Canon EOS Digital
Rebel XSi
 vs
Nikon
D90

Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi vs Nikon D7000

Nikon D90

71
Winner

Nikon D90
"Fast Autofocus with useful control options"
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's auto-focus
"Although the buttons have been redesigned and are a lot easier to press the layout is identical to the D80."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's button-layout

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
977 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
73.0
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.5 EV
Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.63x
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

40
"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

Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
160 ms shutter lag
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm
Thickness
 Thin
2.4"
Weight
 Light-weight
524 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon Rebel XSi
Size Significantly smaller 129x98x62 mm vs 132x103x77 mm
Help
 Around 30% smaller
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 160 ms vs 208 ms
Help
 More than 20% less delay when taking photos
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.4" vs 3"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Weight Significantly lighter 524 g vs 703 g
Help
 Around 30% lighter
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $485.00 vs $869.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $384 cheaper (more than 40% less)
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Learn more about
the Canon Rebel XSi

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 977 ISO vs 692 ISO
Help
 The D90 has a slight edge (0.5 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 73.0 vs 61.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 10.8 EV
Help
 1.7 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 21.9 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.8 more bits of color
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.63x vs 0.54x
Help
 Around 40% larger viewfinder
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 850 shots vs 500 shots
Help
 70% more shots per battery charge
Sensor size Significantly larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs APS-C 22.2x14.8mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 4.5 fps vs 3.5 fps
Help
 Around 30% faster continuous shooting
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The D90's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Focus points More focus points 11 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 96% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Lens availability Slightly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 162 lenses
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90
vs

recommendations

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

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
40 vs 71
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D90.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS Digital Rebel XSi
 Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi vs Nikon D90
NikonD90
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
1
3
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
1
3
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
1
3
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
1
3
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
1
4
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
1
3
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
Rebel XSi:162 lenses
D90:169 lenses
Screen size Larger than average screens Help
3.0"
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
Rebel XSi:400 ms
D90:300 ms
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Light sensitivity (boost) One has boost ISO Help
Rebel XSi:None
D90:6,400 ISO
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
Rebel XSi:1,600 ISO
D90:3,200 ISO
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
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
12.2 MP
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
1
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D90
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D90
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$379 body only

$460 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Weight Is slightly lighter
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 D90

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Entry-level DSLR

$334 - $595 body only

$449 - $460 with 18-55mm lens
Color depth Better color depth
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Screen size Much smaller screen
Viewfinder size Smaller viewfinder
Compare the EOS Digital Rebel XS vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi

Entry-level DSLR

$625 with 18-55mm lens
Color depth Better color depth
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Screen size Much smaller screen
Live view No live view
Compare the EOS Digital Rebel XTi vs the EOS Digital Rebel XSi

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Focus points Many more focus points
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the D300S vs the D90

appearance

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Nikon D90
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Nikon D90
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Nikon D90

Find similar cameras

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discussion Which do you think is better?

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