Canon 5D MII has a
21.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Digic 4 processor. On the other hand, Nikon D700 has a
12.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor.
Canon 5D MII's sensor provides 9MP more than Nikon D700'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 5D MII and D700 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 5D MII and Nikon D700 Cameras
Canon 5D MII and Nikon D700 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Nikon D700 has 74% larger pixel area (71.70µm 2 vs 41.08µm 2 ) compared to Canon 5D MII, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
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 5D MII and Nikon D700 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D700 has a better overall score of 80, 1 points higher compared to 5D MII's score of 79.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon 5D MII
79
23.7 bits
11.9 Evs
1815 ISO
Nikon D700
80
23.5 bits
12.2 Evs
2303 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 5D MII
or the
Nikon D700 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
