Nikon D90 vs Canon 5D Mark III

Canon 5D Mark III advantages over Nikon D90

• 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 D90 test data on DxO Mark
  2,293 vs 977 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• External Mic Jack
  Jack vs No jack
  Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
• More cross-type AF points
  41 vs 1
  Cross-type AF points improve autofocus performance
• Shoots 1080p video
  Yes vs No
  You'll want this if you shoot video
• Less shutter lag
  0.12 vs 0.21 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
• More AF points
  61 vs 11
  More AF points improve autofocus
• Headphone jack
  Yes vs No
  Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
• Faster JPEG shooting
  6.0 fps vs 4.5 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Faster RAW shooting
  6.0 fps vs 4.1 fps
  Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
• Bigger RAW buffer
  18 vs 10 shots
  Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  102400 vs 6400 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility