Canon EOS
7D
 vs
Nikon
D700

Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Canon EOS 7D vs Nikon D800

Nikon D700

88
Winner

Nikon D700
"Fast and accurate 51 point auto-focus even in low light"
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's auto-focus
"Clean, artifact-free low ISO output with good resolution and detail"
dpreview.com | talking about the D700's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Nikon D700

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,303 ISO
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.72x
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Focus points
 Many focus points
51
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
Canon EOS 7D

71
Runner-up

Canon EOS 7D
"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
"Excellent build quality with magnesium body and environmental sealing"
dpreview.com | talking about the 7D's build-quality

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%
Thickness
 Thin
2.9"

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 Significantly higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 12.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 50% more detail in your photos
Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 121 lenses
Help
 More than 30% more lenses available
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 8 fps vs 5 fps
Help
 60% faster continuous shooting
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
Size Smaller 148x111x74 mm vs 147x123x77 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Weight Lighter 860 g vs 1,074 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Thickness Thinner 2.9" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Lowest price Cheaper $1,549.00 vs $2,649.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,100 cheaper (more than 40% less)
Canon EOS 7D Learn more about
the Canon 7D

Advantages of the Nikon D700
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 2,303 ISO vs 854 ISO
Help
 The D700 has excellent image quality 1.4 f-stops higher ISO than the 7D
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 80.0 vs 66.0
Help
 More than 20% better image quality
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
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.72x vs 0.62x
Help
 Around 40% larger viewfinder
Focus points Significantly more focus points 51 vs 19
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Battery life Slightly longer battery life 1000 shots vs 800 shots
Help
 Around 30% more shots per battery charge
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The D700's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Nikon D700 Learn more about
the Nikon D700
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS 7D
71 vs 88
Explain scores
Nikon D700 Nikon D700
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D700.

advice

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I am considering either the Canon 7D or the Nikon D700,
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similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Weight Heavy Help
7D:860 g
D700:1,074 g
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
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
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
6,400 ISO

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
7D:148x111x74 mm
D700:147x123x77 mm
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Thickness Thin Help
7D:2.9"
D700:3"
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
7D:$1,549.00
D700:$2,649.00
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
7D:12,800 ISO
D700:25,600 ISO
Battery life Few shots per battery charge Help
7D:800 shots
D700:1000 shots
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
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
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D7000 vs the D700
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,130 body only

$2,875 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
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 D700
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
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 7D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D700
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

$2,999 - $3,000 body only
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the D800 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D800 vs the D700
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
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 7D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the D700
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
Weight Is slightly 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 D700
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 7D
Compare the D5100 vs the D700

Canon EOS 7D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

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

Nikon D700 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D700.

appearance

Canon EOS 7D Nikon D700
Canon EOS 7D Nikon D700
Canon EOS 7D Nikon D700

discussion

Showing 3 comments

Transformers93 (5:36 AM, March 03, 2012)
Very good point
 
hunter04 (5:47 AM, September 20, 2011)
i think the nikon d700 is goood... because of the low noise at high iso and the full frame sensor.....
but i go for 7d.... much better color for the eye..
 
Thepedalshop (6:54 PM, June 19, 2011)
When you see major motion picture companies using the cannon d 7 as there main camera for filming in HD you know there is a reason.