Canon 450D has a
12.0MP APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Nikon D3100 has a
14.0MP APS-C (23.1 x 15.4 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 2 processor.
Below you can see the 450D and D3100 sensor size comparison.
Canon 450D and Nikon D3100 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the 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 450D and Nikon D3100 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D3100 has a better overall score of 67, 6 points higher compared to 450D's score of 61.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Canon 450D |
61 |
21.9 bits |
10.8 Evs |
692 ISO |
Nikon D3100 |
67 |
22.5 bits |
11.3 Evs |
919 ISO |