Nikon J1 vs Canon 5D Mark III

Canon 5D Mark III advantages over Nikon J1

• Lens selection
  Excellent vs Limited
  Better lens selection gives you more options
• Larger sensor
  35mm vs 1 inch
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Eye-level viewfinder
  Eye-level vs Rear display only
  You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 6.25 vs 3.41 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Fast startup
  ~0.50 vs 1.4 sec
  Faster startup lets you catch the moment
• Better color depth

  Better color depth

  Color depth refers to the number of unique colors that a sensor can faithfully capture. Cameras with better color depth will demonstrate smoother transitions from one color to the next, and avoid "banding" in areas with subtle shading. (Blue skies are an example of where you might see color banding.)

  More color depth is generally better, but you'll struggle to notice a difference between two cameras with less than 1 bit of difference. Color depth above 22 bits is considered excellent.

  Want to learn more? Head over to our full glossary entry on color depth

  Color depth test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  5D Mark III test data on DxO Mark J1 test data on DxO Mark
  23.9 vs 21.5 bits
  Capture richer, more accurate colors
• 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 J1 test data on DxO Mark
  2,293 vs 372 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

  950 vs 230 shots
  Capture more photos
• Top deck display
  Yes vs No
  Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
• External Mic Jack
  Jack vs No jack
  Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
• Higher max flash sync
  1/200 vs 1/60 sec
  Reduce the effect of ambient light in flash shots
• Shoots 24p video
  Yes vs No
  Gives your movies a big-screen feel
• More dots on screen
  1044k vs 460k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Hot shoe
  Hot shoe vs None
  Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
• More pixels
  22.3 vs 10.1 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• 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 12 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