Canon EOS
7D
 vs
Nikon
D3

Updated (January, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 7D vs Nikon D4

Nikon D3

100
Winner

Nikon D3

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,290 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
81.0
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 7D

84
Runner-up

Canon EOS 7D
"Very good low-light performance, low noise levels and good retention of detail"
dpreview.com | talking about the 7D's iso-noise
"The Canon EOS 7D is a camera that can convince in all areas, and at its current pricing is going to be a very serious competitor for Nikon's flagship APS-C DSLR, the D300S."
dpreview.com | talking about the 7D's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 7D

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
8 fps
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
131 ms shutter lag
Cross type focus points
 Many cross-type focus points
19
Viewfinder coverage
 Great viewfinder coverage
100%
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second

differences

Advantages of the Canon 7D
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
True resolution Higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 50% more detail in your photos
Size Much smaller 148x111x74 mm vs 160x157x88 mm
Help
 Around 50% smaller
Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 121 lenses
Help
 More than 30% more lenses available
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 19 vs 15
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Lowest price Much cheaper $1,329.00 vs $6,682.39
Help
 The best price we've seen is $5,353 cheaper (5x less)
Weight Significantly lighter 860 g vs 1,300 g
Help
 More than 30% lighter
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.9" vs 3.5"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
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
Canon EOS 7D Learn more about
the Canon 7D

Advantages of the Nikon D3
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 2,290 ISO vs 854 ISO
Help
 The D3 has excellent image quality 1.4 f-stops higher ISO than the 7D
Overall image quality Much better image quality 81.0 vs 66.0
Help
 More than 20% better image quality
Battery life Much longer battery life 4300 shots vs 800 shots
Help
 Around 5.5x more shots per battery charge
Color depth Better color depth 23.5 bits vs 22 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.5 more bits of color
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 2.5x larger sensor
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.2 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
 0.5 f-stops more dynamic range
Focus points Significantly more focus points 51 vs 19
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.70x vs 0.62x
Help
 Around 30% larger viewfinder
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 88 ms vs 131 ms
Help
 More than 30% less delay when taking photos
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 9 fps vs 8 fps
Help
 More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The D3's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Nikon D3 Learn more about
the Nikon D3
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS 7D
84 vs 100
Explain scores
Nikon D3 Nikon D3
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D3.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 7D
 Canon EOS 7D vs Nikon D3
NikonD3
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
5
4
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
4
6
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
4
5
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
4
5
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
4
5
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
5
3
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
7D:920k dots
D3:922k dots
Cross type focus points Many cross-type focus points Help
7D:19
D3:15
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Shutter lag Minimal shutter lag Help
7D:131 ms
D3:88 ms
Continuous shooting Fast continuous shooting Help
7D:8 fps
D3:9 fps
Viewfinder coverage Above average viewfinder coverage Help
100%
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Weight Heavy Help
7D:860 g
D3:1,300 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.
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
7D:12,800 ISO
D3:25,600 ISO
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
6,400 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
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
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Cross type focus points Has slightly fewer cross-type focus points
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D7000 vs the D3
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
Thickness Is thicker
Viewfinder coverage Significantly less viewfinder coverage
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 7D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D3
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Viewfinder coverage Slightly less viewfinder coverage
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 7D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D3
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 significantly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 7D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D3
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
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D5100 vs the D3
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D700 vs the D3
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 coverage Much less viewfinder coverage
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 7D
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D3

Canon EOS 7D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 7D.

Nikon D3 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3S

Nikon D3S

Pro DSLR

$5,197 body only
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

$6,000 body only
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Battery life Much shorter battery life
Size Slightly larger
Compare the D4 vs the D3

appearance

Canon EOS 7D Nikon D3
Canon EOS 7D Nikon D3
Canon EOS 7D Nikon D3

Find similar cameras

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discussion Which do you think is better?

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