Nikon D300 vs Canon 5D Mark III

Canon 5D Mark III advantages over Nikon D300

• Larger sensor
  35mm vs APS-C
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• 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.

  5D Mark III test data on DxO Mark D300 test data on DxO Mark
  2,293 vs 679 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• External Mic Jack
  Jack vs No jack
  Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
• Shoots 24p video
  Yes vs No
  Gives your movies a big-screen feel
• Shoots 1080p video
  Yes vs No
  You'll want this if you shoot video
• Less shutter lag
  0.12 vs 0.23 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More viewfinder magnification
  0.71x vs 0.63x
  Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
• More pixels
  22.3 vs 12.3 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Shoots 60p video
  Yes vs No
  A faster framerate can give you more editing options
• Dual card slots
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more storage flexibility
• Headphone jack
  Yes vs No
  Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  63 vs 37 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Higher extended ISO
  102400 vs 6400 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility