Canon A800 vs Nikon D5000

Below is a thorough review of the Canon A800 vs Nikon D5000, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Canon and Nikon. The sensor resolution of the A800 (10MP) and the D5000 (12MP) is pretty comparable but the A800 (1/2.3") and D5000 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The A800 was manufactured 20 months later than the D5000 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Canon A800 being a Compact camera and the Nikon D5000 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the A800 matches up versus the D5000 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot A800 & Nikon D5000. The entire galleries are viewable at Canon A800 Gallery & Nikon D5000 Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Canon A800 provides external measurements of 94mm x 61mm x 31mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.2") with a weight of 186 grams (0.41 lbs) and the Nikon D5000 has measurements of 127mm x 104mm x 80mm (5.0" x 4.1" x 3.1") and a weight of 590 grams (1.30 lbs).

Look at the Canon A800 vs Nikon D5000 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. The following is a front view size comparison of the A800 and the D5000.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A800 and D5000 is 93 and 65 respectively.

Quite often, it is very tough to envision the gap in sensor measurements simply by seeing specs. The visual below will give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A800 and D5000.

All in all, the two cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A800 featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Nikon D5000 will provide extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots way more aggressively. The younger A800 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.