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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D90

Portability
56
Imaging
65
Features
70
Overall
67
Canon EOS 5D Mark II front
 
Nikon D90 front
Portability
60
Imaging
51
Features
52
Overall
51

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D90 Key Specs

Canon 5D MII
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Boost to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 850g - 152 x 114 x 75mm
  • Launched February 2009
  • Succeeded the Canon 5D
  • Newer Model is Canon 5D MIII
Nikon D90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Increase to 6400)
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 703g - 132 x 103 x 77mm
  • Released October 2008
  • Superseded the Nikon D80
  • Replacement is Nikon D7000
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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D90 Overview

In this article, we are contrasting the Canon 5D MII and Nikon D90, both Advanced DSLR cameras by manufacturers Canon and Nikon. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the 5D MII (21MP) and D90 (12MP) and the 5D MII (Full frame) and D90 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The 5D MII was announced 5 months later than the D90 so they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief view of how the 5D MII matches up versus the D90 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon 5D MII over the Nikon D90

 5D MII D90 

Reasons to pick Nikon D90 over the Canon 5D MII

 D90 5D MII 

Common features in the Canon 5D MII and Nikon D90

 5D MII D90 
ReleasedFebruary 2009October 2008Same age
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurement
Display resolution920k920kSame display resolution
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D90 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera frequently, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Canon 5D MII has outside dimensions of 152mm x 114mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") and a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs) while the Nikon D90 has measurements of 132mm x 103mm x 77mm (5.2" x 4.1" x 3.0") along with a weight of 703 grams (1.55 lbs).

Check out the Canon 5D MII and Nikon D90 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the 5D MII against the D90.

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D90 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 5D MII and D90 is 56 and 60 respectively.

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D90 top view buttons comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D90 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its tough to see the difference in sensor measurements simply by checking out a spec sheet. The visual below will provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the 5D MII and D90.

As you can see, both the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The 5D MII with its larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF easier and the Canon 5D MII will produce greater detail with its extra 9MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos a little more aggressively.

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D90 sensor size comparison

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D90 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Canon 5D MII
Portrait photography with Nikon D90
79
manual focus
MP count decent (21MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
has face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
62
has manual focus
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
MP count low (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Canon 5D MII Street photography info
Nikon D90 Street photography info
59
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
environment proof
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
54
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Sports photography camera
Nikon D90 as a Sports photography camera
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
MP count decent (21 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
environment proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
max frames per second very slow (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
45
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps low (4.5 fps)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (12 megapixels)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Canon 5D MII Travel photography features
Nikon D90 Travel photography features
55
environment proof
MP count decent (21 megapixels)
no Time Lapse mode
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
44
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse mode
MP count low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 5D MII as a Landscape photography camera
Nikon D90 as a Landscape photography camera
70
manual focus
swap lenses (Canon EF mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
MP count decent (21 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW files
environment proof
lack of image stabilization
no Time Lapse mode
57
has manual focus
switch lenses (Nikon F mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (12 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 5D MII Vlogging features
Nikon D90 Vlogging features
29
has face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external mic socket
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
21
includes face detect autofocus
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone socket
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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon D90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D MII and Nikon D90
 Canon EOS 5D Mark IINikon D90
General Information
Brand Name Canon Nikon
Model type Canon EOS 5D Mark II Nikon D90
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Launched 2009-02-13 2008-10-13
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Digic 4 -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor area 864.0mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 21 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Maximum resolution 5616 x 3744 4288 x 2848
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Maximum boosted ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Min boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 11
Lens
Lens support Canon EF Nikon F
Available lenses 250 309
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 920 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT liquid-crystal color LCD Super Density TFT color LCD with wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 98% 96%
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.64x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 4.0 frames per second 4.5 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 17.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Front curtain, Rear curtain, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/200 seconds 1/200 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 424 (24 fps), 320 x 216 (24 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 850 gr (1.87 lbs) 703 gr (1.55 lbs)
Dimensions 152 x 114 x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") 132 x 103 x 77mm (5.2" x 4.1" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 79 73
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 22.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.9 12.5
DXO Low light rating 1815 977
Other
Battery life 850 photos 850 photos
Style of battery 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 shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive SD/SDHC
Card slots One One
Retail price $1,190 $1,199