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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D300S

Portability
56
Imaging
65
Features
70
Overall
67
Canon EOS 5D Mark II front
 
Nikon D300S front
Portability
55
Imaging
52
Features
65
Overall
57

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D300S Key Specs

Canon 5D MII
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Increase to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 850g - 152 x 114 x 75mm
  • Released February 2009
  • Succeeded the Canon 5D
  • Successor is Canon 5D MIII
Nikon D300S
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Push to 6400)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 938g - 147 x 114 x 74mm
  • Announced November 2009
  • Superseded the Nikon D300
  • Newer Model is Nikon D600
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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D300S Overview

Following is a in-depth overview of the Canon 5D MII versus Nikon D300S, both Advanced DSLR cameras by brands Canon and Nikon. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the 5D MII (21MP) and D300S (12MP) and the 5D MII (Full frame) and D300S (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizing.

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The 5D MII was brought out 9 months earlier than the D300S and they are of a similar age. Both the cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before we go into a full comparison, here is a simple summation of how the 5D MII grades against the D300S for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon 5D MII over the Nikon D300S

 5D MII D300S 

Reasons to pick Nikon D300S over the Canon 5D MII

 D300S 5D MII 
AnnouncedNovember 2009February 2009More modern by 9 months

Common features in the Canon 5D MII and Nikon D300S

 5D MII D300S 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Display resolution920k920kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D300S Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry around your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and volume. The Canon 5D MII has got outside dimensions of 152mm x 114mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") with a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs) whilst the Nikon D300S has sizing of 147mm x 114mm x 74mm (5.8" x 4.5" x 2.9") with a weight of 938 grams (2.07 lbs).

Check out the Canon 5D MII versus Nikon D300S in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at the time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the 5D MII and the D300S.

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D300S size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the 5D MII and D300S is 56 and 55 respectively.

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D300S top view buttons comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D300S Sensor Comparison

Often, its tough to see the difference in sensor sizes only by checking out a spec sheet. The image underneath will provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the 5D MII and D300S.

As you can see, both of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The 5D MII because of its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Canon 5D MII will produce greater detail having its extra 9 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged 5D MII will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D300S sensor size comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D300S Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D300S Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 5D MII Portrait photography features
Nikon D300S Portrait photography features
79
manual focus
decent MP (21 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
63
you can focus manually
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon 5D MII
Street photography with Nikon D300S
59
great sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
52
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
more heavy than competition (938g)
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Sports Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Sports photography camera
Nikon D300S as a Sports photography camera
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
decent MP (21 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
weather proof
has phase detect auto focus
low fps (4.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
59
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
environment proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon 5D MII
Travel photography with Nikon D300S
55
weather proof
decent MP (21MP)
no Timelapse mode
does not offer selfie friendly screen
48
environment proof
built-in flash
more heavy than competition (938g)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 5D MII Landscape photography advice
Nikon D300S Landscape photography advice
70
manual focus
change lenses (Canon EF mount)
screen size is decent (3")
decent MP (21MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
weather proof
does not have image stabilization
no Timelapse mode
65
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Nikon F mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
has dual storage slots
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Vlogging camera
Nikon D300S as a Vlogging camera
29
includes face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has microphone support
does not offer selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
22
has face detect autofocus
includes microphone jack
does not feature selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
more heavy than competition (938g)
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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D300S Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D MII and Nikon D300S
 Canon EOS 5D Mark IINikon D300S
General Information
Company Canon Nikon
Model type Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D300S
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Released 2009-02-13 2009-11-16
Body design Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Digic 4 Expeed
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 21MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Max resolution 5616 x 3744 4288 x 2848
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Max enhanced ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW data
Lowest enhanced ISO 50 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 51
Lens
Lens mount type Canon EF Nikon F
Available lenses 250 309
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 920 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech TFT liquid-crystal color LCD Super Density TFT color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 98% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.63x
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 4.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/200s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 480 (24 fps), 320 x 240 (24 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 850 gr (1.87 pounds) 938 gr (2.07 pounds)
Physical dimensions 152 x 114 x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") 147 x 114 x 74mm (5.8" x 4.5" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 79 70
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.9 12.2
DXO Low light rating 1815 787
Other
Battery life 850 shots 950 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LP-E6 EN-EL3e
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive Compact Flash Type I/SD/SDHC
Storage slots Single 2
Launch cost $1,190 $1,630