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Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D800

Portability
55
Imaging
68
Features
74
Overall
70
Canon EOS 5D Mark III front
 
Nikon D800 front
Portability
54
Imaging
73
Features
80
Overall
75

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D800 Key Specs

Canon 5D MIII
(Full Review)
  • 22MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Boost to 102400)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 950g - 152 x 116 x 76mm
  • Launched May 2012
  • Replaced the Canon 5D MII
  • Later Model is Canon 5D MIV
Nikon D800
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Bump to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 900g - 146 x 123 x 82mm
  • Launched June 2012
  • Previous Model is Nikon D700
  • Later Model is Nikon D810
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Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D800 Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D800, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by manufacturers Canon and Nikon. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the 5D MIII (22MP) and D800 (36MP) but they come with the exact same sensor sizes (Full frame).

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The 5D MIII was revealed about the same time to the D800 so they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a simple summation of how the 5D MIII scores against the D800 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Canon 5D MIII over the Nikon D800

 5D MIII D800 
Display resolution1040k921kSharper display (+119k dot)

Reasons to pick Nikon D800 over the Canon 5D MIII

 D800 5D MIII 

Common features in the Canon 5D MIII and Nikon D800

 5D MIII D800 
LaunchedMay 2012June 2012Similar age
Manually focus Very precise focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3.2"3.2"Identical display dimensions
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D800 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera, you will have to consider its weight and size. The Canon 5D MIII provides external dimensions of 152mm x 116mm x 76mm (6.0" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 950 grams (2.09 lbs) while the Nikon D800 has specifications of 146mm x 123mm x 82mm (5.7" x 4.8" x 3.2") having a weight of 900 grams (1.98 lbs).

See the Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D800 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is the front view scale comparison of the 5D MIII versus the D800.

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D800 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 5D MIII and D800 is 55 and 54 respectively.

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D800 top view buttons comparison

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D800 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very difficult to picture the gap between sensor dimensions merely by going over a spec sheet. The image underneath might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the 5D MIII and D800.

As you can see, both of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but different resolution. You can expect to see the Nikon D800 to deliver greater detail because of its extra 14MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos much more aggressively.

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D800 sensor size comparison

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D800 Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Canon 5D MIII Portrait photography details
Nikon D800 Portrait photography details
80
focusing manually
MP count good (22MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
83
manual focus
excellent MP (36MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
includes face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon 5D MIII Street photography advice
Nikon D800 Street photography advice
58
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
above average high ISO (25,600)
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than others in class (950g)
60
sensor size is big (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon 5D MIII
Sports photography with Nikon D800
71
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
MP count good (22MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports tracking autofocus
environment proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
max frames per second low (6.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
74
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
excellent MP (36MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
environment sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Canon 5D MIII Travel photography info
Nikon D800 Travel photography info
51
environment proof
MP count good (22MP)
missing Timelapse recording
more heavy than others in class (950g)
display is not selfie friendly
66
environment sealing
excellent MP (36 megapixels)
has built in flash
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Canon 5D MIII
Landscape photography with Nikon D800
73
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Canon EF mount)
screen is a good size (3.2 inches)
MP count good (22MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
environment proof
two card slots
lack of image stabilization
missing Timelapse recording
79
manual focus
switch lenses (Nikon F mount)
screen size is good (3.2")
excellent MP (36 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
2 card slots
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 5D MIII as a Vlogging camera
Nikon D800 as a Vlogging camera
27
supports face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external microphone socket
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
more heavy than others in class (950g)
30
includes face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external microphone support
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Canon 5D MIII vs Nikon D800 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 5D MIII and Nikon D800
 Canon EOS 5D Mark IIINikon D800
General Information
Company Canon Nikon
Model type Canon EOS 5D Mark III Nikon D800
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Launched 2012-05-22 2012-06-11
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Digic 5+ Expeed 3
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Full frame
Sensor measurements 36 x 24mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 864.0mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 22 megapixels 36 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 5:4 and 3:2
Full resolution 5760 x 3840 7360 x 4912
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Max boosted ISO 102400 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Lowest boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 61 51
Cross type focus points 41 15
Lens
Lens support Canon EF Nikon F
Amount of lenses 250 309
Focal length multiplier 1 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3.2" 3.2"
Resolution of display 1,040 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech Clear View II TFT LCD TFT Color LCD with 170 degrees wide-viewing angle
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.71x 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 6.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
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, High-speed sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB 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
Supported 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) 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 424 (24 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Optional None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS Optional Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 950g (2.09 lbs) 900g (1.98 lbs)
Dimensions 152 x 116 x 76mm (6.0" x 4.6" x 3.0") 146 x 123 x 82mm (5.7" x 4.8" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 81 95
DXO Color Depth rating 24.0 25.3
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.7 14.4
DXO Low light rating 2293 2853
Other
Battery life 950 images 900 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID 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
Storage type Compact Flash Type I (UDMA compatible), SD/SDHC/SDXC Compact Flash (Type I), SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-I compliant
Card slots Two Two
Retail cost $2,780 $2,999