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2012 DSLR Comparison
© 2012 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

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November 2012   Better Pictures   Nikon   Canon    Fuji    LEICA   All Reviews

Canon vs Nikon

Here's what really matters when I choose a camera for myself.

I've left off rated ISO and other meaningless marketing baloney. The rated range of ISO settings has very little with the range over which the photos actually look OK.

See also:

High-ISO Comparisons of the Nikon D1, D3 (D700), D4, D800, D7000 and Canon 5D, 5D Mark II, 5D Mark III and Fuji X-Pro1 and X100.

Canon 5D Mark III versus Nikon D800.

Canon 1D X versus 5D Mark III: Resolution and High ISO Sample Images.

Many of these cameras offer a plethora of custom settings to optimize their controls. This table lists how they work after I've set them as I prefer. Many can be tweaked to program a button to do different things, but they can only do one thing at a time. Therefore this table lists each as it performs in the real world as set up by an expert, not how they arrive at defaults.

You usually can set any camera to look good at any one item below at a time, but that doesn't count. What counts and what's listed below is how they work when set up optimally for my use.

 
Anni
2012-
2012-
2012-
2008-2012
2005-2008
2012-
2012-
2008-2012
2012-
2009-
2012-
2011-
2012-
 
SHOOT
Crop Factor
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1.5x
1.5x
1.85x
Aperture ring?
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
NO
Shutter dial?
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
NO
Exposure Compensation Dial ?
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
Exposure mode dial?
NO
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
YES
Audio note-taking?
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
Power switch turns itself off accidentally?
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
DOF preview needs a second hand?
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
no DOF preview
NO
NO
NO
Card Slots
CF & CF
CF & SD
1 - SD
1 - CF
1 - CF
CF & SD
SD & SD
1- CF
1- CF
1-XQD
1- SD
1- SD
1- SD
1- SD
In-finder digital zoom?****
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
FPS
12 FPS
6 FPS
4.5 FPS
3.9 FPS
3 FPS
4 FPS
5.5 FPS
5 FPS
10 FPS
2 FPS
5 FPS***
6 FPS***
Quiet mode
slow and loud
Fast and quiet
Fast and quiet
no
no
slow and loud
slow and loud
no
slow and loud
slow and not quieter
Always quiet
Always almost silent
Always almost silent
Built-in Flash?
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
Flash exposure
usually OK
usually OK
usually OK
usually OK
usually OK
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
who cares?
not tried
Excellent
sometimes OK
Auto fill-flash exposure control
usually OK
usually OK
usually OK
fair
fair
usually OK
usually OK
usually OK
usually OK
NO
not tried
SUPERB
poor
 
AUTOFOCUS
Areas
61 points
61 points
11 points
9 points
9 points
51 points
39 points
51 points
51 points
1 point
video
video
multiple
AF marks hide subject?
YES
YES
NO
NO
Sometimes
Sometimes
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
One-touch ability to switch between commonly-used AF modes?
NO
NO
YES
YES
NO
YES
YES
NO
not needed
YES
YES
NO
Ability of selected AF point to track moving target around frame.
very good
Fair
n/a
n/a
Excellent
Excellent
very good
Excellent
n/a
no
no
no
Select various AF points by holding down selector instead of needing multiple presses?
NO
NO
not needed
not needed
YES
YES
YES
YES
not needed
YES
YES
YES
 
ERGONOMICS
Grip feel
Very good
Excellent
 
Good
Fair
Good
Good
Good
Excellent
Fair-good
Good
Good
Good
Control LCD backlight(s)
red-orange LED
yellow LED
 
yellow LED
yellow LED
green LED
green LED
green LED
Cyan EL
not needed
not needed
not needed
not needed
Backlit buttons
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
most
no
no
no
no
Accurate TTL Finder?
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
YES
YES
NO
Accurate finder perspective at close & macro range?
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
YES
YES
NO
Adjust all settings and menus with eye on finder?
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
NO
Battery & card access
Alloy door
Door
Door
Door
Door
Door
Door
Door
Door
must take camera apart
Door
Door
Door
Battery life*
1,800 shots
1,000 shots
950 rated
1,200 shots
1,200 shots
1,200-2,700 shots
950 rated
1,000 shots
3,000 shots
350 shots
300 shots
550 shots
Fast total camera-state switching?
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
YES
NO
NO
YES
NO
NO
YES
Easy manual WB setting?
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
Manual WB setting memories
5
1
1
1
1
4
1
5
4
1
1
1
 
IMAGE
Color rendition, people
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
poor
Excellent
Excellent
very good
Color rendition, things
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
fair
good
good
Excellent
Exposure accuracy
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
very good
Auto WB performance
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
very good
hideous
Excellent
Excellent
very good
Resolution
18 MP
22 MP
20 MP
21 MP
12 MP
36 MP
24 MP
12 MP
16 MP
18 MP
16 MP
12 MP
14 MP
Anti-Alias Filter
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
?
No
No
Crop Factor
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1x
1.5x
1.5x
1.85x
Professional 5:4 mode?
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
NO
NO
YES
NO
NO
NO
YES
Color fringes?
NO**
NO**
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
Auto Distortion Correction?
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
not needed
not needed
NO
NO
 
PLAYBACK
In-finder playback
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
NO
LCD size and dot count

3.2"

1,040k

3.2"

1,040k

3"

1,040k

3"

920k

2.5"

230k

3.2"

921k

3.2"

921k

3"

921k

3.2"

921k

2.5"

230k

3"

1,230k

2.8"

460k

3"

922k

LCD Color Accuracy

accurate

accurate

accurate

accurate

poor

too yellow

 

accurate

too yellow

accurate

accurate

accurate

accurate

LCD quality

beautiful

beautiful

beautiful

beautiful

awful

too yellow

 

OK

too yellow

small

beautiful

beautiful

beautiful

Instant as-shot access to all play controls?
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
Zoom just-shot image?
YES
YES
YES
have to hit PLAY first
have to hit PLAY first
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
have to hit PLAY first
have to hit PLAY first
have to hit PLAY first
Need 2nd hand to start playback?*
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
YES
NO
YES
NO
Playback images instantly sharp as swapped or scrolled?
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
Always
Always
Always
Always
sometimes
Always
Always
sometimes
Diagonal playback scroll?
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
YES
Histogram for zoomed playback region?
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
 
BOTTOM LINE
Weight*

53.8 oz.

1,526 g

33.7 oz.

956 g

26.7 oz.

755 g

32 oz.

907 g

31.9 oz.

904 g

35.1 oz.

994 g

30.0 oz.

850 g

38.3 oz.

1,085 g

47.2 oz.

1,337 g

20.9 oz.

593 g

15.7 oz.

444 g

15.5 oz.

440 g

18.7 oz.

532 g

Weight includes lens?
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no

YES

YES

Price, 4/2012  

$900 used

 
Price, 7/2012  

$700 used

 
Price, 9/2012

$700 used

* actual measured as I set it, with battery and card.

** If you load a profile. If not, or if no profile is available, then YES.

*** No focus or exposure variation between frames.

**** Ability to select cropping without taking eye from finder. I program my Nikons' Fn button as cropping select, which is handy with fixed lenses.

 

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Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

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