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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D800

Portability
56
Imaging
65
Features
70
Overall
67
Canon EOS 5D Mark II front
 
Nikon D800 front
Portability
54
Imaging
73
Features
80
Overall
75

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D800 Key Specs

Canon 5D MII
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Bump to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 850g - 152 x 114 x 75mm
  • Announced February 2009
  • Superseded the Canon 5D
  • Newer Model is Canon 5D MIII
Nikon D800
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Expand to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 900g - 146 x 123 x 82mm
  • Introduced June 2012
  • Succeeded the Nikon D700
  • New Model is Nikon D810
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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D800 Overview

Below, we will be looking at the Canon 5D MII versus Nikon D800, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by companies Canon and Nikon. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the 5D MII (21MP) and D800 (36MP) but they use the exact same sensor measurements (Full frame).

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The 5D MII was unveiled 4 years earlier than the D800 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before delving through a more detailed comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the 5D MII grades against the D800 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon 5D MII over the Nikon D800

 5D MII D800 

Reasons to pick Nikon D800 over the Canon 5D MII

 D800 5D MII 
IntroducedJune 2012February 2009Fresher by 40 months
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution921k920kCrisper screen (+1k dot)

Common features in the Canon 5D MII and Nikon D800

 5D MII D800 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D800 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Canon 5D MII has got outside measurements of 152mm x 114mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") along with a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs) and the Nikon D800 has proportions of 146mm x 123mm x 82mm (5.7" x 4.8" x 3.2") having a weight of 900 grams (1.98 lbs).

Analyze the Canon 5D MII versus Nikon D800 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at the time. The following is the front view dimension comparison of the 5D MII and the D800.

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D800 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 5D MII and D800 is 56 and 54 respectively.

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D800 top view buttons comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D800 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizing purely by going over specs. The visual here might give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the 5D MII and D800.

All in all, the two cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You should expect the Nikon D800 to offer you extra detail having an extra 15MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The older 5D MII is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D800 sensor size comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D800 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D800 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Portrait photography camera
Nikon D800 as a Portrait photography camera
79
you can focus manually
MP count decent (21MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
features face detection focus
exports RAW files
83
manual focus
megapixel count amazing (36 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon 5D MII Street photography info
Nikon D800 Street photography info
59
sensor size is big (Full frame)
exports RAW files
environment proof
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
60
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment proof
no moving screen
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon 5D MII Sports photography factors
Nikon D800 Sports photography factors
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
MP count decent (21 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
features tracking autofocus
environment proof
supports phase detect auto focus
max frames per second very slow (4.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
74
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
megapixel count amazing (36MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proof
comes with phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Canon 5D MII Travel photography details
Nikon D800 Travel photography details
55
environment proof
MP count decent (21MP)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
screen isn't selfie friendly
66
environment proof
megapixel count amazing (36MP)
built-in flash
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 5D MII Landscape photography details
Nikon D800 Landscape photography details
70
you can focus manually
change lenses (Canon EF mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
MP count decent (21 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
exports RAW files
environment proof
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse function
79
manual focus
switch lenses (Nikon F mount)
screen is a good size (3.2")
megapixel count amazing (36 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment proof
two card slots
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Vlogging camera
Nikon D800 as a Vlogging camera
29
features face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external mic jack
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
30
provides face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have external mic socket
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D800 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D MII and Nikon D800
 Canon EOS 5D Mark IINikon D800
General Information
Make Canon Nikon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D800
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Announced 2009-02-13 2012-06-11
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Digic 4 Expeed 3
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Full frame
Sensor dimensions 36 x 24mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 21 megapixels 36 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 5:4 and 3:2
Highest resolution 5616 x 3744 7360 x 4912
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Highest boosted ISO 25600 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Minimum boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 9 51
Cross focus points - 15
Lens
Lens mount Canon EF Nikon F
Number of lenses 250 309
Focal length multiplier 1 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3.2 inches
Display resolution 920k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology TFT liquid-crystal color LCD TFT Color LCD with 170 degrees wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 4.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 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, High-speed sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/200s 1/250s
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) 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 424 (24 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 850 gr (1.87 pounds) 900 gr (1.98 pounds)
Dimensions 152 x 114 x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") 146 x 123 x 82mm (5.7" x 4.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 79 95
DXO Color Depth score 23.7 25.3
DXO Dynamic range score 11.9 14.4
DXO Low light score 1815 2853
Other
Battery life 850 pictures 900 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LP-E6 EN-EL15
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 to 20 sec, 1 to 9 exposures at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2 or 3 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive Compact Flash (Type I), SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-I compliant
Card slots One 2
Cost at launch $1,190 $2,999