Canon EOS 550D vs Nikon D90 side by side

Canon EOS 550D vs Nikon D90 side by side

• Canon EOS 550D vs Nikon D90 side by side
• The Canon 550D camera has an 18-megapixel matrix versus the 12.3-megapixel matrix of the Nikon D90
• The 550D offers enhanced Live View (LV) with Phase Detect and Contrast Detect AF
• The Canon 550D offers high ISO performance up to ISO 12,800 versus the Nikon D90's ISO 6400
• The Nikon AF-S DX 18-55mm VR kit lens is superior to the Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS kit lens
• The Nikon D90 offers improved ergonomics over the Canon 550D
• The viewfinder on the Nikon D90 has a pentaprism, unlike the pentamirror on the 550D
• The D90's Active D-Lighting enhances dynamic range
• Nikon D90 offers an advantage over the 550D in terms of flash photography
• The Nikon D90's EN-EL3e battery lasts almost twice as long as the Canon 550D's LP-E8 battery
• Canon EOS 550D vs Nikon D90: conclusions
• Specifications of Canon Rebel T2i/EOS 550D vs Nikon D90

The Canon 550D offers high ISO speeds of up to ISO 12,800 versus the Nikon D90's ISO 6,400: While the Canon 550D's high ISO of 12,800 sounds quite attractive from a marketing perspective, the reality is that it will produce unsatisfactory results. Apparently, this is why Nikon developers limited the maximum sensitivity value to 6400 due to technological limitations, obtaining a more usable image quality.

Both cameras have the ability to set sensitivity to maximum in Auto ISO mode (a feature new to the 550D), allowing the user to maintain the desired lighting and view the scene while focusing on the subject.

The Nikon D90 offers the added benefit of allowing you to select a minimum shutter speed at which the Auto ISO setting is not taken into account. General sensitivity settings can be selected in increments of 1/3 on the D90, and in increments of 1 on the Canon 550D, allowing you to fine-tune sensitivity on the D90.

Canon 550D ISO Range

ISO range of Nikon D90

• Available ISO values: Auto, ISO 200 - 3200 in 1/3 stop increments. Low ISO up to (Lo 1) 100 ISO and high up to (H1) 6400 ISO adjustable in 1/3 stop increments

In high sensitivity tests of the Canon EOS 550D and Nikon D90, the D90 begins to show advantages at ISO 800 and above in terms of detail retention. Canon's stronger noise reduction at these ISO values ​​leads to loss and blurring of detail, which can be seen in the test images below.

• ISO 800, 1/15 sec., F8 aperture, standard noise reduction
• iFCL evaluative metering, auto white balance

Of these two, it is most logical to take the Nikon D90, because... he is a class higher. The pictures themselves will be equally good, but Nikon, due to its class, is potentially somewhat more convenient.

Once you go to the store and hold them in your hands, you will understand what we are talking about.

Yes, by the way, you can take both cheaper cameras, but with the same good picture at the output, just save on this in favor of the flash.

For Canon it is 450d and 500d, for Nikon it is d5000.

Or now buy one of the initially planned ones, assuming further purchase of photographic equipment in the future.

How much money is there enough for? What's the budget?

There is always the option of buying a KIT kit, and only then, after gaining experience and understanding what is needed, think about changing the glass.

And my review that the camera as an independent product is good will suit you?
Don't take it as a joke

I’ll be honest: I have no idea how they make videos, because the latter worries me the least in my life.

But in terms of photos they will be equally good.
In terms of functionality.

They are not different from each other in any way that would not be enough for some tasks.

But they differ in that the d90 class has a larger viewfinder, improved ergonomics, a slightly higher rate of fire and, what is especially nice, a more comfortable grip.

kolyasca , tell us in more detail whether you desperately need video from a DSLR camera, or simply “all other things being equal, let this feature also be there, it’s not superfluous.”

In fact, in today's serious cameras, video largely remains an extra feature, and the reasons for this lie in the technical laws of the design.

The design of a digital camera, whether for photos or video, can, in principle, consist of the same elements. But for high-quality video, these elements require something diametrically opposite to what is required for high-quality photography.

