Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Canon EOS 7D vs Nikon D7000

Canon EOS 7D
Winner
Canon EOS 7D

67

vs
Nikon D90

61

Nikon D90
Runner-up
 
 
 
 

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
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
208 ms shutter lag
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
 
Differences | Recommendations | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

differences

Advantages of the Canon 7D
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points 19 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture around 50% more detail in your photos
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 8 fps vs 4.5 fps
Help
 Around 80% faster continuous shooting
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 131 ms vs 208 ms
Help
 Around 40% less delay when taking photos
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 96%
Help
 Almost the same
Focus points More focus points 19 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 7D'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
Thickness Thinner 2.9" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The 7D's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Canon EOS 7D Learn more about
the Canon 7D

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
 0.8 f-stops more dynamic range
Overall image quality Better image quality 73.0 vs 66.0
Help
 More than 10% better image quality
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 22 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.7 more bits of color
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 977 ISO vs 854 ISO
Help
 The D90 has a slight edge (0.2 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Size Smaller 132x103x77 mm vs 148x111x74 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.63x vs 0.62x
Help
 Almost the same
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Weight Lighter 703 g vs 860 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Battery life Slightly longer battery life 850 shots vs 800 shots
Help
 Around 10% more shots per battery charge
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $600.00 vs $1,299.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $699 cheaper (2.2x less)
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS 7D
67 vs 61
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 7D. 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.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
7D:162 lenses
D90:169 lenses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
7D:400 ms
D90:300 ms
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
7D:12,800 ISO
D90:6,400 ISO
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
7D:6,400 ISO
D90:3,200 ISO
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$649 - $968 body only

$949 - $1,182 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 7D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7100 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D7100 vs the D90
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$585 - $805 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
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
Nikon D5200

Nikon D5200

Entry-level DSLR

$697 body only

$797 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
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5200 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D5200 vs the D90
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$547 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
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3200 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D3200 vs the D90
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$549 body only

$595 - $599 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 D90

Canon EOS 7D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

Pro DSLR

$1,899 - $1,917 body only

$2,399 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Shutter lag Much more shutter lag
Cross type focus points Significantly fewer cross-type focus points
Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,405 body only

$2,699 - $3,000 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly slower
Cross type focus points Significantly fewer cross-type focus points
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,250 - $3,299 body only

$3,800 - $3,899 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Lens availability Fewer lenses available
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 7D

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$447 - $740 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Autofocus Video autofocus
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the D3100 vs the D90

appearance

Canon EOS 7D Nikon D90
Canon EOS 7D Nikon D90
Canon EOS 7D Nikon D90

discussion

Showing 5 comments

D90pricesiswrong (2:54 AM, June 27, 2012)
The D90 is not that expensive... Definitley goes for around $600. The link to amazon for the D90 is one that includes a bundle of other camera supplies. Please update for accurate comparisons.
 
swcv2 (5:23 AM, May 22, 2011)
I'd like to buy one , but I still considering  which one (Canon 7D or 60D or Nikon D90) is suitable for me. 
 
Avatar for Leonard Washington Leonard Washington (5:25 AM, April 23, 2011)
I have used both. I like my d90 more. It's just more of alluring camera that just woks and makes me take my photography higher. While 7d is a technological marvel
 
Avatar for Leonard Washington Leonard Washington (5:25 AM, April 23, 2011)
I have used both. I like my d90 more. It's just more of alluring camera that just woks and makes me take my photography higher. While 7d is a technological marvel
 
Tom (9:30 AM, April 21, 2011)
The 7D has comprehensive weather sealing. You missed that one in 'common weaknesses' category. But what a great layout you have done here. THanks.