DSLR

              $1,147 body only

              $1,447 with 18-140mm lens
              Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
              Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
              Sensor size Has a significantly smaller sensor
              Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
              Compare the D7100 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the D7100 vs the D800
              Nikon D700

              Nikon D700

              Pro DSLR

              $3,049 body only
              Weight Is slightly heavier
              Viewfinder coverage Significantly less viewfinder coverage
              Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
              Compare the D700 vs the D800

              Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages
              Canon EOS 60D

              Canon EOS 60D

              Pro DSLR

              $699 - $871 body only

              $999 - $1,150 with 18-135mm lens
              Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
              Screen resolution Higher resolution screen
              Low light performance More noise at high ISO
              Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
              Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D Mark II

              Nikon D800 Competitors

              Advantages

              Disadvantages
              Nikon D4

              Nikon D4

              Pro DSLR

              $5,997 body only
              Battery life Much longer battery life
              Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
              True resolution Much lower true resolution
              Overall image quality Worse image quality
              Compare the D4 vs the D800
              Nikon DF

              Nikon DF

              Pro DSLR

              $2,747 body only

              $2,700 - $2,997 with 50mm lens
              Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
              Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO
              True resolution Much lower true resolution
              Movie format Does not take movies
              Compare the DF vs the D800

              appearance

              Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D800
              Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D800
              Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D800

              discussion

              Canon EOS 5D Mark II
              EOS 5D Mark II
              Canon

              Report a correction
              Nikon D800
              D800
              Nikon

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              Showing 1 comments

              Beldievirgil (1:53 PM, April 23, 2012)
              I think you are wrong whit ISO Canon it's better  i take a photo whit ISO 10000 and not have noise .............