That is, either the design will be tailored for high-quality photos and mediocre video, or high-quality video and mediocre photos, or equally mediocre photos and videos, but in a pocket size, and often at the same time also an auto-dialer, mp3 ringtones and a web browser.

If video is not particularly important, but simply “an extra feature wouldn’t hurt,” then here’s an extra feature in the D90 that certainly won’t be unneeded: a built-in commander (IR transmitter) for wireless control of external flashes. If purchased separately, this feature costs several hundred dollars.

Somehow I don’t really want to help someone who reacts to help with the words “schnelle, schnelle!” and a poke under the ribs with the barrel of a Schmeisser. Then figure it out on your own.

The 550D is a great camera, and if it has everything you need, don’t hesitate to take it, it won’t let you down.

The 50D is more expensive for the job, you can take it with confidence and don’t worry about the price difference with the 550D, but if you like the 550D, then just as easily take the 550D and don’t worry either.

The difference between them is who and why they are addressed. And from here the rest of the differences grow.

Rebels, including the 550D, are aimed at beginners, but are also decently suitable for advanced amateurs and even non-super-wealthy professionals.

Cameras of the 50D class are aimed at advanced amateurs, but are ideal for wealthy beginners and very decent for non-super-wealthy professionals.

Class 7D cameras are aimed at low-income professionals, are very suitable for advanced amateurs and are not at all suitable for beginners. This does not prevent an inquisitive, result-oriented beginner from successfully mastering such a camera as his first one.

The more professional the camera, the more durable it is, the faster its ergonomics from the point of view of an experienced photographer and the more confusing it is from the point of view of an inexperienced one, the more additional features it has that a beginner will never find, and without which an experienced photographer will be will take it off, but howling, swearing, and feeling that he was given a museum obscura instead of a full-fledged device. Something like that.

At the same time, all this is conditional. On the streets of St. Petersburg, one of our Experts had a 50D class camera with an Elka camera stolen in broad daylight. He didn’t buy the same equipment, but bought a Rebel with a non-electronic staff, and has been shooting for a couple of years now. Everything is fine, including getting on the podium of serious competitions (click). So the main thing is not the car, but Schumacher.

Canon 550D vs Nikon D90

18 MP | APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

12 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Here we are comparing two DSLR cameras from Canon and Nikon. Canon 550D was introduced to market in April 2010 and Nikon D90 was launched in October 2008. As you can see, D90 is 2 years older than 550D. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Both cameras have APS-C sensors but Canon 550D has a 18.0 MP and Nikon D90 has a 12.0 MP resolution.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Canon 550D and Nikon D90 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 550D Key Specs

• Announcement Date: 2010-04-01
• 18MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
• ISO 100 - 12800 (expands to 12800)
• Canon EF/EF-S Mount
• 3″ Fixed Type Screen
• Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
• 4 fps continuous shooting
• 1920 x 1080 video resolution
• 530g. 129 x 98 x 62 mm
• Also known as EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4
• Replaced Canon EOS 500D Compare

Nikon D90 Key Specs

• Announcement Date: 2008-10-13
• 12MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
• ISO 200 - 3200 (expands to 6400)
• Nikon F Mount
• 3″ Fixed Type Screen
• Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
• 4.5 fps continuous shooting
• 1280 x 720 video resolution
• 703g. 132 x 103 x 77 mm
• Replaced Nikon D80 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 550D and Nikon D90 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

New

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 550D and Nikon D90 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 550D and Nikon D90. Canon 550D is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 3mm narrower, 5mm shorter and 15mm thinner than Nikon D90.

Here is the back view size comparison of Canon 550D and Nikon D90.

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon 550D is significantly lighter (173g) than the Nikon D90 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Canon 550D and Nikon D90 have the same APS-C sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Unfortunately neither Canon EOS 550D (EOS Rebel T2i / EOS Kiss X4) nor Nikon D90 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections: Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Canon 550D and Nikon D90's LCD screens have the same diagonal size of 3″.

Unfortunately, both cameras have fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Canon 550D has a 18.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor. On the other hand, Nikon D90 has a 12.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sized CMOS sensor.

Canon 550D's sensor provides 6MP more than Nikon D90's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or more crop freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the 550D and D90 sensor size comparison.

