Canon 50D vs Nikon D3000

Canon 50D advantages over Nikon D3000

• Fast startup
  ~0.30 vs 0.7 sec
  Faster startup lets you catch the moment
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  50D test data on DxO Mark D3000 test data on DxO Mark
  696 vs 563 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More telephoto lens reach
  216 mm vs 83 mm
  Capture objects farther away with the kit lens
• Top deck display
  Yes vs No
  Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
• More cross-type AF points
  9 vs 1
  Cross-type AF points improve autofocus performance
• Pentaprism viewfinder
  Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
  Much better viewfinder picture fidelity
• HDMI out
  HDMI out vs None
  Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
• More dots on screen
  920k vs 230k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Less shutter lag
  0.13 vs 0.26 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More viewfinder magnification
  0.59x vs 0.53x
  Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
• More pixels
  15.1 vs 10.2 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Faster JPEG shooting
  6.3 fps vs 3.0 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  43 vs 16 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  12800 vs 3200 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility