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Nikon D80 vs Canon 60Da Comparison

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Nikon D80

10 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CCD Sensor

Nikon D80
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Canon 60Da

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

Canon 60Da
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Nikon D80 vs Canon 60Da Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing D80 and 60Da, two Advanced DSLR cameras from Nikon and Canon. Both cameras have APS-C sensors but Nikon D80 has a 10.0 MP and Canon 60Da has a 18.0 MP resolution. Nikon D80 was introduced to market in September 2006 and Canon 60Da was launched in April 2012. As you can see, D80 is 6 years older than 60Da. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon D80 and Canon 60Da before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D80 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2006-09-23
  • 10MP - APS-C CCD Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 1600 ( expands to 3200)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 2.5" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 668g. 132 x 103 x 77 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D70 Compare

Canon 60Da Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-04-07
  • 18MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 6400 ( expands to 12800)
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 755g. 145 x 106 x 79 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Nikon D80 was replaced by Nikon D90. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D90 vs Nikon D80
Nikon D90 vs Canon EOS 60Da

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon D80 and Canon 60Da compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon D80 over Canon EOS 60Da
Viewfinder Magnification
0.64x vs 0.6x Larger Viewfinder
Weight
668 g vs 755 g 87 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area
37.14µm2 vs 18.54µm2 100% larger pixel area


Reasons to choose Canon EOS 60Da over Nikon D80
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
18 MP vs 10 MP 80% more pixels
Max ISO
6.400 vs 1.600 300% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.5" 0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
1.040k dots vs 230k dots 352% higher resolution screen
Viewfinder Coverage
96% vs 95% More accurate viewfinder
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
5.0fps vs 3.0fps 2 fps faster
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs None Higher Resolution Video
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Shutter Life Expectancy
100000 cycles vs 50000 cycles Longer use without changing the shutter mechanism

Common Strengths of Nikon D80 and Canon EOS 60Da
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Top LCD Display
Yes vs Yes Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Nikon D80 and Canon EOS 60Da
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune)
No vs No no option to fine tune Auto focus
Nikon D80 vs Canon 60Da: 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 D80 and Canon 60Da side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon D80 has external dimensions of 132 x 103 x 77 mm (5.2 x 4.06 x 3.03″) and weighs 668 g (1.47 lb / 23.56 oz) (including batteries). Canon 60Da has external dimensions of 145 x 106 x 79 mm (5.71 x 4.17 x 3.11″) and weighs 755 g (1.66 lb / 26.63 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D80 and Canon 60Da. Nikon D80 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 13mm narrower, 3mm shorter and 2mm thinner than Canon 60Da.

Nikon D80 vs Canon 60Da Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Canon 60Da Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D80 and Canon 60Da.
Nikon D80 vs Canon 60Da Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Canon 60Da Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D80 is 87g lighter than the Canon 60Da but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

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 Nikon D80 and Canon 60Da have the same APS-C sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D80
60Da
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D80
60Da
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of 60Da, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to D80.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Canon 60Da's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Nikon D80's 2.5" screen.

Moreover, Canon 60Da sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. On the other hand, Nikon D80 has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to 60Da.
Nikon D80 vs Canon 60Da: Sensor Comparison

Nikon D80 has a 10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor . On the other hand, Canon 60Da has a 18.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor.

Canon 60Da's sensor provides 8MP more than Nikon D80's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more 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 D80 and 60Da sensor size comparison.

Nikon D80 vs Canon 60Da Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D80 and Canon 60Da Cameras


As seen above, Nikon D80 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon 60Da. 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 D80 vs Canon 60Da 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 60Da has an advantage over Nikon D80 There are 326 lenses for Canon 60Da's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 309 lenses for Nikon D80's Nikon F 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 106 lenses for Nikon F mount and 112 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount with IS.

Lens Type # of Nikon D80 Lenses # of Canon 60Da Lenses
Standard Zoom 33 40
Standard Prime 21 19
Wideangle Zoom 33 37
Wideangle Prime 48 49
Telephoto Zoom 53 58
Telephoto Prime 45 43
SuperZoom 30 28
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 8 7
Macro Prime 26 28
Perspective Control Prime 11 16
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 1
TOTAL 309 326


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Nikon D80 and Canon 60Da to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF Lens Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF
25.5 - 82.5mm 755gr 1423gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM Lens Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
25.5 - 82.5mm 645gr 1400gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM
75 - 225mm 1350gr 2018gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM
75 - 225mm 1350gr 2105gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 35mm f1.8G Lens Nikon 35mm f1.8G
52.5mm 210gr 878gr 53mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM Lens Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM
45mm 435gr 1190gr 63mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED Lens Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED
15 - 36mm 460gr 1128gr 87mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM Lens Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM
15 - 30mm 520gr 1275gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR Lens Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR
24 - 120mm 480gr 1148gr 86mm Amazon B&H Photo
Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM
22.5 - 127.5mm 575gr 1330gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR
80 - 400mm 1570gr 2238gr 203mm Amazon B&H Photo
Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM
100 - 400mm 1590gr 2345gr 193mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Nikon D80 and Canon 60Da Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D80 and Canon 60Da 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 D80 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 60Da for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 60Da for Street Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Canon 60Da for Sports Photography

GOOD
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
Good Battery Life: 1100 shots
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Canon 60Da for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
668g
Body Thickness 77mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
755g
Body Thickness 79mm
Read the details

Nikon D80 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Canon 60Da for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Nikon D80 vs Canon 60Da: 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 D80 and Canon 60Da, 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 D80 and Canon 60Da scores compare:

Nikon D80
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #71 out of 95 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #612 out of 1226 in all Cameras
Canon 60Da
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #48 out of 95 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #262 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Canon 60Da is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon D80 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon D80. Otherwise, Canon 60Da is the better camera overall.

Nikon D80
Nikon D80
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Canon 60Da
Canon 60Da
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Canon 60Da vs Nikon D80 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon D80 Canon EOS 60Da
Brand Nikon Canon
Announced 2006-09-23 2012-04-07
Body Type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type CCD CMOS
Size APS-C APS-C
Dimensions 23.6 x 15.8 mm 22.3 x 14.9 mm
Area 372.88mm2 332.27mm2
Megapixels 10 megapixels 18 megapixels
Max Resolution 3872 x 2592 5184 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 1,600 ISO 6,400 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 3200 ISO 12800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 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 n/a 9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon F Canon EF/EF-S
Number of Available Lenses 309 326
Screen
Type Fixed type Fully Articulated
Size 2.5" 3"
Resolution 230k dots 1,040k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage 95% 96%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.64x 0.6x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 13.00 m 13.00 m
Max Flash Sync 1/200s 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps 5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution None 1920 x 1080
Video Formats n/a H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 668g 755g
Dimensions 132 x 103 x 77mm 145 x 106 x 79mm
Battery Life n/a 1100 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 61 not tested
DxO Color Depth 22.1 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 11.2 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 524 not tested
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