Canon 80D vs Nikon D7500

Introduction

The Canon EOS 80D and Nikon D7500 were launched as direct successors of the EOS 70D and the D7200 which were often a first choice for a variety of different photographers thanks to their incredible capabilities.

In this article, I will try to reveal you all of the advantages and disadvantages you will get in a return by choosing any of the aforementioned cameras. Keep in mind that both cameras have multiple similarities, and of course, stuff that makes them different because there is 15 months difference between them.

That’s why, let’s get started and find out what should you expect from these semi-pro DSLR cameras in practice, and from the very beginning I’d like you to know that regardless of the final result, both cameras are respectable, hence, you will unlikely regret your decision!

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Head To Head Comparison

Canon 80D

The Canon EOS 80D boasts a stylish, yet tough body that is built by using a combination of magnesium alloy and polycarbonate, the first material is found on the chassis, whereas, the latter, is on the exterior! But, Canon didn’t stop here, they sealed the body against dust and moisture with the intention to provide you an exceptionally convenient user experience, since you will be able to capture pictures and record videos under different weather conditions!

Moreover, most of the control are set on the right-handed side of the camera, on the rear and on the top, and Canon do really deserve credits here, because they have designed the layout nicely, since each control is easily accessible which definitely plays a huge role during your shooting sessions.

On the top-center, there is a hotshoe, while on each side, you will notice a Control dial, and a large Information screen that is surrounded by 5 dedicated buttons, and yet two more that sit on the grip.

If you take a look at the rear part of the body, you will notice that controls are set on the top and on the right, giving you the freedom to not get distracted by them, so that your focus should be set on the viewfinder and the screen. There is another reason why the left side is mostly clear, so, keep reading in order to find out why.

First of all, I would like to mention that the pentaprism viewfinder has a 0.95x magnification and distributes up to 100% of coverage which is pretty cool and when we add the fact that your view is going to be sharp, without a doubt I can say that you will be very satisfied.

Slightly below, there is a 3″, 1040k-dot touchscreen which is bright enough to offer you a clear sight even if you’re using the screen under bright sunlight, but what got my attention as well is regarding its flexibility. To be more precise, the screen is fully-articulating, hence, you will have complete freedom in positioning it according to your preferences, and by the way, now you got the reason why there aren’t buttons set on the rear-left side of the body.

In terms of the connection options, the EOS 80D comes equipped with a wired remote control, microphone input, headphone output, mini USB port, mini HDMI port, single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, and has a built-in NFC and Wi-Fi which I absolutely favor due to the fact that by using the Canon Camera Connect app which is compatible with Android and iOS devices, the way of transferring your content will be butter-smooth!

Performance-wise, the EOS 80D is powered by a DIGIC 6 image processor, has a 24.2MP CMOS(APS-C) sensor, 45-point, all cross-type AF system, burst shooting rate of 7 fps, ISO range that stretches from 100-12,800 which is expandable up to 100-25,600 and employs Dual Pixel CMOS AF that offers exceptionally accurate tracking and impressively fast focusing-speed in Live View for your ultimate user experience!

Thanks to these components, the EOS 80D produces well-defined imagery and at the same time, it does a highly effective job in maintaining the presence of noise as low as possible.

For instance, the best results for JPGs can be achieved if you shoot through ISO 1600, because here, the quality is insanely good and the details are exceptionally defined, whereas, at ISO 6400, the noise is present but does not affect the quality of the image negatively.

At ISO 12,800 the noise is getting more pronounced, and at ISO 25,600 the grain is heavily pronounced and starts to overtake the image, and therefore, it is advisable to avoid this level as much as you can.

On the other hand, the RAW format at ISO 1600 brings great results with minimal noise, but as you’re increasing its range, at ISO 3200 and ISO 6400, details are still being properly shown, but noise is getting more pronounced and reaches its peak at 25,600.

If we take these things aside, I would like to inform you that the EOS 80D can be used for sports photography without any problem due to its fast shutter speed of 1/8000s, its continuous shooting rate of 7 fps and because of the environmental sealing.

Furthermore, the results of the landscape photography are quite average and the same may be said for portrait photography, however, for street photography the results are fairly better, so as you can see, this is camera is a versatile performer indeed!

Last but not least, the EOS 80D lacks 4K video recording, so, you can record videos at up to 1080p60 quality in MP4 format, and to be honest, the footage you’ll see is extremely crisp and this unit does a highly effective job in keeping track and focusing on subjects when recording videos in a similar fashion as low light camcorders do. I also recommend you read our article about the best tripods for canon 80D if you plan on shooting videos with it.

