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Canon 550D vs Nikon D5000

Portability
70
Imaging
57
Features
63
Overall
59
Canon EOS 550D front
 
Nikon D5000 front
Portability
65
Imaging
51
Features
50
Overall
50

Canon 550D vs Nikon D5000 Key Specs

Canon 550D
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Expand to 12800)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 530g - 129 x 98 x 62mm
  • Introduced April 2010
  • Also Known as EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4
  • Older Model is Canon 500D
  • Updated by Canon 600D
Nikon D5000
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Push to 6400)
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 590g - 127 x 104 x 80mm
  • Launched June 2009
  • Old Model is Nikon D60
  • Updated by Nikon D5100
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Canon 550D vs Nikon D5000 Overview

Following is a comprehensive assessment of the Canon 550D versus Nikon D5000, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by companies Canon and Nikon. There is a big difference among the resolutions of the 550D (18MP) and D5000 (12MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor sizes (APS-C).

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The 550D was launched 10 months after the D5000 which means that they are of a similar generation. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before getting into a in depth comparison, here is a simple overview of how the 550D scores versus the D5000 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon 550D over the Nikon D5000

 550D D5000 
LaunchedApril 2010June 2009More modern by 10 months
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kSharper screen (+810k dot)

Reasons to pick Nikon D5000 over the Canon 550D

 D5000 550D 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Canon 550D and Nikon D5000

 550D D5000 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Canon 550D vs Nikon D5000 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera regularly, you need to take into account its weight and size. The Canon 550D has got external dimensions of 129mm x 98mm x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") and a weight of 530 grams (1.17 lbs) whilst the Nikon D5000 has specifications of 127mm x 104mm x 80mm (5.0" x 4.1" x 3.1") along with a weight of 590 grams (1.30 lbs).

Examine the Canon 550D versus Nikon D5000 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the 550D vs the D5000.

Canon 550D vs Nikon D5000 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the 550D and D5000 is 70 and 65 respectively.

Canon 550D vs Nikon D5000 top view buttons comparison

Canon 550D vs Nikon D5000 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be tough to visualize the contrast in sensor sizes simply by going through specifications. The picture underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the 550D and D5000.

To sum up, the two cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit different MP. You should expect the Canon 550D to produce more detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more modern 550D provides an advantage in sensor tech.

Canon 550D vs Nikon D5000 sensor size comparison

Canon 550D vs Nikon D5000 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 550D vs Nikon D5000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 550D Portrait photography information
Nikon D5000 Portrait photography information
74
you can focus manually
good megapixels (18MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
62
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Canon 550D Street photography factors
Nikon D5000 Street photography factors
60
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
65
fully articulated screen
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon 550D Sports photography information
Nikon D5000 Sports photography information
53
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
slow fps (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery pack (470 shots)
42
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (12MP)
bad battery life (510 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon 550D
Travel photography with Nikon D5000
55
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
missing Timelapse mode
not so great battery pack (470 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
56
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
bad battery life (510 CIPA)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 550D Landscape photography highlights
Nikon D5000 Landscape photography highlights
63
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
good megapixels (18MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
not so great battery pack (470 CIPA)
missing Timelapse mode
51
has manual focus
change lenses (Nikon F mount)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
screen is small (2.7")
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
bad battery life (510 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 550D Vlogging features
Nikon D5000 Vlogging features
31
supports face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have microphone jack
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
52
screen is selfie friendly
offers face detection focusing
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone port
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Canon 550D vs Nikon D5000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 550D and Nikon D5000
 Canon EOS 550DNikon D5000
General Information
Company Canon Nikon
Model type Canon EOS 550D Nikon D5000
Otherwise known as EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4 -
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2010-04-01 2009-06-12
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Digic 4 Expeed
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 22.3 x 14.9mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor area 332.3mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Peak resolution 5184 x 3456 4288 x 2848
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Highest enhanced ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 11
Lens
Lens support Canon EF/EF-S Nikon F
Number of lenses 326 309
Focal length multiplier 1.6 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Screen resolution 1,040k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech TFT color liquid-crystal LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.52x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 17.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/200s 1/200s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (60, 50 fps) 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 424 (24 fps), 320 x 216 (24 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 530 gr (1.17 lbs) 590 gr (1.30 lbs)
Physical dimensions 129 x 98 x 62mm (5.1" x 3.9" x 2.4") 127 x 104 x 80mm (5.0" x 4.1" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 66 72
DXO Color Depth rating 22.0 22.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 12.5
DXO Low light rating 807 868
Other
Battery life 470 shots 510 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LP-E8 EN-EL9a
Self timer Yes (2 sec or 10 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $599 $630