Canon EOS
5D Mark II
 vs
Nikon
D90

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

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

94
"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
"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

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
Nikon D90

77
Runner-up

Nikon D90
"Fast Autofocus with useful control options"
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's auto-focus
"Although the buttons have been redesigned and are a lot easier to press the layout is identical to the D80."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's button-layout

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

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II
Low light performance Significantly 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
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
Overall image quality Better image quality 79.0 vs 73.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
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
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 Slightly 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
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
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
Lowest price Cheaper $869.00 vs $2,330.54
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,462 cheaper (2.7x less)
Weight Lighter 703 g vs 850 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Focus points Slightly more focus points 11 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
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
94 vs 77
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.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 5D Mark II
 Canon EOS 5D Mark II vs Nikon D90
NikonD90
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
20
45
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
13
46
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
15
44
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
18
44
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
16
40
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
16
41
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
16
43
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
920k 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
D90:300 ms
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
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
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Focus points Few focus points Help
5D Mark II:9
D90:11
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
5D Mark II:3.9 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
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
HDR Has in-camera HDR
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 D90
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Compare the D7000 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
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
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $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
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 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 Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $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
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Weight Is slightly lighter
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 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Pro DSLR

$5,000 - $5,930 body only
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Autofocus Video autofocus
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Compare the D3100 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

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.

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.