Canon 80D Sample Images:

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Nikon D7500

Speaking of the design, the Nikon D7500 features a fairly lightweight, monocoque body made of carbon fiber that employs comprehensive weather-sealing which is awesome if you ask me, because from now on, dust and moisture would never cause you troubles during your photo sessions! At this point, I’d like to note that both, the D7500 and the 80D have weather sealing and both of them receive credits from me.

Moreover, the controls are mainly spread on the top and rear part of its body and as was the case with the EOS 80D, they are well-organized which by default means that you will be able to easily access them and adjust the settings according to your preferences.

Namely, on the top-center, there is a hotshoe, while on each side, you can find dual control dials along with a few dedicated buttons and an information LCD that will keep you informed regarding the mode you’re using, etc.

On the rear, on the left side, there is an array of buttons, a viewfinder that sits on the top, an LCD screen that is positioned below the viewfinder, and a few more controls on the right side, so, when you see this unit as a whole, it looks well made!

For your information, the optical viewfinder has a magnification of 0.94x and 100% coverage, along with an 18.55mm eyepoint, which is really cool due to the fact that your site will be exceptionally clear and you will never miss anything thanks to its coverage!

On the other side, the 3.2″ 922k-dot touchscreen is highly responsive because it can quickly and effectively register all of your gestures, but what’s even more interesting is that it will offer you a delightful view of everything you wish to record or capture. On the contrary to the Canon EOS 80D, this screen can only tilt, whereas, the EOS 80D has a fully articulating screen and therefore, receives more points. Either way, you will still have room to adjust it to suit your personal preferences and I don’t think that you will be disappointed at all.

Moving on, the connections consist of a micro USB port, mini HDMI por, 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks, wired remote control port, single memory card slot that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC slots and it is both, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled, so here, in comparison to the EOS 80D, both cameras will let you have a very smooth transfer of your captured photos and videos.

In terms of the performance, the D7500 incorporates a 20.9MP APS-C image sensor, a continuous shooting rate of 8.1 fps, 51-point AF system with 15 cross-type sensors, and an ISO range of 100-51,200.

Furthermore, when shooting JPGs, keep in mind that the best results can be achieved at ISO 1600, because here, the noise is virtually non-existent, while at ISO 3200, although the overall quality of the imagery is awesome, you may notice a slight loss of detail.

At 12,800 the noise is appearing more but still, images are usable, however, at ISO 25,600-51,200 details suffer the most, and you mustn’t go this far.

RAW format at ISO 1600 is exceptionally good because details appear in an extremely defined fashion, and this camera maintains the noise adequately also at ISO 3200, 6400, 12,800. Finally, at ISO 25,600-512,200 noise is starting to appear more pronounced, but what’s interesting is that the details remain strong, hence, images are still usable.

If I make a comparison between this camera and the EOS 80D in terms of sports photography, the D7500 will likely offer you a way better results, while for street photography, both produce mainly the same output with some minor difference that may not be decisive.

The same can be said regarding the portrait photography, as well as at the landscape photography although the D7500 is only a bit better.

In the end, I would like to inform you that the Nikon D7500 wins the race here, thanks to its ability to record 4K videos at 30/25/24fps, Full HD 1920 x 1080p videos at 60/50/30/25/24fps and HD 1280 x 720 HD videos at 60/50fps.

Nikon D7500 Sample Images:

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Canon 80D vs Nikon D7500 Feature Comparison

	Canon 80D	Nikon D7500
Camera Type	DSLR	DSLR
Megapixels	24.2	20.9
ISO Range	100-12,800;100-25,600	100-51200; 1,640,000
Flip-Out Screen	Yes	No
AF Points	45 AF points	51 AF Points
Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	Yes	Yes
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	APS-C (CMOS)	APS-C (CMOS)

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Conclusion

First of all, I would like to note that the battle was intense, and it was very hard to choose the winner from the very beginning, due to the fact that although these cameras have some key differences, they are very similar to each other!

In order to name the winner, I’d like to reveal the key aspects where one camera beats the other and vice-versa, so let’s start and finally, find out which camera would suit you the best.

For example, the Canon EOS 80D shows itself as a better performer by having 14% more pixels than the D7500 ( 24MP vs 21MP), 30 more cross-type focus points ( 45 vs 15), has a higher resolution screen ( 1,040k dots vs 922k dots), has a bit stronger battery life ( 960 shots vs 950 shots) and has a fully-articulating LCD screen opposed to the D7500 whose screen can only tilt.

On the other hand, the D7500 has a larger max ISO sensitivity level ( 51,200 vs 16,000), has more focus points ( 51 vs 45), larger screen by 0.2″, offers a faster continuous shooting rate by 1 fps, shoots at 4K which is something that the 80D lacks, has a higher dynamic range ( 14.0 vs 13.2).

Clearly, if you prefer having a camera that will let you capture wonderful images and offer you the benefits of 4K, then the D7500 would be a better option.

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