Canon EOS 5D vs Nikon D500

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 5D and the Nikon D500, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 5D was introduced in November 2005 and Nikon D500 was introduced in January 2016. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 5D over Nikon D500.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D500 over Canon EOS 5D.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 5D has a 2.5" Fixed screen with 230k dot resolution and Nikon D500 has a 3.2" Tilting screen with 2,359k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Nikon D500 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Nikon D500 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Nikon D500) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinders. Canon EOS 5D has 96% coverage with 0.71x magnification and Nikon D500 has 100% coverage with 1x (0.67x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Canon EOS 5D features a 13.3 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 36 x 24 mm and a total area of 864 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 3,200. Nikon D500 features a 20.9 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.7 mm and a total area of 246.5 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200 and expands to 50 - 1,640,000 in boosted mode.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS 5D is equipped with DIGIC II processor and can take pictures up to 4368 x 2912 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3168 x 2112, 2496 x 1664 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Nikon D500 is equipped with EXPEED 5 processor and can take pictures up to 5568 x 3712 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4176 x 2784, 2784 x 1856 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 5D has Canon EF lens mount and Nikon D500 has Nikon F lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Canon EOS 5D its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length. Due to APS-C sensor in Nikon D500 its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

No Low-Pass Filter on Nikon D500

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon D500. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS 5D it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D500 nothing can be done. On Nikon D500 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 5D nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon D500

Nikon D500 has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Nikon D500

Nikon D500 has a built-in Bluetooth (version 4.1 LE) which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

NFC on Nikon D500

Nikon D500 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 5D comes with BP-511A battery pack with battery life of 800 shots and Nikon D500 comes with EN-EL15 battery pack with battery life of 1240 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 5D has a single CompactFlash (Type I/II) card slot. Nikon D500 has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) and one for CFexpress Type B / XQD.

Shutter

Nikon D500 has Mechanical Focal Plane shutter and Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 5D, and up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon D500. Canon EOS 5D can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps. Nikon D500 can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 5D has 9 focusing points and Nikon D500 has 153 (99 cross-type) focusing points. Nikon D500 has detection range from -4 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D500 ranges from -4 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±2 EV range on Canon EOS 5D and ±5 EV range on Nikon D500. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 5D and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D500.

Flash

Cameras have no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected to both of them via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal to Nikon D500. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Canon EOS 5D and 1/250 sec on Nikon D500.

Canon EOS 5D body has dimensions of 152 x 113 x 75 mm (5.98 x 4.45 x 2.95") and Nikon D500 body has dimensions of 147 x 115 x 81 mm (5.79 x 4.53 x 3.19"). Canon EOS 5D weighs 895 g (1.97 lb / 31.57 oz) and Nikon D500 weighs 860 g (1.90 lb / 30.34 oz).

Canon EOS 5D

Nikon D500

152 mm

113 mm

147 mm

115 mm

113 mm

115 mm

75 mm

81 mm