Canon EOS
5D Mark II
 vs
Nikon
D90

Updated (March, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Nikon D7000

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

73
"the EOS 5D Mark II has an awful lot to recommend it to the serious photographer."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's overall-performance
"the 5D Mark II is certainly one of the best value for money propositions on the market for image quality - especially in RAW, where you really can see the benefit of all 21 million pixels."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,815 ISO
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
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Nikon D90

62
Runner-up

Nikon D90
"Fast Autofocus with useful control options"
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's auto-focus
"The D90 feels very comfortable and natural, with a good grip and logical, ergonomic, button placement."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's feel

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.5 EV
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,815 ISO vs 977 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II has a slight edge (0.9 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
Overall image quality Better image quality 79.0 vs 73.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 21 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 70% more detail in your photos
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 22.7 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1 more bits of color
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.63x
Help
 Around 30% larger viewfinder
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 98% vs 96%
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 11.9 EV
Help
 0.6 f-stops more dynamic range
Lens availability More lenses available 169 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 40% more lenses available
Size Smaller 132x103x77 mm vs 152x114x75 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
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 4.5 fps vs 3.9 fps
Help
 Around 20% faster continuous shooting
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Focus points Slightly more focus points 11 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Weight Lighter 703 g vs 850 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $896.95 vs $2,130.11
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,233 cheaper (2.4x less)
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
73 vs 62
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. 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.

advice

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0
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Was a very keen amateur photographer in the old days 35mm and had a few dslrs.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
1
Focus points Few focus points Help
5D Mark II:9
D90:11
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
5D Mark II:3.9 fps
D90:4.5 fps
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
5D Mark II:6,400 ISO
D90:3,200 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,549 - $1,821 body only

$1,620 - $1,849 with 18-135mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Weight Is slightly heavier
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 7D vs the D90
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Cross type focus points Has slightly more cross-type focus points
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D90
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Size Is slightly smaller
Thickness Is thinner
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 Mark II
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D90
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,649 body only
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Focus points Has much more focus points
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D700 vs the D90

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,499 - $3,500 body only

$4,299 - $4,300 with 24-105mm lens
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points
Focus points Many more focus points
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Lowest price More expensive
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Autofocus Video autofocus
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$699 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Much higher true resolution
External mic jack Has an external mic jack
Viewfinder size Significantly smaller viewfinder
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D3200 vs the D90

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D90
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D90
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D90

discussion

Showing 1 comments

Otávio Pacheco (3:00 PM, February 22, 2011)
There's an important point to consider: the rolling shutter effect. This makes a giant difference between the D90 and 5D - I have both cameras and to make movies the D90 is almost unusable, the rolling shutter effect destroy the image quality. I guess this is the biggest difference between them both.