Comparison Between Canon 5D mark II and Nikon D700

September 18, 2008

Canon 5D Mark II vs Nikon D700

Canon has done it again, undoubtedly, they are the leader in technological innovations for DSLRs but have they gone too far? is HD Movie really needed or wanted on a DIGITAL CAMERA? for now It is safe to say that photographer prefer their CAMERAs to take still shots… if they wanted to take HD Movies, it may be a wiser idea to get a HD VIDEO camera that has all the features for a good HD Video Camera instead of cramming a good SLR with a so-so HD VIDEO Recorder, but i may be wrong…

Now back to the comparison of the 2 cameras. Canon definitely has outdone Nikon in the Megapixel category but it remains to be seen if the picture quality is much better.. Why do I say this? When I talked about pixel Density earlier (D700 vs D300) Technically, the D700 (36×24) supposedly had cleaner files since pixel density was less than than that of the D300 (23.6×15.8).. it was D700 at 1.4MP/cm2 vs the D300 at 3.3MP/cm2.

In this comparison both D700 and Canon 5D Mark II both have the same sensor size at 36×24.. The difference will be on pixel density.. since the Canon 5D sports a 21mp resolution, it packs more pixels per cm2 at 2.4MP/cm2 while the D700 at 12.1MP packs around 1.4MP/cm2. Technically, the D700 should have cleaner files but the differences may only be evident once you print large sized images.

At this resolution, the lens quality shall play a big part in the image capture. Bad Glass will standout and defects like barrel distortion, pincushion distortion will be more obvious. Like the D700, vignetting will be a problem on some of canon’s lenses. Packed with good lenses, more detail and info can be captured on the 5D.. fine details and more definition than the 12.1MP D700.

The Canon 5D has 8 positions for the white balance while the D700 has only 6, Not a critical feature if you ask me, since the D700 white balance settings can be controlled on the Kelvin Scale.

The D700 has a built in flash, but is it really used? it can come in handy at times and might be a plus if extra light is really needed.

If extra exposure is needed the edge goes to the D700 having -5 to +5 with 1/3 EV or set it to 1/2EV.. this is a plus since the Canon only goes up to -2 to +2 with 1/3EV or 1/2EV.

Speed goes to Nikon D700 with 5 FPS per second and 8FPS with attached battery pack while the Canon 5D mark II is just a tiny bit faster at 3.5FPS than the 1st generation counterpart Canon 5D.

In Terms of Viewing the images, the Canon 5D gives a better feel since you can see 98% of the image that is captured and not limited by the 95% coverage of th D700.. (a quirk anyone can live with)

Its packs more megapixel does that mean it should weight more? nope not neccessarily true, the Canon 5D packs 21.0MP and only weights 850g while the Nikon D700 is on the heavy side at 1074g. This may be a deal breaker for some since they like to lug around lighter gear and with more women coming into the photography scene, maybe canon is givng them a power packed option in a lighter packaging? maybe..

Ok now comes the part where we talk about the canon HD Movie recorder again.. is the 1080p video recorder really needed by the photographer? It may come in handy for wedding photogrphers or your typical family photographer. Did they release the Movie feature with a high end camera to get the professionals to sell the idea to the  basic consumers? maybe.. to justify eventually adding this as a standard feature for future upgrades of the lower end models, giving the consumer another reason to spend! will it catch on? this remains to be seen.

Which is a better camera? again it depends on your use.. but the 21MP will come in handy for big prints.. ok maybe billboard prints.. with 21MP watch your hardisk space VANISH.. then the cycle of having to upgrade computers and hardisk space and all that will happen again.. it is  a vicious cycle..

Filed Under New Cameras, canon, nikon cameras · 1 Comment  

Comparison between Nikon D90 vs D80 vs D60 – Which one should you buy?

August 29, 2008

Comparison between Nikon D90 vs D80 vs D60 – Which one should you get?

The D90 has the best resolution at 12.3MP

For the Budget conscious go for the Nikon D60

If you planning to use it for work, get the D90 or the D80. D80 because it has been tested on the street. D90 because it is an upgraded model. Main difference would be that the D90 is using a CMOS sensor, which they say is better for portraiture.. more silky feel to the photo.

  • CCD are said to creat higher quality and cleaner files than CMOS
  • CMOS is power efficient compared to CCD Sensors
  • CCD has advantage in Dynamic Range and Noise over the CMOS
  • Both image chip types are equally reliable in most consumer and industrial applications.
  • CMOS is gaining ground with the CCD technology and soon will outdo CCD

There are many pros and cons about the whole CCD vs CMOS chip selection that is why i didnt highlight the CCD or CMOS in the chart.  Click here to  read more about Cmos vs CCD
The D90 and the D80 better autofocus system using the Nikon Multicam 1000

The D90 has more refined white balance selection having up to 12 position with 5 manual presets.

Both D90 and the D80 have Kelvin selection for the White Balance.

All Three cameras have a max shutter of 1/4000 sec.

The D90 can shoot up to 4.5 frames per second while the D80 and the D60 can only shoot up to 2.5 frames per second. This will come in handy depending on the type of shoot you do. If you do weddings, the D90 maybe a good 2nd or 3rd camera in the bag.

The D90 has a bigger LCD at 3″ and is more than 3x in lcd pixels meaning you get clear and crisp views of your photos on cam.

The D60 is lightest among the 3 cameras, good for the ladies that plan to take photography as hobby. The D90 and the D80 are a little heavier and more robust in built for the advanced hobbyists.
The D90 has live view while the 2 others dont.
The D90 has D-Movie mode captures progressive format video at 24fps while the D60 has a stop motion movie feature wherein you choose the photos that the camera puts together as a short movie choosing frame rates of 3fps to 15 fps.

320×216, 640×424 and a high definition 1280×720 mode (HD720p)

The D90 uses Scene Recognition System integrated with Face Detection System

After you read this, you may feel that there is a bias towards the D90.. all I stated were facts based on the specifications of the camera. I guess Nikon has just really given us a good camera model to upgrade to..  but would you call this a D80 replacement or would you call it a mini D300?

D60 price range is anywhere from $400-700 depending on the package/bundle you choose.
D80 price range is anywhere from $588-900 depending on the package/bundle you choose.
D90 price range is anywhere from $999-1200 depending on the package/bundle you choose.

You can see the D80 vs D60 vs D40x comparison here

Filed Under Photography TECH, Useful Photo Links, nikon cameras · 10 Comments