As seen above, Nikon D90 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon 550D. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Canon 550D and Nikon D90 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D90 has a better overall score of 73, 7 points higher compared to 550D's score of 66.

Canon 550D Review

for the opportunity to review the Canon EOS 550D .

Canon 550D Review

Canon EOS 550D body camera itself . The BODY in the name means that the camera is without a lens, while KIT means that the camera comes with some kind of lens. Usually the Canon 550D comes with one of the following lenses:

• Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS
• Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
• Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
• Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
• Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
• Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
• Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS
• Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II

Example photo on Canon EOS 550D

Canon 550D can work with EF, EF-S lenses. This means that any modern lenses from Canon are suitable for it. When using the Canon 550D, you always need to remember the crop factor, which for Canon APS-C cameras is 1.6x.

Example photo on Canon EOS 550D

The Canon 550D camera uses 9 focus points . This is neither more nor less. Many Canon cameras use so many focus points. This amount is quite enough for an amateur. In auto focus mode, the camera does a good job of focusing. The Canon 550D uses three conventional focusing modes that can be found in many other Canon cameras. Automatic focusing is very dependent on the lens and shooting conditions.

Example photo on Canon EOS 550D

The display of the Canon 550D camera is very good, 3-inch with 1.040 million dots. The same display is found on many other Canon cameras. Compared to the smaller display of the Canon 1100D, the display of the Canon 550D is very pleasant to work with.

Example photo on Canon EOS 550D

Canon 550D can shoot video in HD quality 1920x1080. You can set the frame rate: 30, 25, 20. Video is the strong point of the Canon 550D; in video mode, you can control the aperture and shutter speed, which allows you to create and control the process of shooting video. By the way, the highlight priority function also works in video mode. Also, the Canon 550D supports installing an external stereo microphone, which is very important for video. You can also shoot in 720p mode with 1280x720 and a frequency of 60 or 50 fps, as well as 640x480 with a frequency of 60 or 50 fps, which allows you to create unique videos with a slow-motion effect.

Example photo on Canon EOS 550D

Of course, the camera has a Live View function, which allows you to use the camera as a regular point-and-shoot camera. True, the inconvenience of Live View is that in order to start recording video you need to switch the camera control dial to the desired position. In Live View mode, you can zoom in on an area of ​​the image at 4x and 10x, which is very useful when using older non-autofocus lenses.

Example photo on Canon EOS 550D

The Canon 550D camera can operate at ISO 100-6400 and expands the range to H (12800). Please note, to expand the range to 12800, you need to disable the highlight priority function in the camera menu and enable the ISO range expansion function in the same menu. The Canon 550D camera performs quite well at high ISO values ​​and does not show as much noise as you might think when looking at its 18MP sensor. Also, please note that when Highlight Tone Priority is enabled, ISO 100 is not available.

Example photo on Canon EOS 550D

The camera body is made of plastic, it is quite pleasant to hold the camera. The ergonomics are no different from other Canon cameras.

Example photo on Canon EOS 550D

Please note that the Canon 550D is called differently in different countries. So, in the USA - Canon Rebel T2i , in Japan Canon EOS Kiss Digital X4 , we have Canon EOS 550D . True, I have never seen cameras labeled Rebel T2i or Kiss Digital X4 , but on the Internet you can find what they look like.

Example photo on Canon EOS 550D

The Canon 550D does a good job of metering exposure. The exposure metering system is the same as that of the Canon 7D, built on a 63-zone sensor. In any case, in difficult working conditions, exposure metering can fail, just like automatic white balance.

Example photo on Canon EOS 550D

Canon 550D uses SDHX, SDHC, SD memory cards. The copy from this review works well with SDHC 32GB, SDHC 16GB. Since the camera is very power hungry due to the huge number of megapixels, I recommend using the fastest memory cards possible. The camera shows the number of pictures that can fit on the free space of the card. On average, a RAW file weighs from 17 to 36MB, and a JPEG L weighs from 2 to 10MB.

