Canon EOS Digital
Rebel XSi
 vs
Nikon
D5000

Updated (April, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi vs Nikon D5100

Nikon D5000

48
Winner

Nikon D5000
"The D5000 acquires the 11-point AF system from the D90. It's a pretty sophisticated setup for a camera at this level"
dpreview.com | talking about the D5000's auto-focus
"Excellent degree of customization (reversible dial and meter ease transition from other systems)"
dpreview.com | talking about the D5000's button-layout

Reasons to buy the Nikon D5000

Overall image quality
 Great image quality
72.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
22.7 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.5 EV
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Sensor size
 Large sensor
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

41
"Superb resolution, good per-pixel sharpness"
dpreview.com | talking about the Rebel XSi's image-quality
"Just like the EOS 400D the 450D is primarily made from three materials; a stainless steel chassis, the mirror box which is made of high-strength 'engineering plastic' and the body made of a special lightweight 'engineering plastic' which also provides some electromagnetic shielding. Construction is very good with no creaks or rattles."
dpreview.com | talking about the Rebel XSi's build-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
160 ms shutter lag
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Thickness
 Thin
2.4"
Weight
 Light-weight
524 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon Rebel XSi
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 160 ms vs 276 ms
Help
 More than 40% less delay when taking photos
Size Much smaller 129x98x62 mm vs 127x104x80 mm
Help
 Around 30% smaller
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Thickness Much thinner 2.4" vs 3.1"
Help
 More than 20% thinner
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.54x vs 0.51x
Help
 More than 10% larger viewfinder
Lowest price Cheaper $467.50 vs $879.95
Help
 The best price we've seen is $412 cheaper (around 50% less)
Weight Lighter 524 g vs 590 g
Help
 More than 10% lighter
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Learn more about
the Canon Rebel XSi

Advantages of the Nikon D5000
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 10.8 EV
Help
 1.7 f-stops more dynamic range
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 72.0 vs 61.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 868 ISO vs 692 ISO
Help
 The D5000 has a slight edge (0.3 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 21.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.8 more bits of color
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
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
Sensor size Significantly larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs APS-C 22.2x14.8mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 800 ISO
Help
 The D5000's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Focus points More focus points 11 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 4 fps vs 3.5 fps
Help
 More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The D5000's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D5000 Learn more about
the Nikon D5000
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent entry-level DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
41 vs 48
Explain scores
Nikon D5000 Nikon D5000
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D5000.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
Rebel XSi:162 lenses
D5000:169 lenses
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
400 ms startup delay
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
Rebel XSi:1,600 ISO
D5000:6,400 ISO
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
Rebel XSi:800 ISO
D5000:3,200 ISO
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
12.2 MP
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
1
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
230k dots
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
Rebel XSi:3.5 fps
D5000:4 fps
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Movie format One shoots movies Help
Rebel XSi:None
D5000:720p @ 24fps

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the D5100 vs the D5000
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the D3100 vs the D5000
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$333 body only

$489 - $500 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Battery life Has a significantly longer battery life
Thickness Is thicker
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D5000
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a much higher resolution screen
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D5000
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a much higher resolution screen
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D5000
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Screen resolution Has a much higher resolution screen
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the D90 vs the D5000
Canon EOS Rebel T1i

Canon Rebel T1i

Entry-level DSLR

$475 - $629 body only

$549 - $580 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a much higher resolution screen
Supports 24p Doesn't record movies in 24p
Color depth Has slightly less color depth
Compare the Rebel T1i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T1i vs the D5000

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi.

Nikon D5000 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D5000.

appearance

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Nikon D5000
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Nikon D5000
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Nikon D5000

discussion

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