Canon 80D has a
24.0MP APS-C (22.5 x 15 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 6 processor. On the other hand, Nikon D300 has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor.
Canon 80D's sensor provides 12MP more than Nikon D300'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 80D and D300 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 80D and Nikon D300 Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D300 has a 1.1x 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 Canon 80D and Nikon D300 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, 80D has scored 79, 12 points higher than D300.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon 80D
79
23.6 bits
13.2 Evs
1135 ISO
Nikon D300
67
22.1 bits
12.0 Evs
679 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 80D
or the
Nikon D300 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
