Canon EOS
60D
 vs
Nikon
D90

Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Canon EOS 60D vs Nikon D7000

Canon EOS 60D

78
"Excellent image quality up to ISO settings unthinkable just one camera generation ago"
dpreview.com | talking about the 60D's image-quality
"Very good low-light performance, with low noise levels and good retention of detail"
dpreview.com | talking about the 60D's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 60D

Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
Nikon D90

77
Tie

Nikon D90
"On a purely specification level, it's a highly competitive piece of kit, but it's the way the features have been chosen and put together that make it the camera that it is."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's overall-performance
"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
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 60D
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
True resolution Higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 50% more detail in your photos
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 9 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 1,040k dots vs 920k dots
Help
 More than 10% higher resolution screen
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 60D's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Battery life Longer battery life 1100 shots vs 850 shots
Help
 Around 30% more shots per battery charge
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 5.3 fps vs 4.5 fps
Help
 Around 20% faster continuous shooting
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 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The 60D's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Canon EOS 60D Learn more about
the Canon 60D

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 11.5 EV
Help
 1 f-stop more dynamic range
Overall image quality Better image quality 73.0 vs 66.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 977 ISO vs 813 ISO
Help
 The D90 has a slight edge (0.3 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 22.2 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.5 more bits of color
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.63x vs 0.59x
Help
 More than 10% larger viewfinder
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 208 ms vs 253 ms
Help
 Around 20% less delay when taking photos
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
Size Smaller 132x103x77 mm vs 145x106x79 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Focus points Slightly more focus points 11 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Thickness Slightly thinner 3" vs 3.1"
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Slightly lighter 703 g vs 755 g
Help
 Around 10% lighter
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 60D Canon EOS 60D
78 vs 77
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation. 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 60D
 Canon EOS 60D vs Nikon D90
NikonD90
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
332
426
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
323
359
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
287
403
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
288
372
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
399
211
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
270
398
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
278
398
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
60D:162 lenses
D90:169 lenses
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
60D:1,040k dots
D90:920k dots
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
96%
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Focus points Few focus points Help
60D: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

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$749 body only

$600 - $747 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
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 60D
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 - $1,199 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 60D
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $850 with 18-55mm lens
Weight Is slightly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 60D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D90
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,339 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 60D
Compare the EOS 7D 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 60D
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D90
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$834 body only

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 60D
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Canon EOS 50D

Canon EOS 50D

Pro DSLR

$1,275 - $1,282 body only
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Weight Is slightly heavier
Movie format Doesn't record movies
Compare the EOS 50D vs the EOS 60D
Compare the EOS 50D vs the D90

Canon EOS 60D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 60D.

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D90.

appearance

Canon EOS 60D Nikon D90
Canon EOS 60D Nikon D90
Canon EOS 60D 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 22 comments

Yerbol (9:28 PM, February 11, 2012)
Dear all,
I am a Canon guy and I have a few questions to those lucky people who probably have both, Canon 60D and Nikon D90.
1. Who really shoots better in low light condition?
2. Who got accurate and faster autofocus?
3. Which one of them gives better and accurate colors even with kit lenses [18-135mm Canon, 18-105mm Nikon]?
4. Who got stronger body? I am not going to use it as a hammer ;-) Just curious.
Thanks for help in advance!
 
bLank (7:44 AM, January 15, 2012)
Polycarbonate resin with glass fibre on aluminum chassis 
 
Rocky (3:39 PM, December 10, 2011)
canon d60
 
Linkxs (3:58 AM, December 01, 2011)
in fact, it is plastic. For sure
 
vorin (1:30 AM, November 03, 2011)
I own a Nikon D90 and had the opp to play w/ a friend's new Canon 60D: I did not like it. I couldn't find the 60D's most basic of functions, e.g. ev adjustment, which appears to be trapped in the Q menu. The feel of it was ok, but I don't like the contour of the grip, but that's a minor. IQ was very nice, of course. I really wanted to like the Canon, but I kept trying to change things with the wheel and realized I missed the Nikon's D90 secondary wheel. My major photographically prohibitive issues were all about not being able to quickly changed things via preprogrammed buttons and wheels like WB, EV, ISO and other menu-trapped items. D90 for me.  
 
