Nikon
D80
 vs
Nikon
D90

Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Nikon D80 vs Nikon D7000

Nikon D90

71
Winner

Nikon D90
"The D90 feels very comfortable and natural, with a good grip and logical, ergonomic, button placement."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's feel
"On a purely specification level, it's a highly competitive piece of kit, but it's the way the features have been chosen and put together that make it the camera that it is."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's overall-performance

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
Nikon D80

33
Runner-up

Nikon D80

Reasons to buy the Nikon D80

Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.62x
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D80
Weight Lighter 668 g vs 703 g
Help
 Almost the same
Nikon D80 Learn more about
the Nikon D80

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 977 ISO vs 524 ISO
Help
 The D90 has a slight edge (0.9 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
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 11.2 EV
Help
 1.3 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.6 more bits of color
True resolution Higher true resolution 12.2 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 4.5 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 50% faster continuous shooting
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
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
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 96% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.63x vs 0.62x
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The D90's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90
vs

recommendations

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

Nikon D80 Nikon D80
33 vs 71
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D90.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

NikonD80
 Nikon D80 vs Nikon D90
NikonD90
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
16
22
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
12
25
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
12
23
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
11
25
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
12
24
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
13
27
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder size Above average viewfinder size Help
D80:0.62x
D90:0.63x
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
169 lenses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Sensor size Large sensors Help
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Weight Heavy Help
D80:668 g
D90:703 g
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
D80:3,200 ISO
D90:6,400 ISO
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
D80:1,600 ISO
D90:3,200 ISO
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
D80:10 MP
D90:12.2 MP
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only

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
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the D5100 vs the D80
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
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the D80
Compare the D7000 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
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the D3100 vs the D80
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$879 - $1,304 body only

$1,139 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Weight Is slightly heavier
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D80
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$624 - $800 body only

$869 - $1,100 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Sensor size Has a slightly smaller sensor
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D80
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D90
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$569 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Sensor size Has a slightly smaller sensor
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D80
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D90
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D300S vs the D80
Compare the D300S vs the D90

Nikon D80 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D80.

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Nikon D90.

appearance

Nikon D80 Nikon D90
Nikon D80 Nikon D90
Nikon D80 Nikon D90

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?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 1 comments

amateur (3:41 PM, September 29, 2011)
both of them must have 96% viewfinder coverage.