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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500

Portability
56
Imaging
65
Features
70
Overall
67
Canon EOS 5D Mark II front
 
Nikon D500 front
Portability
56
Imaging
65
Features
90
Overall
75

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500 Key Specs

Canon 5D MII
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Raise to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 850g - 152 x 114 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2009
  • Previous Model is Canon 5D
  • Successor is Canon 5D MIII
Nikon D500
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Push to 1640000)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 860g - 147 x 115 x 81mm
  • Launched January 2016
  • Old Model is Nikon D300S
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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by rivals Canon and Nikon. The resolution of the 5D MII (21MP) and the D500 (21MP) is fairly similar but the 5D MII (Full frame) and D500 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The 5D MII was introduced 7 years before the D500 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple overview of how the 5D MII grades versus the D500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon 5D MII over the Nikon D500

 5D MII D500 

Reasons to pick Nikon D500 over the Canon 5D MII

 D500 5D MII 
LaunchedJanuary 2016February 2009More modern by 83 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution2359k920kSharper display (+1439k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Canon 5D MII and Nikon D500

 5D MII D500 
Manual focus Dial precise focus
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Canon 5D MII comes with external measurements of 152mm x 114mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs) whilst the Nikon D500 has dimensions of 147mm x 115mm x 81mm (5.8" x 4.5" x 3.2") having a weight of 860 grams (1.90 lbs).

Look at the Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at the time. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the 5D MII vs the D500.

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the 5D MII and D500 is 56 and 56 respectively.

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500 top view buttons comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very difficult to envision the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reviewing technical specs. The pic here should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the 5D MII and D500.

As you can tell, both the cameras come with the identical MP but not the same sensor sizes. The 5D MII features the larger sensor which is going to make obtaining shallower DOF less difficult. The more aged 5D MII is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500 sensor size comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 5D MII Portrait photography information
Nikon D500 Portrait photography information
79
manual focus
good MP (21 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
has face detection focus
exports RAW formats
79
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (21 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon 5D MII Street photography details
Nikon D500 Street photography details
59
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
68
tilting screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
has focus by touch
weather proofing
good ISO range (51,200)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon 5D MII
Sports photography with Nikon D500
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
good MP (21MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
low frames per second (4.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
sensor resolution is decent (21 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
weather proofing
better than average battery power (1,240 per charge)
has phase detect autofocus
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Canon 5D MII
Travel photography with Nikon D500
55
weather proofing
good MP (21 megapixels)
missing Time Lapse function
display is not selfie friendly
68
better than average battery power (1,240 CIPA)
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
has focus by touch
sensor resolution is decent (21 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 5D MII Landscape photography information
Nikon D500 Landscape photography information
70
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Canon EF mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
good MP (21 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
does not have image stabilization
missing Time Lapse function
77
focusing manually
change lenses (Nikon F mount)
screen is a decent size (3.2")
sensor resolution is decent (21 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
does not have anti-alias filter
good ISO range (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
better than average battery power (1,240 per charge)
has dual storage slots
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Vlogging camera
Nikon D500 as a Vlogging camera
29
has face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external mic jack
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
31
has touchscreen
comes with face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has microphone jack
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D MII and Nikon D500
 Canon EOS 5D Mark IINikon D500
General Information
Brand Name Canon Nikon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D500
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Revealed 2009-02-13 2016-01-05
Body design Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Digic 4 Expeed 5
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 21 megapixels 21 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Highest resolution 5616 x 3744 5568 x 3712
Highest native ISO 6400 51200
Highest boosted ISO 25600 1640000
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO 50 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 153
Cross focus points - 99
Lens
Lens mount Canon EF Nikon F
Available lenses 250 309
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3.2 inch
Screen resolution 920 thousand dot 2,359 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen tech TFT liquid-crystal color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 98% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.66x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames per second 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/200 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 4K (UHD) 30p/25p/24p, 1080/60p/50p/30p/25p/24p, 720/60p/50p
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 850 grams (1.87 pounds) 860 grams (1.90 pounds)
Physical dimensions 152 x 114 x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") 147 x 115 x 81mm (5.8" x 4.5" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 79 84
DXO Color Depth score 23.7 24.1
DXO Dynamic range score 11.9 14.0
DXO Low light score 1815 1324
Other
Battery life 850 pictures 1240 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LP-E6 EN-EL15
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive XQD/SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compliant)
Storage slots One Two
Launch pricing $1,190 $1,497