Canon EOS 5DS vs Nikon Z fc

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 5DS and the Nikon Z fc, 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 5DS was introduced in February 2015 and Nikon Z fc was introduced in June 2021. 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 5DS over Nikon Z fc.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Z fc over Canon EOS 5DS.

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 5DS has a 3.2" Fixed screen with 1,040k dot resolution and Nikon Z fc has a 3.0" Fully Articulated screen with 1,040k dot resolution. Fully articulated screen makes Nikon Z fc selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Nikon Z fc 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 Z fc) 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

Canon EOS 5DS has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinderNikon Z fc has a built-in 0.39" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 2,360k dot resolution. They both have 100% coverage.

Canon EOS 5DS features a 50.6 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 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode. Nikon Z fc features a 20.9 megapixel APS-C BSI-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 100 - 204,800 in boosted mode.

Nikon Z fc has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

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 5DS is equipped with Dual DIGIC 6 processor and can take pictures up to 8688 x 5792 resolution. Nikon Z fc is equipped with EXPEED 6 processor and can take pictures up to 5568 x 3712 resolution.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 5DS has Canon EF lens mount and Nikon Z fc has Nikon Z lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Canon EOS 5DS 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 Z fc 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 Z fc

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon Z fc. 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 5DS it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon Z fc nothing can be done. On Nikon Z fc it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 5DS nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon Z fc

Nikon Z fc has a built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz) 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 Z fc

Nikon Z fc has a built-in Bluetooth 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.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 GBit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS 5DS has a Mini HDMI and Nikon Z fc has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 5DS comes with LP-E6 battery pack with battery life of 700 shots and Nikon Z fc comes with EN-EL25 battery pack with battery life of 300 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 5DS has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and one for CompactFlash (UDMA 7). Nikon Z fc has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Nikon Z fc has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 5DS, and up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon Z fc. Canon EOS 5DS can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Nikon Z fc can shoot continuously up to 11.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 5DS has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 61 (41 cross-type) focusing points and Nikon Z fc has Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF system with 209 focusing points. Canon EOS 5DS has detection range from -2 to +18 EV and Nikon Z fc has detection range from -4.5 to +19 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS 5DS and Nikon Z fc range from 0 to +20 EV and -4 to +17 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Canon EOS 5DS and ±5 EV range on Nikon Z fc. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 5DS and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon Z fc.

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 Canon EOS 5DS and via Hot Shoe to Nikon Z fc. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Canon EOS 5DS.

Canon EOS 5DS body has dimensions of 152 x 116 x 76 mm (5.98 x 4.57 x 2.99") and Nikon Z fc body has dimensions of 135 x 94 x 44 mm (5.31 x 3.7 x 1.73"). Canon EOS 5DS weighs 930 g (2.05 lb / 32.80 oz) and Nikon Z fc weighs 445 g (0.98 lb / 15.70 oz).

Canon EOS 5DS

Nikon Z fc

152 mm

116 mm

135 mm

94 mm

116 mm

94 mm

76 mm

44 mm