Canon EOS
5D Mark II
 vs
Nikon
D3

Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Nikon D4

Nikon D3

83

  
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

81

  
Winner

Nikon D3

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,290 ISO
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
9 fps
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
88 ms shutter lag
Battery life
 Great battery life
4300 shots
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
 

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Thickness
 Thin
3"
 

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 21 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
 Capture more than 70% more detail in your photos
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Size Much smaller 152x114x75 mm vs 160x157x88 mm
Help
 More than 40% smaller
Thickness Much thinner 3" vs 3.5"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
Weight Significantly lighter 850 g vs 1,300 g
Help
 More than 30% lighter
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.70x
Help
 Almost the same
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 125 lenses vs 121 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II

Advantages of the Nikon D3
Battery life Much longer battery life 4300 shots vs 850 shots
Help
 More than 5x more shots per battery charge
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 2,290 ISO vs 1,815 ISO
Help
 The D3 has a slight edge (0.3 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Focus points Many more focus points 51 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 9 fps vs 3.9 fps
Help
 Around 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 88 ms vs 206 ms
Help
 2.3x less delay when taking photos
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 15 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 11.9 EV
Help
 0.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 81.0 vs 79.0
Help
 Almost the same
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
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Nikon D3 Learn more about
the Nikon D3
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
81 vs 83
Explain scores
Nikon D3 Nikon D3
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D3.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Low light performance Relatively low noise at high ISO Help
5D Mark II:1,815 ISO
D3:2,290 ISO
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
5D Mark II:0.71x
D3:0.70x
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
5D Mark II:400 ms
D3:300 ms
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Built-in flash No built-in flash Help
Professional
Weight Heavy Help
5D Mark II:850 g
D3:1,300 g
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
6,400 ISO
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

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
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

Pro DSLR

$1,999 body only

$2,599 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 much more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 6D vs the D3
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,250 - $3,499 body only

$3,800 - $4,099 with 24-105mm lens
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
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 D3
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,499 body only

$1,799 with 18-135mm lens
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Built-in flash Has a built-in flash
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D3
Nikon D600

Nikon D600

Pro DSLR

$1,997 body only

$2,397 with 24-85mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
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 D3
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D7000 vs the D3
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$3,500 body only
Built-in flash Has a built-in flash
Weight Is slightly heavier
Viewfinder coverage Significantly less viewfinder coverage
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D700 vs the D3
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
Viewfinder size Slightly smaller viewfinder
Compare the D7100 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D7100 vs the D3

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$699 - $899 body only

$999 - $1,279 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Lens availability More lenses available
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Nikon D3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3S

Nikon D3S

Pro DSLR
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Movie format Shoots movies
Shutter lag Significantly more shutter lag
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the D3S vs the D3
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$5,997 body only
Movie format Shoots movies
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Battery life Much shorter battery life
Shutter lag Significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D4 vs the D3

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D3
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D3
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D3

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