Nikon D90 vs Canon T3i

Nikon D90 advantages over Canon T3i

• Larger sensor
  APS-C vs APS-C
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 5.50 vs 4.30 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Fast startup
  ~0.30 vs 1.5 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.

  D90 test data on DxO Mark T3i test data on DxO Mark
  977 vs 793 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  850 vs 440 shots
  Capture more photos
• Top deck display
  Yes vs No
  Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
• Pentaprism viewfinder
  Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
  Much better viewfinder picture fidelity
• More viewfinder magnification
  0.63x vs 0.53x
  Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
• Faster JPEG shooting
  4.5 fps vs 3.6 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  Unlimited vs 9 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Faster RAW shooting
  4.1 fps vs 3.6 fps
  Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
• Bigger RAW buffer
  10 vs 5 shots
  Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)