Canon EOS 5DS vs Nikon D800 — Which Is Better?

The Canon EOS 5DS and the Nikon D800 are both full-frame DSLRs with optical pentaprism viewfinders, pairing a large sensor with a traditional mirrored body. The 5DS arrived in 2015 and the D800 in 2012, and each uses its maker's native mount: Canon EF for the 5DS and Nikon F FX for the D800. That mount difference decides which lens collection you can attach directly, since the systems do not cross-fit.

The 5DS measures 152 x 116 x 76 mm and weighs 930 g, while the D800 is 146 x 123 x 82 mm and 1000 g. The Canon is 70 g lighter, while the Nikon sits a little deeper front to back.

The 5DS is the clear choice for heavy cropping and large prints: its 50.6 megapixel sensor captures 14.3 more megapixels than the D800's 36.3. A landscape or studio photographer cropping into a distant detail, or printing at large sizes, gets more pixels to work with on the Canon.

Much of the core shooting envelope is shared. Both use full-frame CMOS sensors, offer a native ISO range of 100 to 6400, and reach a fastest shutter speed of 1/8000 second. Neither offers in-body stabilisation, so a tripod or stabilised lens does the work for both.

For action, the 5DS shoots at up to 5 frames per second with 61 autofocus points, against 4 frames per second and 51 points on the D800. That gives the Canon one extra frame each second of a burst. The D800 counters with an expanded ISO setting up to 25600 for very dark scenes.

Anyone recording clips alongside stills gets the same ceiling from either body. Both record video with a maximum resolution of Full HD and a maximum frame rate of 30 fps, and each includes a built-in interval timer for timelapse sequences that saves carrying an external remote.

Editing is where the video difference appears: the 5DS records MOV files, while the D800 records MPEG, so check which your editing software prefers before a shoot.

The D800 is the better-connected camera for wireless workflow, because it supports Wi-Fi for transferring images to a computer or phone, while the 5DS has no wireless option and relies on card readers or a cable. The Nikon also carries a built-in flash for a touch of fill light when you travel without a speedlight; the Canon needs an external unit for that, though both accept one on the hot shoe.

The rear screens are both 3.2 inches, fixed, non-touch, with live view for composing from the LCD. The 5DS's panel shows a finer display of 1,040,000 dots against 921,000 on the D800, which makes playback magnification and focus checking a little crisper. Both bodies are weather sealed, and neither includes GPS for location tagging, so geotagging requires an external accessory either way.

The D800 is rated for 900 shots against 700 for the 5DS, a 200-shot advantage. Neither camera charges over USB, so both need their dedicated chargers, the LP-E6 for the Canon and the EN-EL15 for the Nikon.

Storage is a shared strength: both cameras carry dual card slots taking SD, SDHC and SDXC cards at UHS-I speed plus CompactFlash, so you can fit two cards at once for extra capacity or overflow during a busy shoot.