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Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon 5D MII Comparison

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Nikon 1 J4

18 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon 1 J4
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Canon 5D MII

21 MP | Full frame (36 x 24 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon 5D MII
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Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon 5D MII Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon 1 J4, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 18.0MP 1" sensor whereas Canon 5D MII, which was introduced in February 2009 is a Advanced DSLR camera with a 21.0MP Full frame sensor. As you can see, 5D MII is 5 years older than 1 J4. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon 5D MII before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-10
  • 18MP - 1" CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 60 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 1,200 fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 232g. 100 x 60 x 29 mm
  • Replaced Nikon 1 J3 Compare

Canon 5D MII Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-02-13
  • 21MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 6400 ( expands to 50-25600)
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 4 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 850g. 152 x 114 x 75 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Canon EOS 5D Compare

Canon 5D MII was replaced by Canon EOS 5D Mark III. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 5D Mark III vs Nikon 1 J4

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon 1 J4 and Canon 5D MII compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J4 over Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Max ISO
12.800 vs 6.400 100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
171 vs 9 162 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution
1.037k dots vs 920k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting
60.0fps vs 4.0fps 56 fps faster
Weight
232 g vs 850 g 618 g lighter


Reasons to choose Canon EOS 5D Mark II over Nikon 1 J4
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Optical vs None Better framing and control
Max Sensor Resolution
21 MP vs 18 MP 16% more pixels
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life
850 shots vs 300 shots 550 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Sensor Pixel Area
41.08µm2 vs 6.36µm2 545% larger pixel area
Top LCD
Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash

Common Strengths of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon EOS 5D Mark II
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
18 MP vs 21 MP Bigger prints and more details
Common Weaknesses of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon EOS 5D Mark II
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon 5D MII: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

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 Nikon 1 J4 and Canon 5D MII side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon 1 J4 has external dimensions of 100 x 60 x 29 mm (3.92 x 2.36 x 1.12″) and weighs 232 g (0.51 lb / 8.18 oz) (including batteries). Canon 5D MII has external dimensions of 152 x 114 x 75 mm (5.98 x 4.49 x 2.95″) and weighs 850 g (1.87 lb / 29.98 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon 5D MII. Nikon 1 J4 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 52mm narrower, 54mm shorter and 46mm thinner than Canon 5D MII.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon 5D MII Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon 5D MII Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon 1 J4 is significantly lighter (618g ) than the Canon 5D MII 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 Canon 5D MII has a Full frame sensor and Nikon 1 J4 has a smaller 1" sensor, Nikon 1 J4's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Canon 5D MII lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

1 J4
5D MII
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

1 J4
5D MII
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of 5D MII, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to 1 J4.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon 1 J4 and Canon 5D MII's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon 5D MII: Sensor Comparison

Nikon 1 J4 has a 18.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Canon 5D MII has a 21.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor.

Below you can see the 1 J4 and 5D MII sensor size comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon 5D MII Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Canon 5D MII Cameras


As seen above, Canon 5D MII has a 7.4x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 J4. 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.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon 5D MII Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon 5D MII has an advantage over Nikon 1 J4 There are 250 lenses for Canon 5D MII's Canon EF mount, on the other hand there are only 13 lenses for Nikon 1 J4's Nikon 1 lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 7 lenses for Nikon 1 mount and 76 lenses for Canon EF mount with IS.

Lens Type # of Nikon 1 J4 Lenses # of Canon 5D MII Lenses
Standard Zoom 4 22 (22 Full Frame)
Standard Prime 2 17 (17 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom 1 20 (20 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime 2 46 (46 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom 2 50 (50 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime n/a 43 (43 Full Frame)
SuperZoom 2 9 (9 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime n/a 3 (3 Full Frame)
Macro Prime n/a 24 (24 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime n/a 16 (16 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a n/a
TOTAL 13 250 (250 Full Frame)

What types of Photography are Nikon 1 J4 and Canon 5D MII Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J4 and Canon 5D MII for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon 1 J4 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Canon 5D MII for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 5D MII for Street Photography

GOOD
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Canon 5D MII for Sports Photography

GOOD
Fast Continuous Shooting: 60.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
105 Cross Type Focus sensors
171 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
Good Battery Life: 850 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.0fps
No Image Stabilization
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 5D MII for Daily Photography

GOOD
232g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
850g
Body Thickness 75mm
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Canon 5D MII for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 vs Canon 5D MII: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon 1 J4 and Canon 5D MII, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon 1 J4 and Canon 5D MII scores compare:

Nikon 1 J4
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #70 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #327 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Canon 5D MII
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #38 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #178 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Canon 5D MII is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon 1 J4 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon 1 J4. Otherwise, Canon 5D MII is the better camera overall.

Nikon 1 J4
Nikon 1 J4
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Canon 5D MII
Canon 5D MII
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Canon 5D MII vs Nikon 1 J4 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon 1 J4 Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Brand Nikon Canon
Announced 2014-04-10 2009-02-13
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size 1" Full frame
Dimensions 13.2 x 8.8 mm 36 x 24 mm
Area 116.16mm2 864.00mm2
Megapixels 18 megapixels 21 megapixels
Max Resolution 5232 x 3488 5616 x 3744
Max Native Light sensitivity 12,800 ISO 6,400 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity - 50 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 171 9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon 1 Canon EF
Number of Available Lenses 13 250
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 1,037k dots 920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 98%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.71x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/8000s
Max Electronic Shutter 1/16000s n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.00 m (ISO 100) no built-in flash
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 60.0 fps 4.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 232g 850g
Dimensions 100 x 60 x 29mm 152 x 114 x 75mm
Battery Life 300 shots 850 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 79
DxO Color Depth not tested 23.7
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 11.9
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1815
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