Example photo on Canon EOS 550D

One of the most important indicators of camera performance and speed is the frame buffer, or more precisely, its capacity. The Canon 550D's image buffer can hold:

• RAW without extras functions - 6 frames
• JPEG L without additional functions - 9 frames
• JPEG L without additional functions at high ISO - 8 frames
• RAW with additional functions - 4 frames , but the camera continues to shoot as if there are 5-6 frames in the buffer
• JPEG L with add. functions - 2 frames , but the camera continues to shoot as if there are 5-6 frames in the buffer

Example photo on Canon 550D

The most important indicator is the frame buffer capacity in RAW mode, and at any ISO value, it is a maximum of 6 frames. After 2 seconds of shooting in continuous mode, the camera starts to slow down and write BUSY. This is a fairly low figure. Also, note that additional features such as Highlight Tone Priority, high ISO noise reduction, and slow shutter speed noise reduction greatly reduce the number of frames in the frame buffer. The good news is that the Canon 550D uses 14-bit RAW.

Example photo on Canon 550D

The Canon 550D uses a huge 17.9 megapixel CMOS sensor that can produce an image of 5184 by 3456 pixels. In reviews you can find information that the Canon 550D has a whole 18.7MP, this is not true, since the camera has only 18.0 effective pixels, but when creating a JPEG image, you get a picture that includes only 17.9MP. The difference is negligible; in any case, the Canon 550D has a simply stunning number of pixels. You can easily print A1 size posters from the Canon 550D camera. Most likely, the Canon 550D uses an upgraded matrix from the professional Canon 7D. Similar 18MP matrices can be found in the advanced amateur Canon 60D, specialized Canon 60Da and similar amateur cameras Canon 650D and Canon 600D.

Example photo on Canon 550D

Roughly speaking, the Canon 550D can produce the same quality images as the Canon 7D. Creating a matrix is ​​very expensive, therefore the same matrix is ​​often used in different camera models.

Example photo on Canon 550D

The Canon 550D's continuous shooting speed is not high, and is only 3.7 frames per second. This is neither little nor much, given the camera’s small buffer, serial shooting can only work properly with JPEG image quality and a good, high-speed memory card.

Example photo on Canon 550D

Canon 550D has useful features:

1. A special indicator that determines whether the camera is brought close to the face. The indicator turns off the display when focusing is done through the optical viewfinder. Nice feature.
2. Highlight Tone Priority function . This feature takes a slightly underexposed photo and software expands the dynamic range, pulling information from dark areas.
3. Convenient special button that is responsible for setting ISO
4. Canon 550D has a sensor cleaning system . The function is configured to clean the sensor when turned on or off, or forcefully.
5. Red-eye reduction for photos taken with flash.
6. Noise reduction function at high ISO values. Has several efficiency values. A very useful thing when shooting in JPEG.
7. Long exposure noise reduction function.
8. Peripheral lighting control (vignetting) function

Example photo on Canon 550D

What the Canon 550D lacks compared to advanced amateur cameras:

1. Fast flash synchronization. Minimum synchronization is only available at 1200s.
2. The ability to control flashes remotely, which greatly helps when creating interesting lighting effects
3. An additional display for quick access to settings, for example, like the Canon 60D.
4. Short shutter speed 18000. The Canon 550D has a maximum shutter speed of 14000, this sometimes makes it difficult to work with high-aperture optics in good lighting.

Examples of photos without processing:

Canon EOS 550D

Studio test and conclusions

When testing SLR cameras, we use the Carl Zeiss Planar ZS 50/1.4 (M-42) lens, kindly provided by the Kutuzov-photo company. Read more about the testing methodology...

Test still life (what is this?) and color rendering test (what is this?)

At its lower sensitivity of ISO 100, the Canon EOS 550D exhibits the highest level of image detail. Thanks to the 18-megapixel matrix and the use of good optics, you can see every hair of the doll in the test still life. Noise is not visible in the photographs. Color rendition is natural and quite accurate. When increasing ISO up to 400 units inclusive, nothing changes in the nature of the image. Noise is practically invisible, and there is no loss of detail. At ISO 800, subtle, fine monochrome noise becomes noticeable in the shadow areas of the frame. At ISO 1600, noise grains in the shadows become slightly earthier, and detail is slightly reduced in dark areas of the frame. But this ISO value remains fully operational. At ISO 3200 there is a significant reduction in detail. The color rendition changes slightly. Images taken at this ISO value are nevertheless suitable for printing even in relatively large formats. ISO 6400 can be called conditionally working. The image is no longer so highly detailed; the results of the noise reduction system are clearly visible in the pictures. Large patches of colored noise are noticeable in the shadows. But even such frames can be printed in formats up to A4. But we would not recommend using ISO 12800 in practice. The image degrades too much at this sensitivity value.

