Nikon D300S has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor. On the other hand, Canon 7D has a
18.0MP APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Dual Digic 4 processor.
Canon 7D's sensor provides 6MP more than Nikon D300S'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 D300S and 7D sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D300S and Canon 7D Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D300S has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon 7D. 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 Nikon D300S and Canon 7D 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, D300S has scored 70, 4 points higher than 7D.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon D300S
70
22.5 bits
12.2 Evs
787 ISO
Canon 7D
66
22.0 bits
11.7 Evs
854 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
Nikon D300S
or the
Canon 7D ,
including hyperfocal distance.
