Nikon D3S has a
12.0MP Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor. On the other hand, Canon 80D has a
24.0MP APS-C (22.5 x 15 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 6 processor.
Canon 80D's sensor provides 12MP more than Nikon D3S'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 D3S and 80D sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Nikon D3S has a 2.5x Larger sensor area than Canon 80D. 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
Both Nikon D3S and Canon 80D sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark 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. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, D3S has scored 82, 3 points higher than 80D.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D3S |
82 |
23.5 bits |
12.0 Evs |
3253 ISO |
Canon 80D |
79 |
23.6 bits |
13.2 Evs |
1135 ISO |