Canon EOS
5D Mark II
 vs
Nikon
D3S

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

Nikon D3S

100
Winner

Nikon D3S
"As you may expect the D3 feels comfortable and sturdy in your hand, the grip is just the right size, depth and shape to be both comfortable and easy to hold."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's feel
"The camera has locked immediately to my target, and as you can see, it has stuck with him even when a second player enters the frame."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's auto-focus

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3S

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
3,253 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
82.0
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.70x
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
9 fps
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

88
"In addition the adoption of high precision split-level alignment of the magnesium-alloy external covers, high precision dial construction and external rubber grip covers, has improved the camera's dust and water resistance."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's build-quality
"The original 5D was the first 'affordable' and lightweight full frame camera, and set a standard for low noise at high ISO settings that remains competitive three years later."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,815 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
79.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.7 bits
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
True resolution
 High true resolution
21 MP
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 21 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
 Capture more than 70% more detail in your photos
Size Much smaller 152x114x75 mm vs 160x157x88 mm
Help
 More than 40% smaller
Thickness Significantly thinner 3" vs 3.5"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
Weight Significantly lighter 850 g vs 1,240 g
Help
 More than 30% lighter
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 23.5 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.2 more bits of color
Lowest price Significantly cheaper $2,160.00 vs $4,999.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,839 cheaper (2.3x less)
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.70x
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II

Advantages of the Nikon D3S
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 3,253 ISO vs 1,815 ISO
Help
 The D3S has a slight edge (0.8 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Battery life Much longer battery life 4400 shots vs 850 shots
Help
 More than 5x more shots per battery charge
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
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points 15 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Overall image quality Better image quality 82.0 vs 79.0
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The D3S's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 102,400 ISO vs 25,600 ISO
Help
 The D3S's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12 EV vs 11.9 EV
Help
 0.1 f-stops more dynamic range
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 Less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 197 ms vs 206 ms
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D3S Learn more about
the Nikon D3S
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
88 vs 100
Explain scores
Nikon D3S Nikon D3S
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D3S.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 5D Mark II
 Canon EOS 5D Mark II vs Nikon D3S
NikonD3S
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
52
26
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
18
54
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
42
33
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
28
46
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
46
25
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
40
36
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
33
44
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Low light performance Very low noise at high ISO Help
5D Mark II:1,815 ISO
D3S:3,253 ISO
Overall image quality Good image quality Help
5D Mark II:79.0
D3S:82.0
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
5D Mark II:Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
D3S:Full frame 36.0x23.9mm
Color depth Good color depth Help
5D Mark II:23.7 bits
D3S:23.5 bits
Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
5D Mark II:0.71x
D3S:0.70x
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
5D Mark II:920k dots
D3S:921k dots
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
5D Mark II:400 ms
D3S: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
D3S:1,240 g
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
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.
Shutter lag Significant shutter lag Help
5D Mark II:206 ms
D3S:197 ms
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Sensor size Has a much smaller sensor
Viewfinder size Slightly smaller viewfinder
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D3S
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 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 D3S
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm 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 slightly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D7000 vs the D3S
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$879 - $1,304 body only

$1,139 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available
Thickness Is thicker
Viewfinder coverage Slightly less viewfinder coverage
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D3S
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Pro DSLR

$5,000 - $5,930 body only
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Cross type focus points Has much more cross-type focus points
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the D3S
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$6,000 body only
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D4 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D4 vs the D3S
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
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 Mark II
Compare the D5100 vs the D3S

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$569 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Lens availability More lenses available
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$624 - $800 body only

$869 - $1,100 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Lens availability More lenses available
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Nikon D3S Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D3S.

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D3S
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D3S
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D3S

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?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

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