Canon 1D MIII has a
10.0MP APS-H (28.7 x 18.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Nikon D3S has a
12.0MP Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor.
Below you can see the 1D MIII and D3S sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 1D MIII and Nikon D3S Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D3S has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Canon 1D MIII. 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
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It 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. Canon 1D MIII and Nikon D3S sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D3S has a better overall score of 82, 11 points higher compared to 1D MIII's score of 71.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon 1D MIII
71
22.7 bits
11.7 Evs
1078 ISO
Nikon D3S
82
23.5 bits
12.0 Evs
3253 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Canon 1D MIII
or the
Nikon D3S ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(APS-H versus Full frame),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
