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 D850 has a
46.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor.
Nikon D850's sensor provides 22MP more than Canon 80D'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.
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Nikon D850'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 80D and D850 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 80D and Nikon D850 Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D850 has a 2.5x 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
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 80D and Nikon D850 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D850 has a better overall score of 100, 21 points higher compared to 80D's score of 79.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Canon 80D
79
23.6 bits
13.2 Evs
1135 ISO
Nikon D850
100
26.4 bits
14.8 Evs
2660 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 D850 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(APS-C 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.