Despite all the skepticism of opponents of this camera, the use of an 18-megapixel matrix did not lead to an increase in the noise level. The camera processor can handle it easily. But the Canon EOS 550D has extremely high detail for cameras with APS-C frame format.

Detail test (what is it?)

The camera was tested with a Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, well known to us from the Canon EOS 7D test. The lens, which performed well with the older model, turned out to be up to par this time too (especially considering that the lens belongs to budget optics).

Unfortunately, the large minimum focusing distance of the lens in the wide-angle position did not allow us to correctly capture our test pattern. We present photographs taken with focal lengths of 35 and 135 mm. The lens showed a good level of detail, especially considering the fact that the Canon EOS 550D has the highest pixel density of all modern APS-C cameras (here we do not take into account the Canon EOS 7D, equipped with the same sensor and tested with the same lens ). But an equally important advantage of the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is the very high focusing speed it provides.

For those who are wondering what configuration to buy a camera in, we would recommend buying it with this lens.

Stabilizer test (what is it?)

Stills shot at an equivalent focal length of 216mm and a shutter speed of 1/50 sec. Stabilizer off:

Stills shot at an equivalent focal length of 216mm and a shutter speed of 1/50 sec. Stabilizer included:

conclusions

It just so happens that the domestic photographer is prone to some redundancy when it comes to choosing photographic equipment. And if a person buys his first camera, then it often becomes a DSLR, and sometimes even a semi-professional one. But in the case of the Canon EOS 550D, we would recommend that future buyers moderate their ardor and set their sights on this, albeit amateur, model. The use of a sensor and image processing algorithms similar to what we saw in the sophisticated EOS 7D makes the Canon EOS 550D one of the leaders in its class. The noise level in particular and image quality in general on the Canon EOS 550D are at the level of many semi-professional level cameras (or even surpass them). Video capabilities are not far behind. Videos can be recorded in Full HD resolution at up to 30 frames per second, using a remote microphone and manually controlling exposure. The main differences from higher-end cameras lie in ergonomics (the EOS 550D is much more compact than semi-professional “monsters”), controls (it is not so quick, especially choosing the focus point) and design (plastic body without moisture protection). The continuous shooting speed of the Canon EOS 550D is at the amateur level - 3.7 frames/s. But don’t forget about the “lighter” price of this device compared to more high-end models.

***Pros: * highest image quality up to ISO 6400; * shooting video in Full HD format with a frequency of up to 30 frames/s; * the ability to use an external microphone for video recording; * convenient on-screen menu; * sensor to turn off the display when brought to the eye; * 3-inch display with resolution increased to 1,400,000 pixels; * convenient Live View mode with phase detection and relatively fast contrast autofocus.

***Disadvantages * inability to directly select the focus point; * lack of image post-processing functions.

Our resume

It looks like Canon has once again rolled out an uncompromising amateur DSLR to the market. The use of an 18-megapixel matrix did not have a negative impact (as many predicted at the time of the announcement of the Canon EOS 550D), but rather a positive effect on image quality. No other amateur DSLR can currently boast such a level of detail and such a low noise level. Among the advantages of the Canon EOS 550D are video shooting in Full HD format and a simple and intuitive control interface. What else does an amateur DSLR need? During the entire testing period, we were able to find only one drawback with this device - inconvenient selection of the focus point. In all other respects, the Canon EOS 550D is simply an ideal camera for the amateur.

VaD89RUS › Blog › 1. Tourism and travel: Canon EOS 550D

Yesterday I bought myself a CANON EOS 550D DSLR, spent a long time choosing it, looked through a bunch of material on the internet, and finally chose it. Since I’m new to this business, please don’t bother me about taking photos, I think I’ll soon learn how to take normal photographs, for now I’m just learning the camera and its functions. I also bought a 32 gig class 10 flash drive. Below I attach a description of the camera, I took it here maddoxart.net/index.php?o…&task=view& >