Canon 1D X II has a
20.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Dual DIGIC 6+ processor. On the other hand, Nikon D500 has a
21.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor.
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Nikon D500's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the 1D X MII and D500 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 1D X II and Nikon D500 Cameras
As seen above, Canon 1D X II has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Nikon D500. 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 Canon 1D X II and Nikon D500 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, 1D X MII has scored 88, 4 points higher than D500.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon 1D X II
88
24.1 bits
13.5 Evs
3207 ISO
Nikon D500
84
24.1 bits
14.0 Evs
1324 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 X II
or the
Nikon D500 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Full frame versus APS-C),
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.