Test (0:18 PM, October 27, 2011)
Not plastic body on 60d, it is magnezyum.
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (9:15 PM, June 16, 2011)
Thanks again, our mistake, should be all fixed up now.
 
Xsshssh (9:09 PM, June 16, 2011)
I now see the votes have been recovered, thanks!
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (8:54 PM, June 16, 2011)
Hmm, you're right.. We'll look into that, thanks! The vote #s look really low on all of the comparisons, I think they may have been reset recently.
 
Xsshssh (8:49 PM, June 16, 2011)
I mean the porformance vote result have been reseted.
The oldest comment is about 6 months ago, then it is unlikely that both cameras got voted for less than 10 times within the last 6 month.
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (1:01 PM, June 15, 2011)
Hi Xsshssh, Snapsort's recommendation is based partly on popularity of the camera, which changes over time.  
 
Xsshssh (11:24 AM, June 15, 2011)
I checked this page several times. Last time, D90 was ranked higher than the 60D. However, this time I found that the vote was reseted, and 60D is ranked higher. Is snapsort interfering the vote result?
 
swcv2 (5:36 AM, May 22, 2011)
I will consider to buy Niko D90 .  
 
Alfred (5:28 PM, April 25, 2011)
Personally, it depends on personal demands. If your beginner and would use ur dslr for video recording more than taking good photographs, 60D is much superior than the D90. However, if your serious into real photography, then dont hesitate to go for D90. Personally, I prefer the 60D as I would do more video recording than become a professional protographer, but at the same time, i would also love to take some decent photos. Such as motion capture etc. Afterall, Still very much depends on personal requirement. >video = 60D / >photograph quality = D90
 
inquirer (10:55 AM, April 18, 2011)
correct ka dyan
 
Hawkwooch (6:24 AM, April 14, 2011)
Full Control of Image,
Idel For Profestional Camer Man
Nikon Had Metal Boby Whereas Canon in PVC Boby
Nikon heavery Firm Grid , Good Control, Stable
 
Alwyn_42 (7:18 PM, April 03, 2011)
I bought the D90, returned it for the 60d because I felt the Canon gave me sharper detail. Now I've got the D90 back again. Why? Because I figured out I can get similar results with either. It's not so much about the camera as it is about the person behind the camera. I also figured out that build quality is important as well. I hated the cheap plastic body of the Canon 60d and most of all that cheap sounding shutter button. Not only did it sound like it was going to stop working any second, but it felt like it was going to break any second as well. I also liked the handling of the D90. Everything where you want it when you want it. At the end you have to ask yourself, how much do I want to spend and how honest do I want to be with myself? I'm no professional photographer, so why do I need an expensive piece of equipment when I'm going to get the same results with something cheaper in a stronger body? If you're not a professional, then keep it simple. What do you want the camera to be able to do?
 
Guest (11:28 AM, February 10, 2011)
and why?
 
yesh (10:56 PM, February 01, 2011)
d90, definitely
 
Gaspingforbreath (6:55 AM, December 24, 2010)
You could do what I have done. Get a camera that has many options for less and learn from there. I started with a Fuji S700 4 years ago. It was great to get me into the learning curve, and had a lot of options to challenge my creative juices, now I have outgrown it and am looking in to a DSLR. There are many, I wish I had got the Sony H11.
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (10:03 PM, December 08, 2010)
For a beginner, I'd definitely recommend the Nikon D3100, it has incredible image quality, and is great for shooting video, and is small and compact!
 
Pulseps (9:22 PM, December 08, 2010)
i cant figured out which one should i buy. i am begginer. do not have experience about slr cameras. please help