Canon EOS
7D
 vs
Nikon
D3S

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

Nikon D3S

100
Winner

Nikon D3S
"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
"Buttons and other controls are positioned to be used easily."
dpreview.com | talking about the D3S's button-layout

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
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
9 fps
Canon EOS 7D

76
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 Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
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
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 131 ms vs 197 ms
Help
 More than 30% less delay when taking photos
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 19 vs 15
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.9" vs 3.5"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Lowest price Significantly cheaper $1,329.00 vs $5,196.95
Help
 The best price we've seen is $3,868 cheaper (3.9x less)
Weight Significantly lighter 860 g vs 1,240 g
Help
 More than 30% lighter
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 D3S
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 3,253 ISO vs 854 ISO
Help
 The D3S has excellent image quality 1.9 f-stops higher ISO than the 7D
Overall image quality Much better image quality 82.0 vs 66.0
Help
 More than 20% better image quality
Battery life Much longer battery life 4400 shots vs 800 shots
Help
 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 36.0x23.9mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 2.5x larger sensor
Focus points Significantly more focus points 51 vs 19
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
 0.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.70x vs 0.62x
Help
 Around 30% larger viewfinder
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 102,400 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The D3S's boost ISO is 3 f-stops better
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
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
Nikon D3S Learn more about
the Nikon D3S
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS 7D
76 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 7D
 Canon EOS 7D vs Nikon D3S
NikonD3S
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
8
9
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
7
10
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
6
10
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
5
11
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
6
11
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
6
11
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
5
12
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
D3S:921k dots
Cross type focus points Many cross-type focus points Help
7D:19
D3S:15
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Continuous shooting Fast continuous shooting Help
7D:8 fps
D3S: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
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.

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting weaknesses shared by these two products.

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 D3S
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 D3S
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 slightly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 7D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the D3S
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 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
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D5100 vs the D3S
Pentax K-5

Pentax K-5

Entry-level DSLR

$1,008 - $1,500 body only

$1,293 - $1,650 with 18-55mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Image stabilization Has image stabilization
Lens availability Slightly fewer lenses available
Cross type focus points Has slightly fewer cross-type focus points
Compare the K-5 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the K-5 vs the D3S
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 D3S

Canon EOS 7D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
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 flip-out screen
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Cross type focus points Many fewer cross-type focus points
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 7D

Nikon D3S Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$6,000 body only
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Battery life Much shorter battery life
Size Slightly larger
Compare the D4 vs the D3S
Nikon D3X

Nikon D3X

Pro DSLR

$8,000 body only
Overall image quality Better image quality
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Low light performance Much more noise at high ISO
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the D3X vs the D3S
Nikon D3

Nikon D3

Pro DSLR

$6,682 body only
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Low light performance Significantly more noise at high ISO
Movie format Does not take movies
Compare the D3 vs the D3S

appearance

Canon EOS 7D Nikon D3S
Canon EOS 7D Nikon D3S
Canon EOS 7D 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?

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