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Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D50

Portability
55
Imaging
66
Features
74
Overall
69
Canon EOS 5D Mark III front
 
Nikon D50 front
Portability
64
Imaging
43
Features
39
Overall
41

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D50 Key Specs

Canon 5D MIII
(Full Review)
  • 22MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Raise to 102400)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 950g - 152 x 116 x 76mm
  • Launched May 2012
  • Superseded the Canon 5D MII
  • Renewed by Canon 5D MIV
Nikon D50
(Full Review)
  • 6MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 620g - 133 x 102 x 76mm
  • Released July 2005
  • Successor is Nikon D40X
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Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D50 Overview

Following is a comprehensive assessment of the Canon 5D MIII and Nikon D50, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by brands Canon and Nikon. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the 5D MIII (22MP) and D50 (6MP) and the 5D MIII (Full frame) and D50 (APS-C) have different sensor size.

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The 5D MIII was revealed 6 years after the D50 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before getting into a in depth comparison, here is a concise summation of how the 5D MIII scores versus the D50 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Canon 5D MIII over the Nikon D50

 5D MIII D50 
ReleasedMay 2012July 2005More modern by 84 months
Display dimensions3.2"2"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution1040k130kCrisper display (+910k dot)

Reasons to pick Nikon D50 over the Canon 5D MIII

 D50 5D MIII 

Common features in the Canon 5D MIII and Nikon D50

 5D MIII D50 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D50 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry around your camera frequently, you'll need to factor its weight and measurements. The Canon 5D MIII has got outer measurements of 152mm x 116mm x 76mm (6.0" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 950 grams (2.09 lbs) and the Nikon D50 has proportions of 133mm x 102mm x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0") and a weight of 620 grams (1.37 lbs).

Contrast the Canon 5D MIII and Nikon D50 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the 5D MIII and the D50.

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D50 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the 5D MIII and D50 is 55 and 64 respectively.

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D50 top view buttons comparison

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D50 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its hard to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes merely by reading through a spec sheet. The image here will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the 5D MIII and D50.

Clearly, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The 5D MIII having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Canon 5D MIII will give you more detail because of its extra 16MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more recent 5D MIII provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D50 sensor size comparison

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D50 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 5D MIII Portrait photography advice
Nikon D50 Portrait photography advice
79
focusing manually
decent megapixels (22 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
52
you can focus manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/500s)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
sensor resolution low (6 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon 5D MIII
Street photography with Nikon D50
57
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
very good ISO range (25,600)
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (950 grams)
58
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lighter than competition (620 grams)
fixed screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon 5D MIII
Sports photography with Nikon D50
70
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
decent megapixels (22 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps low (6.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
38
decent sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
no liveview feature
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (6MP)
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Travel Comparison

Canon 5D MIII Travel photography details
Nikon D50 Travel photography details
51
environment sealing
decent megapixels (22 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse mode
more heavy than competition in class (950g)
screen is not selfie friendly
50
lighter than competition (620 grams)
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (6MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 5D MIII Landscape photography details
Nikon D50 Landscape photography details
72
focusing manually
swap lenses (Canon EF mount)
screen size is decent (3.2 inch)
decent megapixels (22MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
has double storage slots
lack of image stabilization
lack of Timelapse mode
45
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Nikon F mount)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
tiny screen (2 inch)
no liveview feature
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (6MP)
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Canon 5D MIII
Vlogging with Nikon D50
27
has face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have external microphone port
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than competition in class (950 grams)
9
no video recording
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Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D MIII and Nikon D50
 Canon EOS 5D Mark IIINikon D50
General Information
Company Canon Nikon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark III Nikon D50
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Launched 2012-05-22 2005-07-23
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 5+ -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor dimensions 36 x 24mm 23.7 x 15.5mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 367.4mm²
Sensor resolution 22 megapixels 6 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Full resolution 5760 x 3840 3008 x 2000
Max native ISO 25600 1600
Max boosted ISO 102400 -
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 61 -
Cross focus points 41 -
Lens
Lens mount Canon EF Nikon F
Amount of lenses 250 309
Focal length multiplier 1 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3.2 inch 2 inch
Screen resolution 1,040k dots 130k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology Clear View II TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.5x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 6.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 11.00 m
Flash settings no built-in flash Front curtain, Rear curtain, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/200 seconds 1/500 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (29.97, 25, 23.976 fps fps), 1280 x 720 (59.94, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format H.264 -
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Optional None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 950 gr (2.09 pounds) 620 gr (1.37 pounds)
Physical dimensions 152 x 116 x 76mm (6.0" x 4.6" x 3.0") 133 x 102 x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 81 55
DXO Color Depth score 24.0 20.9
DXO Dynamic range score 11.7 10.8
DXO Low light score 2293 560
Other
Battery life 950 images -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model LP-E6 EN-EL3
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 to 20 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash Type I (UDMA compatible), SD/SDHC/SDXC SD card
Card slots Dual Single
Launch pricing $2,780 $499